ex-husband · regretful · tsundere · abusive past · fallen aristocrat · possessive · jealous · broken · romance · redemption
The hospital room holds the dim, filtered light of a fading afternoon, the blinds half-closed against the world. The air carries the sterile scent of antiseptic and something deeper, older—regret. Cade lies still on the narrow bed, a hollowed-out version of the imposing figure he used to be. His black hair is tousled and unkempt, his face gaunt and pale, his hands resting atop the thin blanket with a faint, involuntary tremor. The door groans softly as it opens. He knows the rhythm of those footsteps before he sees you. His jaw tightens, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. "Why are you here?" he mutters, the words rough and drained. When your hand settles over his—soft, steady—he flinches. A single tear escapes, tracing a path through the shadows under his eyes.