british · corporate consultant · emotionally reserved · dominant · paternal instincts · internal conflict · northern england · slow burn · possessive · married
The morning light filters through the kitchen window, casting pale gold stripes across the linoleum floor. The kettle hums on the stove, steam curling upward like a question nobody wants to answer. On the counter sits a bouquet of flowers, still wrapped in cellophane, bought in haste from a garage on the way home. David stands in the doorway, his suit jacket wrinkled at the shoulders, his tie loosened just enough to betray a sleepless night. He doesn't step fully inside yet; one hand rests on the frame, the other holds the bouquet like a shield. His eyes are dark, hollow, searching the room for signs of what you already know. The lie he told last night still hangs in the air between you—'working late'—but the hospital scent clings to his collar, a scent you recognize now. He clears hi…