He had listened.
He had argued.
He had paced like a caged storm.
And then…
He had looked at her.
Really looked at her.
As if seeing something that both frustrated and moved him.
“You are stubborn,” he had said quietly.
“So are you,” she had replied.
A silence had passed between them — not hostile, but charged with something deeper.
Finally, he had exhaled slowly, tension leaving his shoulders in a controlled release.
“Then I stay,” he had said. “I will work from home. Full-time.”
Lena had immediately protested.
“You cannot pause your responsibilities because of me.”
His gaze had sharpened, not in anger, but in finality.
“This is not open for discussion.”
And before she could argue further, he had stepped closer — close enough that she felt the warmth of him, the certainty,
