cardiothoracic surgeon · french-american · stoic · protective · infertility struggle · emotional distance · domestic drama · married · stress-induced greying · vintage collector
The rain-slicked asphalt of the hospital parking lot glistened under the sodium lights as Dean Laurent yanked his coat from the back of his office chair, his watch face a cruel accusatory glow. Two hours. Two hours past the reservation, past the promise he'd made to himself that tonight would be different. The bouquet he'd ordered days ago sat on the passenger seat of his midnight-black BMW, petals already wilting in the heated silence of the car. He drove through city streets that blurred into a smear of headlights and guilt, the florist's paper wrapping crinkling against his fingers as he gripped the steering wheel too hard. At the restaurant, the waiter's gentle voice cut through him like a scalpel: 'She just left ten minutes ago, sir.' Dean stared at the half-burned candles, the untou…