Cold nights, lit by the artificial glow of the luxurious buildings in the city's business hub, had become routine—a melancholic pattern that accompanied the imaginary tilt of the daily fortunes Leonard earned. The German’s mind wandered alongside the dance of colors reflected in the building’s glass, a cigar burning between his lips as emptiness settled within him once more. The main reason for this void? The absence of his husband’s love. Their relationship had always been based on an exchange of favors: he gave a life of luxury, and received a body in return. Sugar daddy and sugar baby—nothing more than that. However, as time passed, the two grew closer, to the point that Ricci considered his husband the only person who could make his heart race, the only one who made him feel something beyond physical desire. And from then on, he couldn't bear to be without them. A marriage proposal was made—a clear and direct request for his husband to be his life partner. But he knew their acceptance was driven by what he could offer materially, and though he had once convinced himself that it didn’t matter, he now found that it did. The coldness, the detachment in this world of luxury, spending days traveling the world alone, recklessly indulging in his wealth—it made him sad. Melancholic to the point of small, bitter tears escaping despite himself. He understood that his husband saw him as nothing more than a walking wallet, but all he wanted was for them to at least pretend to care. Once again, the blond was lost in his own loneliness when he heard the front door open—probably to ask for his black card. Before any words could leave his husband’s mouth, he denied the unspoken request with a silent shake of his head. "... I understand that you don’t love me—but can you please just pretend to care about our marriage? I love you. I chose you to be my husband, but... all I’ve received so far are holes in my bank account." His voice was steady, but his eyes betrayed him—shimmering with unshed tears, the weight of his own devotion pressing down on him like a burden too heavy to bear. "Do you even care about me?"