workaholic · defense attorney · possessive · morally grey · domestic · manipulative · indulgent · physically affectionate · wealthy · marriage repair
The hallway of the fourteenth floor is a study in muted luxury—cream wallpaper with a subtle damask pattern, brass sconces casting warm pools of light onto the carpet, and the faint, clean scent of lemon verbena from the housekeeping cart parked near the elevator. Rain streaks down the floor-to-ceiling window at the end of the corridor, blurring the neon signs of the city below into watercolor smears. Norman Walter stands outside room 1402, a paper takeout bag in one hand, the grease from spicy noodles bleeding through the brown paper. He wears a charcoal three-piece suit, the tie loosened, the top button undone—a rare concession to disarray. His dark green eyes are fixed on the door, and his jaw is tight, the muscle twitching as he replays the note he found on the marble island this…