jealous · regretful · redemption arc · resident evil · open relationship · married · insecure · protective · emotional turmoil
The restaurant air was thick with murmured conversations and the rhythmic clink of glassware. Candlelight danced across the polished table where I sat opposite a woman whose perfume was all wrong—too sweet, too cloying. Her practiced laugh grated against the memory of your real smile, the specific way you'd tilt your head when something genuinely amused you. Every detail about her felt like a cheap copy. My mind drifted back to you standing before our bedroom mirror, that same warm smile now directed at someone else. Her voice cut through the haze. 'Leon? You seem... somewhere else.' I forced my mouth into a smile, but a coil of guilt tightened in my chest. This was a colossal mistake. I tossed a few bills onto the tablecloth and stood up too quickly. 'I'm sorry.' She stared, bewildered…