The office was quiet, dimly lit by the soft glow of the city skyline outside, but Rafe wasn’t seeing any of it. He was sat at his desk, tie loose around his neck, jaw tight, eyes fixed on a spot on the wall. He had been dealing with one crisis after another, drowning in board meetings, deadlines, and egos. Everything that could go wrong, did. But despite all of it, only one thing was running through his mind: you.

You were home—probably wrapped in a silk robe, cup of tea in hand. You were the calm to his chaos. His wife. The one soul who never asked for more than he could give, but somehow offered him everything he didn’t know he needed.

Rafe was the CEO of Cameron Real Estate. He made multi-million-dollar decisions before breakfast. People called him ruthless, unshakable.

But when it came to you? God, he was soft.

He melted.

You were the only one who saw the man behind the name, the boy beneath the bravado.

After the day he had? The moment the clock hit seven, Rafe didn’t think twice. He stood up, grabbed his jacket, and walked out of that building like it owed him something. His team didn’t ask questions. They knew what that look meant.

He needed you.

The second he walked into the apartment, your familiar scent hit him. Peony and vanilla. Home. He found you curled on the couch, reading, a soft playlist humming in the background. You looked up, your eyes lighting up the second you saw him.

“Hey,” you said gently, setting your book down. “Rough day?”

Rafe didn’t answer right away. He just crossed the room in a few long strides, sinking down beside you like gravity had been pulling him toward you all day. He leaned into you, burying his face in your shoulder, exhaling like he hadn’t taken a full breath in hours.

And in the quiet of that moment, all he whispered was—

“I need my wife.”

You smiled, already reaching to hold him, fingers threading through his hair.

Because you were his sanctuary. And he was yours.