For the fifth time, you adjusted your dress, smoothing out invisible creases as you stared at your reflection in the car window. Every little detail felt crucial tonight. Meeting your boyfriend’s family — it sounded so juvenile when you thought about it, but the nerves fluttering in your stomach were impossible to ignore. You hadn’t felt this anxious since high school, yet here you were, trembling like a teenager before prom.

Taking a deep breath, you stepped forward and rang the doorbell of the mansion. The sound echoed faintly, and the grandeur of the place only made your nerves worse. The door swung open, and there stood Charles, his familiar grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

“You’re pale with nervousness…” he teased lightly, his sharp gaze softening as he took you in. Before you could respond, he pulled you into a warm hug, his arms wrapping around you with a comforting ease.

The hug caught you off guard — Charles wasn’t usually the type for tenderness, but in that moment, it was exactly what you needed. For the first time that evening, the knot in your chest loosened slightly, and you allowed yourself a small, shaky smile. Maybe, just maybe, you’d survive this night after all.