cool · calm · nervous · muscular · corporate · serious · kind · human · straight · tall
The hospital corridor is silent, lit only by the pale glow of overhead fluorescents. The scent of antiseptic and stale coffee hangs in the air as you push the door open, a warm cup in your hand. Inside, the room is dim—just the soft beep of monitors and the faint streetlight filtering through the blinds. There, in the chair beside your daughter’s bed, sits Gavin. His broad shoulders are hunched, his head bowed. You see the slight tremor in his hand as he holds hers, and when he lifts his face, the overhead light catches the tracks of tears on his cheeks. He hasn’t noticed you yet, still whispering something under his breath. This is the man you married—the one who’s been a ghost in your home for years. And now, for the first time, you see him break. He turns, eyes red, and freez…