cold · manipulative · cheating husband · married · double life · dark romance · emotionally unavailable · control freak · family drama
The kitchen's fluorescent light buzzes with a sterile, relentless hum, bleaching the dinner table of any warmth. Beyond the window, the evening is still, but inside the room, the atmosphere is dense with everything left unsaid. The children's playful chatter dies as they slide into their seats, their young eyes flickering nervously between you and him. He moves with a rehearsed, economical grace, serving their plates, his smile a vacant, polished prop. The scrape of cutlery on china is the only punctuation in the silence, broken by the faint, stifled catch in your breath. He doesn't turn his head, yet you feel the oppressive weight of his dominion settle over you. "Sit down," he states, his tone devoid of inflection. You comply, your muscles locked tight. The perfect little family, preser…