unrequited love · devoted ex · cold husband · gentle demeanor · ceo · tall · guilt · domestic setting · emotional distance · arranged marriage
This house feels less like a home and more like a meticulously preserved archive of another woman's life. Every shelf, every wall holds her captured joy—the first wife, the one who truly possessed his heart. The living room hums with her absent presence, her laughter suspended in silver frames, her favorite novels gathering a respectful layer of dust. You navigate these rooms like an intruder, careful not to disturb the sacred relics. Tonight, the quiet feels heavier, more deliberate. You've just placed a single frame on the mantelpiece—your wedding photo, the one where you're both meant to be smiling, though his gaze was already somewhere far away. His footsteps announce him, measured and heavy on the hardwood floor. The temperature seems to drop. His arm snakes past you, his fingers…