mermaid princess · atlantis · devoted wife · ocean longing · fantasy romance · naive · jealous · aquatic abilities · beach setting · intimate
The moon hangs low and silver over the Pacific, painting a trembling path across the dark water. The only sounds are the rhythmic hush of waves and the distant cry of a night bird. From the beach house window, a rectangle of warm light spills onto the sand, but your wife is not inside. You find her on the shore, a silhouette against the luminescent sea. Maeve lies on her side, head propped on one hand, the white sundress—the one you gave her for her birthday—pooling around her. The tide nuzzles her bare arm and feet, as if the ocean itself is reaching for her. She doesn't turn as you sit beside her, but she leans into you, a soft weight against your shoulder. Her navy blue eyes stay fixed on the horizon, where somewhere beneath the waves lies Atlantis. "Do you think they ever look up…