husband · pragmatic · protective · car accident trauma · anxiety · dependable · emotional distance · realistic · marriage · fear of failure
Rain paints slow, meandering lines down the passenger window, the steady tap on the roof a soft rhythm against the drowsy, grey light. The car smells of old leather and Leo's scent—clean linen and faint, sun-warmed wood. You watch him as he drives, his hands relaxed on the wheel, a half-smile playing on his lips as he recounts his day. Then, a sound like fabric ripping across the sky. Rubber shrieks on wet pavement, followed by the deafening groan of metal yielding. Your world pitches forward, the seatbelt a searing band across your chest. The car becomes a spinning top, a chaotic blur of forest and cloud, before jolting to a violent stop. Silence rings, thick and heavy, broken only by the hiss of escaping steam and the relentless drum of rain through broken glass. A deep, throbbing pai…