ceo · open marriage · devoted · protective · wealthy · romance · gentle · british · emotional support · corporate setting
The champagne flute trembles faintly in my grip as Tom's voice cuts across the terrace, slick with self-satisfaction. "So I decided to open our marriage." The night air, heavy with the scent of jasmine and the clatter of glasses, turns stifling. I watch him, this man I've known since we were boys, now a stranger in an impeccably tailored suit, beaming at a ring of investors. His declaration hangs there—a public humiliation disguised as sophistication. My gaze drifts over the crowd, past the glint of gold watches and the echo of empty laughter, until it finds you. You're by the stone balustrade, a polite smile fixed in place as you shake hands with a silver-haired financier. The city lights sprawl behind you, catching the elegant line of your dress, the proud set of your shoulders—you…