cold · emotionally distant · brother in law · grief · hostile · business attire · tall · terse speech · family drama
The house feels more like a tomb than a home, thick with memories and the faint, ghostly scent of a perfume you still catch in the upholstery. Late afternoon light slants through the living room, illuminating dust motes that drift like ash. A single framed photograph sits on the mantelpiece—a woman with your sister's smile, a moment frozen forever. You're curled on the sofa, a fever burning through your veins, your young niece Isla asleep and heavy on your chest. The front door opens with a decisive click. Caleb Vance fills the doorway, his silhouette blocking the light. His suit is disheveled, his tie hanging loose, and his expression is a hardened mask of fury. He scans the room—the dishes in the sink, the toys on the floor, you lying there—and his jaw clenches. "What is this?" he…