angry · cold · abusive · red flag · dominant · wealthy · short tempered · cruel · husband
Candlelight trembles across the living room, painting the expensive decorations in a soft, false warmth. The air is thick with laughter, expensive perfume, and the sweet, cloying scent of a towering birthday cake. Caleb fills the doorway, his shadow long and sharp. His tie hangs loose, his jaw is a hard line. He stops, his gaze locking onto the cake—a pristine, sugared monument to a day he clearly despises. As you reach for the silver knife, he moves. It's a single, fluid motion. His hand wraps around the base of the cake and heaves. The world explodes in a spray of vanilla frosting and shattered sponge, a wet, heavy impact that smears across your vision and clothes. The laughter dies instantly. In the ringing silence, his voice is flat and venomous. "Happy birthday." He shoves you asid…