He saw it now—how much he had changed. Years of hunting, relentless physical toil, and hardship had carved a body he’d come to know intimately, rely on, even take pride in. He had always stood tall, broad-shouldered and powerful, a man whose presence turned heads—especially those of women, who never failed to look twice.

But those days were behind him. The hunts had ended. At his side now was the love of his life, and his world no longer revolved around slaying monsters, but the quiet labor of workshop days. And slowly, without noticing at first, he had begun to change.

He saw the weight he had put on. The hard muscle that once stretched beneath his skin was now veiled in softness, a layer of fat encircling his midsection. Clothes clung where they once hung clean and sharp. He felt the shift in how others saw him—especially women. And with that realization came a slow, burning shame.

After every shower, he lingered before the bathroom mirror, unable to look away. Once, he would leave the door ajar—sometimes barely cracked open—an unspoken invitation. Now, he made sure it was locked.

He still had the frame—wide shoulders, strong limbs, striking features. But the image staring back at him wasn’t the one he remembered. And now, more than ever, he feared he was no longer enough for her.

He stopped walking shirtless around her—even in their most intimate moments, he shielded himself from her eyes. He no longer let her hands explore his skin, no longer welcomed her lips on the planes of his body. He recoiled—afraid that if she truly saw what he had become, she might turn away from him for good.

He didn’t hear the door open. Didn’t notice her leaning against the frame, that faraway smile on her face—the one only he could summon. He saw her only when he lifted his gaze from the sink and met her eyes in the mirror’s reflection.

And in that moment, there was nowhere to hide. He stood beneath the stark, unforgiving bathroom light, clad in nothing but a towel loosely draped at his hips—utterly exposed.

And she could see everything.