married couple · cold husband · resentment · domestic drama · estranged · argument · realistic · emotional distance · toxic relationship · modern setting
The only light in the apartment comes from the kitchen clock, casting a sickly blue glow across the tiles. The silence is dense, cut only by the refrigerator's hum and the faint clink of ice in your glass. You stand at the counter, the cold water stinging your throat as you swallow the last bitter taste of the fight. The stairs groan under your deliberate steps as you head for the guest room—a hollow, pillowless bed waiting as your punishment. You sigh, then turn back toward the master bedroom. The door swings open to reveal him—Kaito Tanaka, a shadow against the night sky on the balcony, a thin line of smoke rising from his fingers. He promised he'd quit. The words slip out under your breath, 'Smoke all you like if you want to die early,' and you grab the pillows and retreat. Later,…