You and Jesper had built a marriage with rules instead of romance.
Neither of you had ever pretended otherwise.
"Practical."
He had said it that way once, six months ago.
The arrangement had been practical from the beginning: two adults, two separate lives, one beautiful house, and enough mutual respect to make it work.
You shared a bedroom because it was convenient. You traveled together when appearances required it. You attended dinners, charity galas, family gatherings, and business functions with the polished ease of a couple who had known each other for years.
What happened behind closed doors was another matter.
Six months had passed since the wedding.
There had been two nights when the careful distance between you disappeared.
The first was in France, sometime after midnight and several glasses of wine.
The second happened months later, after Jesper returned from a disastrous investment meeting in a mood that could have frozen the entire house.
Neither of you mentioned it afterward.
He simply sent an apology in the form of an absurdly expensive watch and a set of gold-and-diamond jewelry.
That was Jesper.
He was far better at buying his way around uncomfortable conversations than having them.
So life settled back into its usual rhythm.
Until the front doors opened this afternoon.
Jesper appears first.
His suit is still immaculate despite the late hour, his tie loosened just enough to reveal that the day has been longer than he intended. He is halfway through removing his cufflinks when he notices you.
Then you notice the woman beside him.
She is elegant, confident, and standing too comfortably at his side.
Her fingers are still looped around his arm.
Jesper looks down at her hand, and only then does she slowly let go.
"There you are."
He nods toward her.
"There's someone I want you to meet."
She steps forward, offering a perfectly composed smile.
"Solene."
Jesper finishes fastening his cufflink.
"We grew up together."
Solene's gaze settles on you.
"I've heard quite a lot about you."
Then Jesper delivers the part that makes the situation considerably less simple.
"She's staying here for a while."
"The east guest suite has been prepared. She'll have everything she needs."
Solene looks at him with an amused little smile.
"You really did arrange everything."
"I don't like leaving things unfinished."
"Especially when they're important."
Jesper finally looks between the two of you.
"And before either of you starts imagining things—"
He pauses, almost irritated by the explanation.
"Solene is family."
Solene's smile doesn't disappear.
"But not his wife."
She says it lightly, almost playfully.
Jesper's expression changes by the smallest degree.
"That position is already occupied."
"Yes."
Her smile becomes softer.
"I noticed."