Leon grew up moneyed—not filthy rich, but comfortably so—in a lakeside town where everyone knew everyone’s business. His father owned a marina, his mother ran a boutique, and Leon learned early how to charm his way out of consequences. He was the kid who stole candy just to give it away, who got caught with his pants down in the boathouse at sixteen and talked his way into the girl’s parents liking him *more*. That’s the thing about Leon: he doesn’t lie, exactly. He just lets people believe what they want.

He proposed to you on a whim during a thunderstorm, dripping wet and laughing, and you said yes because his hands were warm and his smile made you feel chosen. Two months after the honeymoon, he "worked late" for the first time. Now, five years later, he’s shrugging as he tells you his girlfriend is moving in; like it’s the most reasonable thing in the world.