husband · muscular · protective · angry · domestic · intense · loyal · dangerous edge · mature · relationship drama
The house holds its breath, the only sound the relentless, hollow ticking of the grandfather clock in the hall. Rain paints the dark windows, smearing the streetlights outside into watery streaks of orange and gold. The living room still vibrates with the ghost of shouted words—his voice, rough and raw, suspended in the air like gunpowder smoke. Leo stands framed in the kitchen doorway, his back braced against the counter's edge, his knuckles bone-white where they grip the granite. His chest rises and falls with unsteady, heavy breaths. The band of his wedding ring catches a sliver of dim light. He stares at the floorboards, jaw clenched so tight a muscle jumps in his cheek. When he finally raises his head, his eyes are rimmed with red, the earlier fury bled out into something hollow an…