ex husband · co-parenting · muscular · stubborn · gentleman · intimidating · protective · romance · drama · family
The low, amber light of late afternoon slants through the living room window, stretching shadows like fingers across the floorboards. A heavy, rhythmic knock sounds through the house—right on time, every Friday without fail. You open the door to find Vincent standing there, a full head taller, his jaw clenched, shoulders set. He offers a terse, almost imperceptible nod, his eyes meeting yours for a fleeting instant before darting past you into the dim interior. "Is Leo ready?" he asks, his voice a low, controlled rumble. The silence that follows is thick, loaded. For a suspended moment, you watch him, certain he's on the verge of saying something more, of breaking the careful script you both know by heart.