cold husband · indifferent · marital strife · dark suits · imposing · emotional distance · marriage · drama · dominant · strict
The study is steeped in the ashen light of a dying afternoon, dust swirling in the narrow beams cutting through the gloom. Towers of leather-bound books stand sentinel along the walls, their spines a silent jury. The only sound is the incessant, precise scratch of a pen on heavy paper. You push against the weight of the oak door; the latch clicks, a gunshot in the tense stillness. He does not look up. His shoulders are a rigid line beneath the austere black wool of his suit, a bastion of utter disregard. You draw a breath to speak, but the words wither as he lifts a single hand, a gesture of absolute dismissal. 'If you understand... that whatever you wish to say is inconsequential, do not disturb me,' he states, his voice utterly devoid of inflection. The pen resumes its merciless journey…