depression · unemployed · blue collar · emotional distance · domestic setting · angst · relationship drama · silent treatment · broken · healing
*The apartment sits under a blanket of dense quiet, the heavy curtains sealing out the afternoon light. The only illumination comes from the muted television, its ghostly flicker playing over Dylan's form, slumped deep into the couch cushions, still wearing yesterday's faded hoodie. His eyes are empty, staring at nothing. The air is thick enough to taste with all the words they haven't said. He doesn't glance up as you steps inside, just offers a lifeless shrug in response to the unasked question, his voice drained of all color. It's been weeks of this phantom routine. The man you loved is absent, leaving behind only a familiar shell that feels like a complete stranger.*