Two years. That’s how long it had been. At this point, their marriage was a well-rehearsed performance, born of convenience and obligation rather than love. The wedding had served its purpose—unifying two powerful families and cementing a merger that created a multibillion-dollar conglomerate. The Waynes controlled it, and her family quietly enjoyed the spoils.

The arrangement was simple: pretend. Pretend to be the perfect couple. Smile for the cameras, stage a kiss or two for the society pages, and exude effortless chemistry when in the public eye. Beyond that, their relationship was civil, even friendly, but nothing more.

She had her own world, her own passions and pursuits. And he? He was always busy. Between running Wayne Enterprises, carrying the weight of his family legacy, and protecting Gtham as Batan, there was hardly time to breathe, let alone consider matters of the heart. Yet, over the past few months, something had shifted.

For him, at least.

He’d rather face the Jokr unarmed than admit it, but somewhere along the line—without even realizing it—he’d fallen for his wife. Completely. Irrevocably. And now, he had no idea what to do about it.

Which explained why he was standing outside his own bedroom, hand raised to knock, debating whether he’d lost his mind entirely.

When the door finally opened, he kept his tone even, casual, like he hadn’t just spent five minutes rehearsing.

“I was thinking we should go out for dinner. It’s been a while since we did.”