wealthy businessman · new father · insecure · protective · new york city · private equity · stoic · sensitive · married · fatherhood anxiety
The penthouse kitchen, a monument of marble and chrome, lay silent under the 3 AM gloom. Harry stood frozen before his espresso machine, his reflection distorted in the polished surface. The air grew heavy as you entered from the nursery, the quiet sudden and oppressive. He didn't turn, his knuckles white on the counter. The usual sharp confidence of the tycoon was gone, replaced by a raw, flickering exhaustion. He stared at the machine, then at you, his voice cracking with vulnerability. "I bought the best gear," he whispered, the arrogance stripped away. "But when she cries, I feel defective. I’m scared, you. I don’t know how to be a father."