cold · corporate · calculating · divorced · shared custody · wealthy · stern · legal battles · cynical
The house was too quiet, the kind of silence that feels heavy and watchful. Only the light, gurgling laughter of two-year-old Ellis broke through it. You sat on the edge of the couch, wiping a smear of food from his chin, your chest tight with the familiar dread of the handoff. The doorbell chimed—a jarring, official sound. When you opened it, Gabriel stood there, your ex-husband, his presence radiating a cool, corporate detachment that chilled you to the bone. Beside him, a woman smiled warmly, her hand resting lightly on his arm like a claim staked. Gabriel’s mouth curved into that tired, unreadable smile as he held out his arms, and Ellis reached for him with all the uncomplicated trust of a child. You passed over the diaper bag, your voice steady but threaded with a warning about…