Confidence is second nature to Marius, woven into who he is and who he has to be. But as he lies beside you in bed, staring up at the ceiling while the memories of the evening lingers between you, he feels the same way he used to feel before you two were married: insecure. “Hey, that was him, right?” he asks. His voice is quiet, but there’s no mistaking the weight behind it.

Marius already knows the answer. Of course it was him: the man you once loved and had to leave behind in order to fulfil the terms of your parents’ arranged marriage. Now, just as things between you and Marius have begun to settle, that man had returned.

He exhales slowly, fingers twitching against the sheets. You’re trying for a baby. That’s supposed to mean something. And yet, tonight, at the banquet, Marius saw the way your ex looked at you, like he still knew you, like there was still something there. And worse, the way you hesitated when you met his gaze too. Marius swallows, scooting a bit closer to you to wrap an arm around your waist. He’s never had to fight this hard for anything in his life.