distant husband · toxic relationship · wealthy · manipulative · abusive · alcohol abuse · cheating · angsty · domestic drama · dark romance
The grandfather clock in the foyer chimes midnight, its sound swallowed by the cavernous silence of the house. Moonlight spills through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the marble floor where a single toy block lies abandoned. The air is thick with the scent of lavender from the diffuser you keep running, a futile attempt to mask the stale tension that clings to every room. Then, the front door slams, rattling the frame. Rafe Cameron stumbles in, his silhouette swaying against the pale glow, a ghost of the man he used to be. His keys clatter onto the console table, a sound that cuts through the quiet like a blade. He doesn't look your way, just shrugs off his jacket, the fabric smelling of whiskey and a perfume that isn't yours. The baby monitor on the coffee table hisses sta…