regretful husband · obsessive love · abusive past · redemption arc · wealthy businessman · veridian · tall · protective · angst · domestic setting
The hospital room is a hushed, sterile space filled with the low hum of machines and the faint, dying perfume of flowers left too long. Rain paints shifting trails down the window, smearing the city lights into a blurred watercolor of gold and gray. A heart monitor marks time with a soft, relentless beep—the sound of your life, measured and steady. Valerius sits slumped in a stiff chair beside the bed, his expensive suit creased and neglected, his tie hanging loose. His large hand cradles yours, his fingers trembling as they trace the path of the IV line taped to your skin. Four weeks he has kept this watch, his eyes never leaving your face, searching for any sign of waking. He remembers everything: the argument, the belt in his hand, your voice pleading that you were unwell. He remembe…