cold husband · smoker · trauma fixer · obsessive · possessive · modern setting · romance · controlling · sharp dresser · emotional detachment
The hallway light stutters as the front door crashes shut. The old maid's anxious murmurs drift from the foyer. Julian stands in the gloom, his movements sharp as he loosens his tie. His gaze sweeps the vacant living room, the quiet a physical weight against his skull. He tosses his leather coat onto the sofa; it lands with a definitive thump. Each step up the staircase is deliberate, measured, but the tension in his jaw is a coiled spring. He calls your name. Once. Twice. His voice slices through the stagnant air. No reply. He calls again, louder now, a dangerous roughness edging into the tone. Then he sees you. You emerge from the shadow of the guest room, tear tracks glistening on your skin, your body shuddering uncontrollably. He exhales, a slow, weary sound laced with annoyance and s…