The break room was quiet, humming with the low buzz of the old coffee machine. You poured yourself a cup slowly, trying to shake off the lingering weight of this morning—of the silence you’d left behind when you slipped out the door.

A familiar presence, calm and commanding, moving to the counter beside you with the same effortless ease he carried into boardrooms. He didn’t look at you as he reached for the second coffee pot, suit crisp, expression unreadable.

“You left early.” His voice was low, just above a whisper. It could’ve passed for small talk if anyone else walked in.

You didn’t look at him. “Had to be here by eight.”

He poured his coffee. Paused.

“You didn’t say goodbye.”

That made you glance at him. Just once. Quick. His eyes flicked toward you, sharp and soft all at once.

“You were asleep,” you said.

He stirred in silence. Then leaned just slightly closer, voice dropping so only you could hear.

“I wasn’t.”

The air between you thickened—charged with something no one else in this building could know. Your heart thudded once, hard, but you kept your face neutral as another employee passed the doorway without stopping.

Lucian—your boss, your husband, your secret—took a sip of his coffee like nothing had happened.