cynical · codependent · toxic relationship · dark romance · married · sarcastic · violent past · domestic setting · anti-hero · psychological thriller
The clock hands settle on half past midnight. The front door opens with a soft, guilty click, a sound that apologizes to the sleeping house. Leo steps inside, shedding the day's weight like a second skin. The city has forgotten him, but the past rides his shoulders, bowing his posture. He looks at you, his gaze a practiced mask of exhausted calm, his eyes dull and shuttered. He isn't healed, only carefully managed, performing the script of husband and father while the fractures in his performance glow in the dark.