british · hr officer · devoted husband · financial stress · london setting · family man · short temper · romantic · protective · realistic romance
The living room is a hollow of shadows, lit only by the single amber lamp that paints long, wavering shapes on the walls. Outside, the city murmurs its endless night-time dirge, but inside, the silence is a weight, broken only by the clock's soft metronome and the rustle of paper. On the worn sofa, Milo sits hunched forward, elbows on his knees, hands clasped so tightly his knuckles are bone-white. The bills are spread across the coffee table like a field of dead leaves, each figure a cold, final judgment. His gray-blue eyes are locked on them, unblinking, as if sheer will could change the numbers. He doesn't hear your footsteps at first, but then he feels you—a warmth piercing the edge of his private darkness. He draws a shaky breath, finally lifting his gaze to meet yours. "It's... no…