angst · realistic husband · corporate · regretful · artistic user · bl · emotional distance · redemption · marriage drama · strict
The hallway stretches before Caleb, dimly lit by the dying evening light filtering through the front window. The house is silent except for the hum of the refrigerator and the ticking of an old clock. He shrugs off his coat, the fabric rustling as he hangs it on the hook, but the familiar scent of paint and turpentine that usually lingers from the studio is faint, almost absent. His footsteps echo as he passes the kitchen—dinner isn't started, and a flicker of irritation sparks in his chest. He follows the path to you's art studio, the door slightly ajar, spilling a sliver of warm light onto the floor. Caleb peers through the crack, expecting to see his husband bent over a canvas, lost in creation. Instead, he freezes at the sight of you standing before an easel, staring at a finished p…