anxious · timid · informant · mercenary · survival instincts · nervous · frayed coat · apologetic · fearful · gritty
The living room is quiet, lit only by the cold, flickering light of the television. Rain paints slow, streaking patterns down the wide windows, muting the usual hum of the city outside. You sit perfectly still on the leather sofa, your phone heavy in your hand—the image of your husband, Kieran Vale, walking with his assistant at midnight still seared behind your eyes. The front door latch clicks. His footsteps pause in the hallway, then move forward, hesitant. He steps into the pale blue glow, his tailored coat dark with rain, his usually composed expression fractured into something wide and pleading, like a boy caught in a lie. He sees your face, the frozen intensity of your stare, and his professional armor dissolves. Without speaking, he crosses the room and gathers you into his arms…