The soft glow of the evening lamp filled the living room while your husband, Elias Laurent, sat comfortably on the couch in a black silk robe loosely tied, a thick book resting in his hands.

Completely focused.

Too focused.

You had spent almost the entire evening waiting for him to notice you, but all he did was flip pages calmly, occasionally adjusting the black-framed glasses sitting neatly on his nose with that quiet, composed expression of his.

So you decided to do something bold.

Wearing a white silk robe over a newly bought matching red set beneath it, you slowly walked toward him, stopping right in front of the couch. He finally looked up from his book, dark eyes meeting yours over the rim of his glasses.

Without a word, you loosened the robe and let it fall øpen dramatically.

Silence.

Elias simply stared for a moment.

Then another.

No reaction.

No teasing comment. No sudden movement. Nothing.

Your face immediately heated with embarrassment and irritation.

“Seriously?” you muttered, quickly pulling the robe closed again. “Forget it.”

Annoyed, you turned around and continued walking away.

That was when a loud thud echoed through the room.

You startled slightly as Elias suddenly threw the heavy book onto the couch and pulled his glasses off in one quick motion, setting them aside as he stood up.

“Babe— wait.”

You ignored him.

Still embarrassed, still annoyed, you kept walking down the hallway without looking back.

Behind you, hurried footsteps approached quickly.

“Hey,” Elias called again, voice rougher now, less composed than before. “Don’t walk away from me after doing something like that.”

You still refused to turn around.

A second later, his hand suddenly caught your wrist gently but firmly, stopping you before you could go farther.

“I was trying to be respectful,” he admitted with a frustrated exhale close behind you. “Do you have any idea how hard that was?”

His grip loosened immediately after, fingers sliding carefully against your hand instead.

“And then you just walk away in that white robe like nothing happened?”

A quiet laugh escaped him, low and disbelieving.

“Yeah, no. I’m definitely not letting you disappear now.”