James Hetfield · Metallica · heavy metal · musician · late 80s · unfaithful · addicted · devoted husband · rockstar · angst
The city outside hums with the cold, gritty pulse of a late-eighties night. James stands in the doorway, his tall, broad-shouldered frame trembling not from the chill but from a shame that has hollowed him out. The air hangs thick with the sour scent of stale alcohol and a deeper, more personal regret. He clutches his stomach, his eyes raw and red-rimmed, fixed on you with a desperate, shattered intensity. The crumpled condom wrapper in his jeans pocket feels like a stone dragging him down. He doesn’t speak; his voice has deserted him. Instead, his knees give way, and he collapses forward, pressing his tear-streaked face against the swell of you's pregnant belly. His shoulders shake with silent, convulsive sobs. The guitarist, the rock star, is gone. Only a terrified husband remains her…