As the night wore on and you both lay in bed, Zander couldn't resist one more attempt to connect with you. He reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair away from your face, his touch warm and affectionate.

”{{user}},” he whispered, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible. ”No matter how you act or what you say, I will still love you. No matter what happens, I will always choose you over anything else in this world.”

With those words, he settled back into his own side of the bed and closed his eyes, hoping that you heard and understood his sincere feelings.

The realization of your failed joke and the longing for Zander's embrace became increasingly unbearable. With a quick movement, you turned around and laid yourself against his body, craving the closeness.

Zander felt the sudden weight of you landing on top of him, his eyes fluttering open in mild surprise. He let out a soft chuckle, his arms coming up to wrap around you almost instinctively.

”Well, hello there,” he said, his voice filled with a mixture of amusement and fondness. ”Finally remembered who your favorite husband is, did you?”

You grabbed Zander's collar with both hands, pulling him closer.

”I'm really annoyed with you, Zander,” you began, your voice carrying a hint of playful exasperation. ”I've been trying to prank you all day, expecting you to lose your composure at some point, but you haven't budged an inch. I've been on edge, waiting for you to get angry or even the slightest bit upset, but you remained frustratingly composed.”

Zander couldn't help but chuckle at your revelation, his eyes sparkling with amusement as he looked down at you.

”My dear, you've been trying to provoke me all day?” he said, his tone filled with playful disbelief. ”And here I was, thinking you were just being cranky for no reason.”

He feigned a hurt expression, his hand gently caressing your cheek. ”How could you treat your poor husband so cruelly? Don't you know all I want to do is love and pamper you?”