Chapter 1: Dalton Christmas Gala

Catherine’s P.O.V

I stood in front of the mirror, fingers trembling slightly as I smoothed the soft fabric of my dress over my hips. The reflection staring back at me looked almost unfamiliar…too careful, too hopeful. I tucked a loose curl behind my ear, then sighed when it sprang stubbornly back out.

“Come on,” I muttered to myself, trying again. “Just behave for one evening. Please.”

My fingers toyed with the edge of my necklace, mind looping over the same thoughts that had haunted me for months. Six years together. Four years trying. Nothing. And yet Xavier always looked at me with that soft, patient smile…the one that made me feel both cherished and painfully guilty.

He always said the same thing. “You’re enough for me, Catherine. You’re more than enough.” But no matter how much I tried to believe it, I’d seen that flicker in his eyes, the quiet disappointment he thought I didn’t catch. I did. I always did.

“I know I’m healthy,” I whispered to myself, the words feeling heavy in the stillness of our room.

“So why… why isn’t it happening?” I’d taken every test. Every scan. Every humiliating little procedure. All clear. And yet the thought of asking Xavier to take his own tests made my stomach twist. Not because I feared him but because Lydia would turn it into a weapon.

God, Lydia. His mother never missed a chance to make a comment.

“Some women’s bodies simply aren’t made for motherhood, dear.” “No progress yet? Mm. Xavier was such a fertile child, you know.” “I suppose we all make sacrifices in marriage.”

Every word of hers somehow sounded like a blade dipped in honey.

I swallowed hard, pressing my palms against the dresser. “Maybe I should just ask him,” I muttered, even though I already knew I wouldn’t. Not tonight. Not when I had to attend the annual Dalton Christmas Gala, pretending she wasn’t judging every breath I took.

Warm lips brushed my cheek before I even heard him walk in.

“Hey,” Xavier murmured, his voice low and soft enough to melt through every wall I’d built. His arms wrapped around my waist from behind, pulling me back against his chest. “You’re miles away. Again.”

I let out a small breath. “Just thinking.”

“That’s dangerous,” he teased, resting his chin on my shoulder. “You start thinking too much, you forget I exist.”

A smile tugged at my lips. “Trust me, forgetting you is impossible.”

“Good,” he whispered, kissing the side of my neck before straightening. “Because we’re going to be late if you keep staring at yourself like you’re waiting to transform into a pumpkin.”

“We’re not going to be late,” I protested weakly. “She’ll be there early.”

Xavier groaned. “It’s my mother. She’s always early. She was probably born a week ahead of schedule.”

I snorted, shaking my head. “That… sounds about right.”

“Catherine,” he said, his voice softening, his hands settling warmly on my shoulders, “don’t let her get in your head again. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“That doesn’t stop her from talking,” I whispered. “Last time she practically introduced Mia as your real wife.”

“Eww! She’s my sister!” Xavier groaned and leaned his forehead against the side of my head. “She’s ridiculous. Mia practically eloped to get out of my mother’s control, but now she acts like she’s some kind of a saint.”

“I know,” I said softly. “You always defend me. But she looks at me like I’m a temporary guest in your life. Like I’m… replaceable.”

He straightened, turning me gently to face him. “You are my wife. You are not replaceable. And if she tries anything tonight, I’ll shut it down. Just like always.”

I nodded but looked away, adjusting my earring to avoid the sting in my eyes. I didn’t want him to see how heavy her words still felt, even after all these years.

“I just want her to stop acting like Mia’s kids are the only thing that gives her a reason to breathe.”

He squeezed my waist. “She spoils them because they give her attention and because Mia lets her meddle. That’s their thing. It has nothing to do with you.”

“It has everything to do with me,” I said before I could stop myself. Then I laughed quietly, almost bitterly. “She always manages to slip it into every conversation. ‘Xavier, you married too young,’ ‘Xavier, you should’ve waited for the right woman.’ Sometimes I think she actually believes you made a mistake.”

“And I want her to understand that her approval means nothing to me,” he said firmly. “I love you. That’s the only thing that matters.”

His sincerity warmed me, but the ache didn’t vanish. I looked back into the mirror, watching the way my expression softened when he touched my cheek.

“Do you think she’ll ever stop? The comments, the looks… the reminders that I’m not giving her any grandchildren?”

“It will.” Xavier’s jaw tightened. “And I promise you, Catherine, I’ll handle it. You won’t face her alone.”

For a moment, I closed my eyes. I wished I could say that his mother’s jabs didn’t bother me, but they lingered…burrowing into the hollow spaces I tried so hard to ignore. Still, I forced a small smile as he kissed my forehead.

“Alright,” I said quietly. “Let’s go. Before I change my mind and pretend to be sick for the rest of the month.”

He laughed, taking my hand. “If you try that, I’ll carry you to the car.”

I raised a brow. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me,” he said, smirking.

He laughed, threading his fingers through mine. “Come on, wife.”

But before he could pull me away, I felt myself freeze on the spot. The annual Christmas party at Dalton Manor was always the event of the year…hundreds of guests, half of New York’s elite, and more flashing cameras than a red carpet but instead of excitement, all I felt was the uneasy twist in my stomach.

I wrapped my arms around myself and sighed. “I’m really not ready for this, Xavier.”

He glanced up from where he was adjusting his cufflinks, his expression softening instantly.

“Cathy,” he murmured, walking toward me. “It’s a party. You’re acting like I’m dragging you into a battlefield.”

“Because it is a battlefield,” I muttered. “Your mother is a one-woman army. You know exactly what she’s going to do the moment she gets a chance. I just…I don’t want to deal with that tonight.”

Xavier stopped right in front of me and tilted my chin up gently. “I told you I’m not letting that happen again.”

“You said that last year,” I reminded him, staring at the mirror once again. “And she still pulled me aside and asked if I had ‘considered freezing my eggs since clearly nature needed help.’”

He groaned under his breath. “I know. I should have stepped in sooner. I’m sorry.”

I finally looked at him. “You weren’t even there, Xavier. You were in a meeting with the board while she was dissecting my uterus like it was a business project.”

He let out a short laugh but shook his head. “It’s not funny. And I’m going to talk to her. Today. But I promise you, mom will behave. You’re my wife, Catherine. You’re the most important person to me. And I’m not going to let anyone…even my mother, make you feel small.”

For a moment, the knot in my stomach loosened. His voice had that low seriousness he only used when he meant every word.

“You really mean that?” I whispered.

He leaned in and kissed my forehead. “I always mean it.”

I exhaled slowly, letting some of the tension slip from my shoulders. “Okay… okay. Maybe it won’t be so bad then.”

“It won’t,” he said. “And if it is, we leave early. Simple.”

I felt my lips tug into the faintest smile. “You’re too sweet sometimes, you know that?”

“Only for you,” he replied. “Now come on. Let's face the merry chaos.”

He chuckled and wrapped an arm around my waist as we walked out of the bedroom. I wasn’t entirely convinced but for the first time all day, I felt a little more steady.

But even as he pulled me toward the door…warm, steady, loving…I couldn’t stop that one thought from tightening around my chest:

If I’m enough… then why does he look so sad when he thinks I’m not watching?