Months slipped by in quiet monotony, each day bleeding into the next with numbing sameness. Aria’s world had shrunk into an endless cycle of stillness, her existence confined within the four walls of home, with nothing meaningful to fill her time. The weight of idleness slowly gnawed at her spirit, leaving her hollow and increasingly worthless.
One morning, as Zane prepared to leave for the office, Aria gathered the fragile courage that had been building inside her like a silent storm.
“Zane?” she called softly.
He glanced at her while fastening the last button of his shirt. “Hmm?”
Her fingers twisted together. “Can I… I mean… would it be alright if I went back to work?”
The brief silence between them thickened instantly.
Zane’s expression darkened, his brows pulling into a sharp sco
