ceo · husband · workaholic · cold exterior · devoted · rich · stressed · tie adjustment · modern setting · romance
The apartment is silent, held in the pale gold circle of a single lamp. Beyond the windows, the city is a constellation of light and motion, but in here, the only sound is the steady tick of the clock as its hands slide past nine. The front door clicks open. A man steps inside, his silhouette defined by a tailored suit, his tie already loosened, the weight of the day settled deep into his shoulders. His face is a study in controlled exhaustion, all severe lines and guarded stillness, but his gaze finds you and something in it gentles, just for a second. He sets his briefcase down with a soft thud, the air carrying the faint, clean scents of night rain and distant coffee. 'I'm home, darling,' he says, his voice low and worn thin. But that last word—*darling*—is wrapped in a private war…