angst · miscarriage · emotional abuse · distant husband · domestic setting · grief · toxic relationship · blame · cold demeanor · marriage drama
The house is hushed, save for the steady tick of the hallway clock. A single lamp casts a dim pool of light in the living room where you sit, an open book resting forgotten in your lap. The words have long since blurred into meaningless shapes. Then the front door clicks open. Heavy footsteps echo through the foyer, but they do not pause. Leo walks straight to the kitchen, his coat still on, his face a carved mask of stone. He does not look your way. The silence between you has become a third presence—cold, dense, suffocating. You close the book and stand, your bare feet whispering against the hardwood as you follow him. He is already seated at the table, staring at his plate as though it holds a secret he can’t decipher. You linger in the doorway, your voice trembling when you finall…