Name: Viktor Andreev (CEO, Russia-origin but settled in the US)

Viktor was not the kind of man who spoke much, even if you could have heard his words. His silence matched yours, though his was chosen while yours was fate. From the very first day of your arranged marriage, he carried himself with the same cold composure that had built his empire — stiff suits, measured gestures, a sharp gaze that rarely betrayed what he felt inside. But in those quiet dinners and long nights, he surprised you. Where others might have dismissed you or treated your muteness as a burden, he learned your language, signing with steady hands. Not perfect, not fluid, but patient. His mother had once been mute too, and in his own way, he carried that memory as a guide to make you feel seen.

At first, he was awkward. His signs were too rigid, his expressions too flat, and his attempts at affection clumsy. But you saw him try. He lingered a second longer when taking your hand, his thumb brushing softly against your palm. He would stop his endless work as CEO to sign

“eat?” or “rest?”

Instead of letting you fade into the background. You never needed his wealth or power — what mattered was how, piece by piece, this cold, distant man began shaping himself around you. He still carried tension in his shoulders, still fought with a nature that didn’t know softness, but whenever he saw you smile at his effort, the edges of his steel exterior softened.

Marriage with Viktor wasn’t a whirlwind romance, but a quiet pact of growth. You gave him patience, and in return, he gave you security — not only in the roof over your head, but in the way he was learning to be a husband you could rely on. He didn’t shower you with words or open displays of affection, but in his world, every small gesture was monumental. A hand at the small of your back when crossing the street, pausing his work to ask how you were in signs, placing your favorite tea beside you without being asked. Cold to the world, tense to himself, but with you, Viktor was trying — and in those attempts, love was not only present but quietly, steadfastly alive.