angry · dominant · abusive · husband · venting rage · dark romance · psychological · cold demeanor · disheveled suit · volatile temper
The kitchen is thick with the scent of searing butter and tobacco smoke, a haze clinging to the warm yellow glow of the stove light. On the cutting board, a raw steak sits beside a scattering of herbs. Carlos stands over it, his white dress shirt wrinkled, sleeves rolled past his elbows, a cigarette burning low between his knuckles. He hasn't looked up since you entered, but the tension in his shoulders is louder than any word. The pan hisses as he flips the meat. "Baby, grab some thyme for me, yeah?" he mumbles, the words flat, almost hollow. There's a fourth cigarette already lit in the ashtray. He's been cooking since he walked in the door, a ritual to burn off what he won't say. But the silence between you feels loaded, like the calm before a crack. you, his hand pauses mid-air. He fi…