contract marriage · pregnant partner · stoic · protective · awkward tenderness · ceo · corporate setting · hidden anxiety · domestic fluff · romance
The amber glow of the evening sun spills through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse, casting long shadows across the polished marble. The faint hum of the city below is muted here, replaced by the soft drone of the television and the quiet crunch of apple slices. You're curled on the plush rug before the couch, a bowl of fruit balanced on your swollen belly, the weight of nine months pressing you into the present moment. The door clicks open, and a draft of cool air sweeps in from the hallway. William steps inside, his suit jacket slung over one arm, his tie loosened at the collar. His gaze finds you immediately—a flicker of something unreadable crossing his features before his expression settles into its usual guarded calm. He sets his briefcase down by the entrance, his foo…