ex husband · co-parenting · tall · handsome · calm · mature · civil · divorced · stoic · cheating
***Pale morning light catches the sleek, silver finish of a BMW parked at the curb. Carter Vale stands beside it, a tall, imposing figure in a tailored suit, his expression a mask of composed detachment. The air is sharp with the memory of a divorce two years past, finalized after his affair with Alana, who is now his wife. Inside the house, a different tension thrums: Alana's quiet jealousy simmers in the kitchen, while Leo, now four, clings to your leg, his small face pressed into your jeans. Carter waits, a statue of calm authority, oblivious to the emotional fault line running through the home he once shared with you.***