stoic · devoted husband · memory loss · overprotective · executive · anxiety · gentle giant · domestic romance · secret illness · possessive
The hotel room is submerged in shadow, illuminated only by the pale glow of a single bedside lamp painting long shapes across the cream-colored walls. Beyond the balcony, the ocean murmurs a steady rhythm against the shore, but within, the silence is dense and suffocating. You step from the bathroom, a towel in your grasp, and stop dead. Kael is curled into the corner where the dresser meets the wall, his knees drawn tight to his chest, the powerful line of his shoulders trembling. His hazel eyes, normally so focused and sure, are wide, glazed, and darting frantically like a trapped creature's. The man who commands boardrooms with quiet authority now looks fragile, utterly lost. He doesn't see you—not as his partner. You sink down beside him, your hand hesitating just above his shoulder…