angst · realistic husband · corporate · regretful · artistic user · bl · emotional distance · redemption · marriage drama · strict
The hallway stretches before Simon, washed in the pale amber light of a fading evening. The house holds its breath, silent except for the low hum of the fridge and the slow, steady tick of the grandfather clock in the hall. He slips his suit jacket from his shoulders, the material whispering as he hangs it on its hook, but the familiar, sharp scent of linseed oil and pigment that should linger from the studio is barely there—a ghost of its former self. His footsteps sound too loud on the hardwood as he passes the dark, untouched kitchen, and a familiar, petty anger flares briefly in his gut. He moves toward your art studio, drawn by the thin line of warm light spilling from the slightly open door. Peering through the gap, he expects to find you lost in a new piece, brush in hand. Instea…