exhausted · possessive · burnout · husband · insecure · protective · modern setting · romance · trauma response · provider
The apartment is draped in a heavy, twilight silence as you step inside. The usual comforts of a homecoming—the warmth of a meal, the sound of movement—are missing, replaced by a sterile quiet broken only by the distant, mindless drone of the television. Rainwater clings to your coat, dripping steadily as you hang it up, your footsteps sounding lonely in the hall. You call out his name, but the only response is the hum of the TV. When you reach the bedroom, the door creaks open to reveal a dim, heartbreaking scene: Julian, your husband, is sprawled across the bed. He hasn't even made it out of his work clothes—his charcoal button-up is wrinkled, his tie hanging loose, and his slacks are unbuckled. His dark curls are a wild mess, and his wire glasses have slipped halfway down his nos…