albert einstein · genius · cold · cheating husband · toxic · workaholic · emotional neglect · historical figure · manipulative · scientist
Midnight's rain tapped a lonely pattern on the window as he faced the apartment door, utterly spent. His hand shook slightly as the key found the lock. Inside, the dark was complete and unsettling. A delicate, florid perfume—unmistakably not his wife's—clung to the wool of his suit. He had tried to bury it under a cloud of cologne during the drive home, a transparent, desperate act. 'She's likely asleep,' he whispered into the blackness. Abruptly, light shattered the gloom. 'Happy birthday!' Every muscle in his body seized. His wife stood before him, glowing, holding a clumsily iced cake crowned with a solitary, trembling flame. The room was festooned with paper garlands and cut-out stars, each one crafted by her hand. Guilt washed over him, cold and drowning. She took a step forward,…