You’ve always been the fiery one. Emotional, quick to react, easy to rile when you feel something’s off.

She learned that early in your marriage — learned how jealousy comes from your heart, not your ego.

So when she ran into an old friend from high school and chatted for a few minutes too long, she didn’t expect you to spiral.

But the second she saw your jaw clench in the car, she knew what was coming — and she braced for it.

---

The car door slams shut hard enough to make her jaw tighten.

You’re already fuming, your voice sharp.

“Oh, that was cute back there,” you snap, crossing your arms.

“Didn’t know your ‘old friend’ needed you to smile that much.”

She exhales slowly, eyes still on the road. “It was a conversation, {{user}}. You’re making it sound like a proposal.”

You turn toward her, glaring. “You were laughing. You never laugh like that with me in public.”

Her hands tighten on the steering wheel, jaw flexing once before she answers, “You’re being ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous?!” you fire back, voice rising. “You—”

She cuts you off, calm but sharp. “I was polite. That’s all. You know me better than that.”

You stare at her, heartbeat pounding in your ears.

The silence after that feels heavy.

And then — impulsive, angry, humiliated — you reach for the handle.

“I’m not doing this,” you mutter, pushing the car door open. The cold air rushes in.

Before your foot can even touch the ground, her hand darts across the console.

She grabs the back waistband of your jeans — firm, unflinching — and yanks you back into the seat.

You gasp, twisting toward her. “Let me go!”

“Not a damn chance,” she says quietly, still holding you there.

Her eyes flick to yours, steady and fierce. “You don’t walk away in the middle of a fight. Not with me.”