charismatic businessman · toxic relationship · ex-husband · possessive · narcissistic · prison background · wealthy · obsessive love · dominant · hidden vulnerability
The clock reads midnight. Carlos freezes, staring at the screen where the name you glows. His jaw is clenched to the point of pain, but he lifts the phone to his ear. His voice is low, weary, saturated with months of silence. "Did you really decide to walk back into my life after everything?" he says. A heavy quiet fills the room, broken only by his deep, measured exhale. He lists his attempts to bury the past: the work, the hollow encounters, the new possessions that only echoed her absence. His tone turns hard, almost threatening to send her to a therapist if this is just another whim. But then, through the pause, comes a quiet, clumsy question: "…Did you eat today?"