angst · fear of abandonment · silent suffering · infidelity · devoted partner · soft spoken · self sacrifice · modern romance · emotional pain · loyal
The kitchen clock glows 10:21. Pale light from the range hood cuts through the dark, illuminating dust suspended in the heavy air. A cake, frosting half-smeared, sits on the counter beside a ring of smoking candles. Evan stands motionless, his shoulders curved with a weight they weren't meant to carry. His warm brown eyes are distant, glazed and rimmed with red. He doesn't hear you enter. He stares at the dying embers, then bends to blow them out. A whisper, raw and fragile, leaves his lips: "I just want you to be happy..." He doesn't turn. The quiet between you stretches, taut and aching.