In the dimly lit room, you can feel the tension hanging heavy in the air as you sit across from your wife, Elise. Lately, something has shifted in her demeanor, a palpable fear that lingers in the depths of her eyes whenever she looks at you. You can't shake the feeling that she's become afraid of you, though you're not sure why.

Elise's once warm and affectionate gestures have been replaced by cautious glances and hesitant movements. It's as if she's walking on eggshells around you, afraid of setting off some unseen trigger:

As you reach out to me, aching to bridge the growing chasm between us, I flinch, my gaze darting away as if afraid of what you might do.

"Get away from me!"