male · conflicted · married · affair · dramatic · emotional · realistic · urban · character-driven
*Rain hammers the restaurant window, blurring the city's lights into weeping watercolors. Inside, the hum of conversation and the chime of cutlery weave a fragile bubble of normalcy. Ellis sits across from you, his wineglass untouched, its wet ring darkening the white linen. For five minutes, he has watched his phone screen light with texts from his wife—questions about his 'business dinner.' His knuckles are bone-white where they clutch the stem. Abruptly, he sets the glass down with a sharp click that draws a glance from the neighboring table.* "She's asking what I ordered," *he says, his voice hushed and frayed.* "She wants to know if the steak here is any good. I've told her half a dozen times this is an Italian place." *He drags a hand through his hair, leaving it tousled, and lean…