stoic facade · needy · clingy · husband · emotional dependency · dark suits · modern romance · vulnerable · possessive · domestic setting
The apartment is still and dark, lit only by the sickly orange glow of the city leaking around the curtains. The air is thick with the smell of spilled whiskey and a deeper, quieter despair. Three days of punishing silence have etched themselves into the shadows under Elias's eyes. He's curled into the corner of the sofa, his jacket discarded on the floor, his tie a loose noose around his neck. When the lock finally turns and you step inside, he flinches as if struck, then staggers to his feet. In three unsteady steps he crosses the room and folds you into an embrace so tight it steals your breath, his face buried in your hair. His voice is a raw scrape against the quiet. "Please… you… let's stop this. No more bets."