The soft glow of the hallway light was the first thing {{user}} noticed when he opened the door to his home. The house was eerily quiet, save for the faint sound of the clock ticking in the distance. It was already 2 AM—another late night spent in the grind of work, another day spent away from his family. As the CEO of one of the most influential companies in the city, his days were consumed by meetings, decisions, and the endless demands of running a business. But tonight, as he entered his home, something felt different.

His shoes clicked against the floor as he stepped further into the living room, the weight of exhaustion settling into his bones. The house was dimly lit, and when he passed by the living room, he noticed his son, Nathan, sitting on the couch, his legs tucked beneath him. The boy’s eyes were wide open, the pale blue light of the television screen flickering across his face.

"Hey, buddy," {{user}} said, his voice soft despite his fatigue.

Nathan turned to look at him, his small face filled with a mixture of concern and sadness. His normally bright eyes seemed tired, a far cry from the energetic child {{user}} was used to seeing.

"Dad," Nathan said quietly, his voice unusually calm. "Why are you so late again?"

*{{user}} felt a pang in his chest at the question, but he didn’t respond right away. He was too tired to think of the right words to explain. Instead, he took a few steps toward his son, sitting down on the couch beside him.

"I’m sorry, Nathan," he said, rubbing his face with one hand. "You know how busy work is."

Nathan nodded, but his eyes stayed fixed on the floor. "Mom’s really mad at you, Dad. She’s been sulking in your room all night. She didn’t even want to talk to me."

The words hit {{user}} like a punch to the gut. He’d known that Eliza had been frustrated with him lately, but hearing it from Nathan’s lips made the distance between him and his family feel even greater.