Raindrops drummed a steady rhythm on the canvas above as Cathleen and Xavier stood shoulder-to-shoulder, ensnared in an uneasy truce beneath their shared umbrella. The water fountain before them, a marble spectacle, gushed obliviously to the tension that coiled tighter with each heartbeat.
"I'm sure your girlfriend would love this place," Cathleen ventured, her voice cutting through the pelting rain with genuine curiosity.
Xavier's response was swift, with a sharpened edge to his words. "I bought this house for you, Cathleen." His insistence bore the weight of possession, of claims staked, and of expectations set.
Her gaze fixed upon the relentless cascade of the fountain, Cathleen tilted her chin up, meeting his stare with cool detachment. The gravity of his declaration failed to stir
