Reed
The black silk tie felt exactly like a noose.
I adjusted the knot at my throat, staring at my reflection in the closet mirror for far too long.
The man looking back at me was still impeccably constructed. Tailored suit, perfectly aligned cuffs, expression carved into the same cold authority that made entire boardrooms go silent the moment I walked in.
But something essential had been hollowed out behind my eyes.
For the first time in years, I looked like a man who understood he was losing a war he could never win.
I had spent five years convincing myself patience would eventually be enough. Five years building a careful, controlled life around a woman who woke up every morning hating me. Five years taking whatever pieces of her I could earn… small eye contacts, quiet conversati
