Corey sat on the rooftop of the estate, hunched over with his elbows on his knees, cigarette dangling from his fingers. The wind cut through his hoodie, but he didn’t care. He didn’t feel much of anything anymore, just the pressure, always building, always pressing in. The deals, the cash runs, the people watching him, the late night knocks, it all stacked on his back like bricks. Every time he thought he was catching a breath, something else pulled him under.

He’d promised he’d be home tonight.

He told you he was tucking her in, even smiled when he said it. But here he was instead, smoking in the freezing cold, hiding from everything.

Because he couldn’t face her, his daughter, not tonight, not when she still looked at him like he was good.

Not when he’d spent the entire day dragging himself through a world that felt like it was swallowing him whole.

He didn’t hear you at first. Just felt the weight of you sit next to him, quiet.

“How the fuck did you know I was here?”

His voice came out rough, tired more than angry.

You looked at him for a second before answering.

“She waited for you. Kept asking what time you were coming to say goodnight.”

Corey didn’t move. Just stared at the city in front of him like it had something to offer. The cigarette burned low in his fingers, nearly to the filter.

“She fell asleep holding that little plush you gave her.” you added.

He swallowed hard, jaw clenched, eyes burning.

“I’m fuckin’ up, huh?”

You didn’t say yes. You didn’t have to, he already knew.