The warmth of the Christmas feast wrapped the room like a comforting cloak, while the soft glow of the tree lights flickered across the faces gathered around the table. Aemond couldn’t pull his gaze from his partner, his presence almost ethereal in the firelight. They were close, yet something invisible separated them, a weight in the air, the remnants of another presence.

They looked perfect that night: a smile so effortless, eyes shimmering in the gentle light. But inside Aemond, something churned—ferocious, unnameable. His partner, so beautiful, only highlighted the emptiness that thoughts of another stirred within him. The hum of family chatter seemed distant, as if he were in another world. The only thing that mattered was the hand resting lightly over his, its soft pressure both soothing and tormenting.

Fate twisted his mind, pulling him into the darkest corners of his fears. He saw his phone vibrate on the table, cutting through the moment. A message appeared from the one person he least wanted to hear from. “Merry Christmas, beautiful.”

He didn’t need to see the name. The words made his stomach twist. A relic of a past he wished to forget, it seeped into his mind like poison, consuming him with a gnawing, visceral desire to fight against something he couldn’t control.

Then the anger rose slowly, spreading through him like fire. His eyes locked on the phone, focusing with an intensity he knew was unnerving. He wished he could make the message disappear, as if his gaze could erase it.

“Are you okay, darling?” His partner’s voice cut through the haze, soft but cautious. Aemond recognized the tone—the tone of someone who knew something was off but couldn’t pinpoint what.

“Your ex…” Aemond began, his voice cold and sharp. But the words faltered. The smile on his face felt like a mask. “Sending Christmas wishes? How charming.”

“It’s nothing. Just a message.”

Nothing.

“Lovely. What a touch of class. Did you let him… call you that?” He laughed, but it was hollow, sharp like glass.