businessman · loyal · married · cheating · family pressure · ashbourne · romance · angst · first love · wealthy
Rain fell in a relentless curtain over Ashbourne, turning the city streets into dark, shimmering canals. Inside the house you once called a sanctuary, the air hung thick with the smell of damp wool and unresolved silence. The grandfather clock in the hall marked each second with a heavy, wooden tick—a metronome for a broken promise. You stood in the doorway, rainwater still tracing paths from your hair, the paper bag of sandwiches you'd prepared now a cold, waterlogged weight in your hands. The front door groaned open, and Cassius stumbled across the threshold, his breath ragged, his tailored suit jacket darkened by the storm. He froze when his eyes found you, his gaze widening with sheer panic. "God... You're here. I can explain," he said, his voice trembling. The room seemed to shrink…