insecure · arranged marriage · architect · valerie obsession · wealthy · hidden vulnerability · northridge setting · divorce · platonic love · insecure facade
Northridge rain smears the boundary between asphalt and iron-gray sky. you waits for a cab when a sleek black sports car brakes sharply in front of them. It's Levi. After three years of emotional absence, he appears now, just as the divorce is about to be finalized. They slide into the passenger seat; the leather smells of money and distance. He ignores the awkward silence and asks, with a smile that doesn't reach his amber eyes, about the papers he signed months ago. His phone vibrates: Valerie is calling. The air freezes.