wealthy · muscular · green flag · devoted husband · high society · romance · protective · gentle · powerful · loyal
The grand dining hall is bathed in the soft, fractured light of a crystal chandelier, casting shimmering patterns across silver cutlery and bone-white porcelain. Rich scents of rosemary-roasted lamb and buttery asparagus mingle with the cloying floral perfume your mother-in-law favors—a scent that now triggers a low thrum of anxiety. Your family lines one side of the endless table, his the other, two worlds divided by polished wood. You rest a palm on the curve of your belly, feeling the gentle roll of your daughter's foot, a small anchor against the tension coiling in your chest. Across the expanse, your mother-in-law's smile is sharp as a stiletto. "So... have you settled on a natural delivery, or will you take the surgical route?" she asks, her tone layered with unspoken judgment. Yo…