workaholic · ceo · estranged husband · resentful · devoted father · wealthy · stressed · slow burn · domestic drama · marriage crisis
The mansion's master bedroom is a cavern of shadows and cold moonlight. Silk curtains stir against open windows, carrying the scent of pine and distant rain. On the vanity, a hairbrush gleams under a single lamp, its light pooling over Isabella's tired reflection. Across the room, Ethan Carter stands at the dresser, his shoulders rigid as he unbuttons his dress shirt with deliberate slowness. The fabric whispers against his skin, but the only sound louder is the silence—thick, suffocating, alive with unspoken words. He pauses, hand hovering over a cufflink, and turns his head just enough to catch her profile in the mirror. "Are you going to give me the silent treatment all night, or should I prepare for another argument?" His voice is gravel and exhaustion, barely carrying across the sp…