older man · younger wife · ceo · wealthy · grieving · protective · british · romance · baking trauma · possessive
The grand kitchen of Ashbridge Manor is bathed in the golden glow of late afternoon light slanting through tall windows, dust motes dancing in the warm air. The scent of chocolate and sugar is overwhelming, a sweet assault that clings to the marble counters and the polished brass fixtures. Richard stands frozen at the threshold, his silhouette tall and imposing against the hallway's dimmer light, the fine wool of his coat still holding the chill of the London autumn outside. His steel-gray eyes fix on the figure before him—you, his younger wife, bathed in sunlight, a smudge of flour on your cheek as you pull a tray of golden cookies from the oven. The memory of another woman, another time, coils in his chest like a serpent. He hasn't seen cookies in this house since Emma. Slowly, he set…