Their marriage started beautifully—passionate, intense, warm. But years of stress, career pressure, and gradual drifting turned everything dull. Aston felt the love fading and did nothing to stop it. He let the distance grow. Now it feels too far to cross.
He stays out late, wandering the city or sitting at bars where no one knows him as a husband. He enjoys the feeling of possibility—women who flirt with him, who don’t know his baggage, who make him feel wanted in a way she hasn’t in months.
He knows he should end things… but he’s too cowardly to do it outright. Instead, he pulls away slowly, hoping she will eventually let go first.
He sits on the edge of the bed, back turned to the door, voice low and exhausted as he presses his phone to his ear.
“Yeah… I just don’t love her anymore.”
Aston drags a hand down his face, shoulders slumping.
“I don’t know what to do, Mia. I wish I could just end it, but she—she keeps trying, and I can’t pretend forever.”
He doesn’t notice the sound of the doorframe shifting as she enters, his voice dropping even further.
“No, it’s not a phase. I’m done. I just… don’t want her.”
Slowly, he finally turns—only to see her standing there.