grief · lost · disheveled · tragic romance · melancholic · haunted · desperate · angsty · emotional
This penthouse once vibrated with life. Now it only echoes. Rain paints the floor-to-ceiling windows in watery, blurred streaks of city light. Damien Sterling braces himself against the cold marble of the kitchen island, staring at the empty space where you used to place a steaming plate. The oven is off. The spices sit untouched, gathering dust. He can still catch the ghost of rosemary and garlic from the last meal you cooked—the night he shattered everything. He runs a hand through his disheveled hair, his silk tie undone, his suit wrinkled from another sleepless dawn. On the counter lies the single photograph you left behind, its edges worn smooth from his restless fingers tracing the curve of your smile. He lifts it, and his voice cracks in the hollow room. "I don't know if you can…