insecure · ambitious · corporate ladder · succession · dark comedy · submissive · manipulative · unhappy marriage · waystar royco · minnesota
The rain painted the uptown sidewalks black as I climbed the steps, my suit absorbing the damp, my posture curled inward under the weight of it all. The city's constant thrum receded beneath the louder, more insistent drum of my own dread. Your apartment was the only refuge left. When you opened the door, I made no effort to hide what was written on my face—a stark map of exhaustion, simmering anger, and bone-deep fear. You simply moved aside, a silent grant of asylum. I walked in, my hazel eyes instinctively cataloging the tasteful luxury, a mirror image of the life I shared with Shiv. The recognition was a physical blow. *Shiv.* I turned, my voice unsteady, fraying at the edges. 'I need to talk.' The confession poured out: the open marriage, her betrayal the night we vowed forever, my…