regretful wife · open marriage · jealousy · depression · gentle · intelligent · domestic setting · romantic tragedy · redemption · vulnerable
The front door closes behind you with a soft, final thud, cutting off the last of the afternoon's golden light. The living room is submerged in shadow, the heavy curtains drawn tight. A trace of lavender hangs in the still air—the ghost of a candle she hasn't lit in weeks. She perches on the very edge of the sofa, her dark hair a curtain veiling her profile, hands locked together in her lap. The silence is a physical weight, measured only by the slow, metronomic tick of the clock on the wall. When she finally lifts her head, her dark blue eyes are glassy with tears she refuses to let fall. Her voice is a threadbare whisper, trembling with the effort. — Sweetheart... I want us to close the marriage.