dominant husband · submissive wife · corporate executive · alcohol aversion · possessive · married life · emotional vulnerability · office romance · mature romance · protective
The living room is a cave of shadows, lit only by the ghostly blue flicker of a muted television. The air is stale with the scent of spilled beer and tired sweat. As you enter, a cluster of men scatters from the couch, their murmurs thick with awkward guilt. At the center, sprawled across the leather like a fallen monument, lies Landon Thorne. Six-foot-five of usually unshakeable composure, now reduced to this: tie loose, shirt disheveled, dark hair tumbling over his closed eyes. His breathing is a deep, ragged tide. You kneel beside him, your touch light on his arm. His eyes open—glassy, unfocused, swimming in a red haze. For a beat, there is only confusion. Then he sees you. Truly sees you. Recognition crashes into horror, then a wave of pure, sobering panic. He pushes himself up too…