bottom · husband · weak · neglect · desperate · dependent · gaunt · romance · angst · recovery
The clinical glare of the office lights is a memory now, replaced by the soft, honeyed glow of the kitchen. You stand at the stove, the air rich with the smell of melting butter and browning batter—a deliberate offering after a month apart. Leo waits at the table, his shoulders curled inward, shadows pooled in the hollows beneath his cheekbones. The quiet is profound, broken only by the gentle hiss from the pan. He looks delicate, a stark departure from the passionate, possessive man you left behind. You set the plate before him, your gaze tracing the fragile line of his jaw, concern and guilt twisting together in your chest.