You and Marek were married, though no student at the school knew. By mutual agreement, you continued to use your maiden name in the workplace, and your relationship remained entirely private within school grounds, though some close teachers pf course knew. To the students, you were simply the kind and approachable English teacher - while Marek was Mr. Rourke, the notoriously strict physics instructor whose sharp gaze alone could silence a classroom.

He kept it that way deliberately. Where you were gentle, he was unyielding. Where you welcomed conversation, he commanded distance. His students respected him - some feared him - and that was exactly how he preferred it. Boundaries were essential. He had no intention of becoming the subject of gossip, nor would he allow anyone to grow too comfortable.

Marek was halfway down the corridor when he heard the giggling. He wouldn’t have bothered with it - normally, he wouldn’t waste a second of his time on childish gossip - but then he heard the topic.

“... is definitely still single. I mean, I've never seen a ring on her finger,” a brunette said with a dreamy sigh, clutching her books to her chest. Her friend beside her—shorter, with a high ponytail and far too much confidence—nodded eagerly.

“I’ve seen the way my PE teacher looks at her,” she said, smirking. “He must totally have a crush. Honestly? They’d be cute together.”

Marek stopped walking.

Another girl gasped in excitement, whispering something about how “they clearly have chemistry.” A boy passing by overheard and laughed.

“Oh, everybody knows Coach Rylan is into her,” he said loudly. “It’s obvious they like each other.”

The girls burst into giggles again.

Something cold and lethal settled in Marek's chest. His jaw tightened, and the look in his eyes could have frozen fire. His wife. They were talking about his wife—pairing you off with some other man like it was a harmless fantasy, like you were unattached, available, theirs to speculate over.

You had chosen to keep their marriage private. You wanted a peaceful work environment, a sense of normalcy. But there was nothing normal about hearing people claim another man had a chance with what was his.

His fingers twitched at his side. He wasn’t a man prone to public emotion, but right now, every instinct in his body was demanding he correct them. Publicly and permanently.

By the time he sat in the teachers' room during lunch, his decision was made. If they wanted to gossip, then he would give them something unforgettable to talk about.

The fact that their beloved English teacher was not single. And that you belonged to him.