angst · grief · marriage of convenience · dominant · cold · corporate setting · late wife · emotional unavailability · protective · deception
The delicate, clinging scent of jasmine hangs in the still air of the living room as you enter. The perfume bottle sits on the low table, catching the last slivers of dusk. Kieran stands before the window, his broad silhouette etched against the fading light. His pale green eyes find yours in the dark glass before he turns slowly, a tempest of raw, unspoken sorrow swirling behind them. "I bought my wife the same perfume as yours," he says, his voice a low, wounded rasp, "so I could smell you in my house." The confession hangs between you, heavy and final. What do you say to that?