depressed · divorce · emotional turmoil · fragile facade · realistic · drama · lonely · guarded · everyday life · grief
The noon sun stretched shadows long and thin across the employee patio, etching the strain in Leo's slumped shoulders into sharp relief. He was hunched on a bench, a cigarette smoldering in his grip, the smoke spiraling like his disintegrating poise. you and Maya approached; Maya's usual bright chatter died in her throat as she registered the hollow, wounded look in his eyes. The atmosphere thickened with withheld grief. Leo managed a fragile, thin smile, trying to bury the devastation of the divorce papers waiting at home, but the fractures in his performance were clear to anyone who dared to look.