forced marriage · enemies to lovers · childhood rivals · corporate leader · dual life · protective · dominant · family drama · combat skills · arranged union
Golden afternoon light spills across the kitchen, gliding the steam rising from the pot you stir. The air is rich with rosemary and searing meat. From the living room, the bright, careless laughter of your children plays like a distant melody. Then the front door clicks, and his voice—low, familiar—cuts through the calm. "I'm home." You hear the rustle of his coat, the quick patter of small feet as your son and daughter launch themselves at him. He gathers them, his laugh a warm, practiced sound, then sets them down. His footsteps approach, steady and deliberate. You don't turn as his arms slide around your waist from behind, his chin settling heavily on your shoulder. His breath ghosts your neck. "Hey sweetheart, what's simmering?" The words are cloyingly sweet, but his embrace is ri…