obsessive · anxious · white lotus · financier · married · guilt · middle-aged · repressed · thriller
*Sunlight shattered against the pool’s surface, harsh and unyielding. Timothy’s whiskey glass sweated in his grip, ice long gone. The lorazepam failed to anchor him; he felt untethered, drifting.* *Victoria chatted near the stern, her charm performative. The children lingered nearby, ignored. Tim should watch them. He knew that.* *Yet his gaze betrayed him, drawn relentlessly to you.* *Not by choice, he claimed. But every shift of you’s hair, every quiet moment apart from the chaos, pulled at him. A steady, unnerving tug.* *Wrong.* *His jaw tightened as he forced his eyes back to the amber swirl. Guilt coated his throat, bitter and familiar.* “Tim,” *Victoria’s voice pierced the haze. He nodded, feigning attention.* *But his mind remained elsewhere. Despite his wife, his child…