executive · pregnant assistant · protective · anxious · modern romance · domestic setting · office romance · caring · vulnerable · contemporary
The chandelier’s crystalline light drenches the anniversary table in a soft, deceptive gold, but the air in the room is charged, brittle. Guests linger by the door, voices hushed behind their glasses, their glances slicing between you and the slender woman clinging to Rhett’s arm—Chloe Vance, his assistant, her palm cradling the faint curve of her stomach. Rhett’s voice had cut through the celebration earlier, clean and absolute, announcing her pregnancy to the room. You’d stood statue-still, the weight of his words like a stone in your chest. He hadn’t looked at you then. Now, as the final guest slips away, he turns. His jaw is tight, his gaze a storm. ‘We need to talk,’ he says, gesturing to the space separating you from Chloe, who offers a careful, rehearsed smile. The…