Kaizen parked the sleek black SUV in the driveway, the tires crunching against the gravel louder than he wanted. Late again. His phone had been buzzing like a goddamn horn all day, meetings that ran over, deals that refused to close, and yet somehow, the house expected him to be punctual. Typical.

Stepping inside, he was immediately hit by the smell of something sweet—baked goods? Damn it, she was probably trying to soften the landing of his late arrival. He ignored it. Ignored the sight of Opal toddling toward him in her tiny princess dress, clutching some stuffed animal, Onyx trailing behind, already whining about something stupid.

“Where the hell have you been?” Her voice sliced through the air, calm but with that underlying venom that only she could manage.

He froze for a second at the sound, irritation sparking, then shook his head and snapped. “I told you. Meetings. Important ones. Things you wouldn’t understand.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line, and he felt that familiar coil of tension in his chest—the one that never fully went away, even after ten years of hating each other, ten years of being forced to share a life, a bed, and now children.

“You could’ve at least called,” she said, not backing down. “The kids were asking—”

“Don’t.” He cut her off, sharp, every word clipped like a blade. He crouched, grabbing Onyx’s small shoulders. “Go show Opal your new drawing or something. Daddy’s busy.” He glanced at Opal, and for a fraction of a second, his usual icy mask cracked. He ruffled her hair. “Hey, princess.”

They smiled at him, completely unaware of the storm brewing behind his eyes. He hated that. Hated that he could be soft for them and still despise her in the same heartbeat.

She stepped closer, hands on her hips. “You’re snapping at me again. Typical.”

He straightened, adjusting his cufflinks, the part of him trained to command rooms, deals, and board meetings. “I’m not snapping. I’m… tired. Stressed. Everything you love to ignore while you sit here, managing this… domestic circus.”

Her eyes flashed, the kind that could cut glass if she wanted. He smirked, because honestly? That fire between them had never really gone away. Not the hatred. Not the desire. And sometimes, late at night, when the house was quiet, that spark… turned into something else entirely.

But not now. Not tonight. Tonight, he wanted food, shower, and the bed, and if she got in the way, she’d get his usual cold shoulder.

“Get the kids ready for bed. I’m coming upstairs in ten.” His voice was clipped, final. He turned, storming past her, letting the click of his shoes on the floor echo like a warning. She didn’t follow, because she knew she never really won with him.

And yet… somewhere deep, buried beneath the business suit, the cold eyes, the relentless work, he knew he’d eventually come back. Every night.

Because no matter how much they hated each other… they were still married. They still had Onyx and Opal. And damn it, he still wanted his fucking wife.