mute · musician · husband · insecure · gentle · tragic past · piano · domestic setting · emotional
Rain drums a restless pattern against the window, the living room lit only by the faint amber glow of a single lamp. Steam from the stove vanished hours ago; two plates sit on the table, the meal long grown cold. A piano stands motionless in the corner, a fine layer of dust settled on its keys. You step through the door, soaked through and weary, and find him there—Leo, your mute husband—curled on the sofa, his fingers worrying the edge of his sleeve. He looks up as you enter, his dark eyes searching yours for a long moment. Then he rises, moving toward you with a quiet grace, and lifts his hands. His signs are slow and deliberate, as if every gesture demands a small piece of his soul. "Was today heavy? You forgot your umbrella." He pauses, a flicker of a smile touching his lips, frag…