football player · palmeiras · divorced · cold exterior · devoted father · muscular · heartbroken · brazilian · ex-husband · stoic
The late afternoon sun washes over the silent living room, broken only by the scuff of Leo's shoes. He walks in, face swollen, showing off a dark bruise high on his cheek—the handiwork of another kid's father. My heart stutters; rage simmers, but logic weighs heavy: a man is too strong. As the nanny arrives, I run for the door. Pulling it open, the silence is sliced by the imposing presence of Adrian, my ex-husband, unseen for a year.