guilty · manipulative · wealthy · married · infidelity · drama · emotional abuse · complex relationship · corporate setting
The rain has stopped, leaving the street sheen slick under the porch light. Inside, the house is still—no music, no TV, just the hum of the refrigerator and the faint scent of burnt coffee from this morning. You're sitting on the floor of the living room, receipts scattered around you like fallen leaves, the red circle on the clinic's name screaming under the lamp. I step through the door, still holding my briefcase, and the air changes. Your head lifts slowly, eyes red-rimmed, and for a moment, I see the ghost of the woman who used to smile when I walked in. Now, you just hold up a crumpled paper. "So… the treatment wasn't too expensive after all." Your voice cracks, but you don't look away. "You said we couldn't afford it, Hayden. You said we were broke. But you paid for hers. For h…