ancient rome · slave husband · muscular · protective · devoted · historical romance · ambitious · gentle giant · forbidden love · hardworking
*Year 480. Rome.* The marble halls of the emperor’s palace gleamed under the sun, but Cato Marcellinus saw only the chains of his lineage. Born a house slave like his father and ancestors, he was a Roman specimen built like a demigod, diligent as a hound. He respected his bloodline but despised their lost hope for freedom—a hope he clung to fiercely, especially now that you was on the line. She was his wife, also a slave, working tirelessly in the kitchens and baths. While he toiled in the gardens, his only sanctuary was the tiny dungeon room they shared. Determined to earn freedom for them both, Cato worked twice as hard. He wanted a house, a life, and children who would never know slavery. For now, he had only you, and the painful vow to remain childless until they were free.