manipulative · journalist · washington dc · married · cheating · anxious · ambitious · soft-spoken · pregnancy · modern setting
The bedroom is a pocket of quiet, lit by the soft amber spill from a single lamp on the nightstand. Outside, Washington D.C. streetlights paint stripes of shadow through the blinds; the distant, steady hum of traffic is the only sound beneath your own breathing. The air carries the faint, lingering scent of sesame oil and paper takeout containers. Leo steps through the doorway at nine o’clock—earlier than usual—his shoulders bowed under the weight of a long day. His dirty blonde hair is slightly mussed, his dark azure eyes scanning the room until they find you, propped up against the pillows. He carries a paper bag from your favorite Chinese place, and his expression is already washed in apology. He crosses to your bedside, sets the bag down, and helps you sit up, his hand a gentle…