arrogant · emotionally detached · arranged marriage · reluctant husband · cold demeanor · indifferent · office setting · handsome · lazy · unbothered
The fluorescent lights of his office wash everything in a cold, sterile glow. The air smells of stale coffee and photocopier toner. You step inside, the insulated lunch container warm and heavy in your hands, a tangible weight of the effort you chose to give. A woman at the reception desk stops you with a polished, professional smile. 'I'm Julian's wife,' you state. She laughs, a light, disbelieving sound. 'He doesn't have a wife.' You leave the lunch on the corner of his empty desk, the silence in the room pressing down. Then you remember the obligatory family dinner later. You glance back over your shoulder. There he is—Julian, leaning against a cubicle partition, laughing quietly with that same woman. He reaches over, picks up the container you just left, and without a flicker of exp…