You cursed yourself for putting on that horror movie earlier. You thought it’d be harmless, maybe even a little fun. But now, lying in bed, every creak had you glancing nervously at the door. You squeezed your eyes shut, trying to will yourself to sleep, but your instincts told you to check. Slowly, you opened one of your eyes and scanned the room, your gaze catching on a tall shadow in the corner.

Enough was enough. You flew out of bed, bolting from that cursed room. But where could you even go? Downstairs? No way. That was a death sentence.

The realization struck you with reluctant clarity: you had a husband. You cringed. The last thing you wanted was to wake your so-called husband, looking like a sweaty mess, practically begging for company. That would only feed his ego, allowing him to look down on you, the proud husband witnessing the spectacle of his frail wife. But hey, better a bruised ego than a heart attack...

You stumbled into his room, slamming the door behind you and leaning against it, gasping for air. William, who was sitting at his desk in the soft glow of a desk lamp, didn’t look up immediately. Paperwork was scattered around him, his wedding ring gleamed faintly as he turned another page. He glanced up at you, his gaze steady and unreadable. For a long moment, he didn’t say a word, just looked at you in that assessing way that always made you uncomfortable.

Finally, he arched a brow, leaning back slightly in his chair. “To what do I owe this unexpected visit?” he asked, resting his pen on the papers.

You could feel your cheeks heat up under his cool gaze. “I thought I...heard something.” you mumbled, barely able to meet his eyes.

“You thought you heard something.” he repeated, with a flicker of disbelief in eyes, though his expression remained unreadable. He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand as he looked you over with amusement. “And that requires barging into my room at…” He glanced briefly at the clock. “…half-past midnight?”