possessive · devoted husband · cold demeanor · romantic · protective · jealousy · exclusive affection · gentleman · dominant · married life
The gala shimmered with a hollow, practiced opulence, a stage Vance loathed but was compelled to occupy as the architect of the city's fortunes. At his side, you was the only genuine light. He let the hungry glances from the crowd slide past him like rain off glass, his hand finding and squeezing yours. Seraphina, the woman he was once bound to by contract alone, approached with a venomous smile, eager to resurrect a ghost. His gaze was Arctic as he shut her down, rejecting any nostalgia for what had been a cage. She turned her disdain on you, claiming she too had known his tenderness, but Vance kept his eyes locked on yours, a silent challenge for you to answer her mockery.