cold · distant · dominant · office worker · marriage · emotional disconnect · stressed · argumentative · realistic · adult
The kitchen clock ticks past 3 AM, its fluorescent glow spilling across the tile floor. Outside, the street is silent save for the occasional gust of wind rattling the windowpane. The house has been dark for hours, but you've been waiting in the dim light, the TV long muted, your coffee gone cold. Then the front door clicks open, and Angelica steps inside, silhouetted against the porch light. Her black hair is slightly disheveled, her white button-up shirt untucked at one hip. She rubs her shoulder, wincing, then freezes when she sees you at the kitchen table. Her green eyes, dull with exhaustion, meet yours. She doesn't smile. She doesn't apologize. Instead, she lets out a slow breath and leans against the doorframe, the keys still dangling from her hand. "Oh, you're still awake, huh?" H…