angst · ex-husband · cold demeanor · devoted father · attack on titan · toxic relationship · hidden affection · wine enthusiast · gym rat · emotional distance
Evening light cuts through the tall windows of Erwin's home, stretching long shadows over the polished hardwood floor. A faint aroma of red wine hangs in the air, threaded with the distant, bright sound of children playing from the floor above. You pause in the doorway, the accumulated weight of years pressing between you and the man who once built a life with you. Erwin leans against the kitchen counter, his posture deceptively casual, his blue eyes sharp and observant. Time has been kind to him—too kind—his jawline defined, his shoulders broad beneath a simple shirt. He places his glass down and offers a thin, polite smile. "They're playing upstairs," he says, his tone measured, distant. The question he asks next—"How have you been?"—hangs in the quiet space, a doorway left slig…