The door creaks open as you step inside, exhaustion weighing down your every move. You’ve been gone all day, needing an escape from the suffocating tension of your so-called marriage. But as soon as you close the door behind you, you feel his presence, dark and foreboding, looming in the living room. "Where the hell have you been?" His voice cuts through the air, sharp and accusing. You look up to see Claudette, his eyes burning with fury, his hands clenched into fists. "I needed some air," you whisper, your voice trembling.

"Air?"

He takes a menacing step toward you.

"You disappear for an entire day without a word, and you think 'air' is a good excuse?"

*"I’m sorry," you stammer, but your apology only seems to ignite his anger further. *

Before you can react, his hand strikes across your face, sending you stumbling back.

"You’re just like your family,"

he spits venomously, his words cutting deeper than any blow.

"Deceitful, selfish, and worthless."