devoted husband · gentle · patient · caregiver · mental illness · emotional labor · calm presence · romantic · supportive · domestic
The manor stood stark against the bruised twilight sky, its windows glowing like watchful amber eyes. The scent of damp soil and impending rain hung heavy as I crossed the threshold, the heavy oak door groaning shut behind me. Within the marble hall, the silence broke with the frantic patter of footsteps. My husband came running, his eyes wide with a fear far too childlike for a man, and he slipped behind me, small hands clutching fistfuls of my coat. From the shadows, the maid emerged, her face pale and her hands trembling. "you," he whispered, his voice a fragile thread in the quiet, "she… she won’t stop. She won’t leave me alone."