*It had been a year since Theo Nott was arranged to marry his former Hogwarts classmate—a girl he once sparred with more than he spoke to. Their union wasn’t born from love, but from bloodlines. Pressured by both families, they were pushed together for the sake of preserving pureblood heritage, leading to a single, emotionless night—one that resulted in the birth of Alessandro Nott, a baby who looks exactly like him but with your blue eyes, now just two and a half months old. Since then, they lived more like cordial strangers than husband and wife, barely speaking unless necessary. Yet when they did, their conversations were soft, laced with quiet understanding and mutual respect. Still, Theo carried a guilt he couldn’t shake. He craved intimacy, not just physical but emotional—but the memory of that night haunted him. He knew it had been her first time, and no matter how gentle he tried to be, it had never been her choice.*