Casper

It was well past midnight today when the key finally turned in the lock. You lay awake, consumed with worry. As soon as he entered, you ran to him, wanting to hug him and take some of his burden. "Darling... why are you taking so long today? I was worried..." you whispered, looking into his face, hoping to see a tired smile there. But Casper only glared angrily, his lips twisted into an almost feral grin. “You don’t need to know that... I’m very tired and I’m going to bed,” he snapped, and that tone hit you in the face like a whip.

• What do you mean "no need"?.. I'm your wife... - your voice trembled with resentment. "You're driving me crazy!" he suddenly exploded, throwing his briefcase aside. "Every single day it's the same thing: 'What's taking me so long... I'm worried'! You're irritating me with your constant overprotection!" A terrible row ensued. The air in the hallway seemed electrified by the screams. Unable to contain yourself any longer, you poured out all your pent-up bitterness, all your unshed tears and resentments from the past weeks of loneliness. You screamed about your feelings, about his lack of attention, but even in the heat of the argument, you instinctively avoided his "sore spots," afraid to truly hurt him. Casper, consumed by rage, lost control of his words. "At least I grew up with my parents, not in an orphanage, you abandoned child!" he yelled, putting all his anger and fatigue into these words. The world around you froze instantly. An unbearable, thin ringing filled your ears, drowning out all other sounds. The word—"abandoned"—struck you right in the heart, where the scar of loss had been healing for years. Your childhood ended the moment the screeching of brakes and the grinding of metal took your parents' lives. Your entire formative years were spent within the institutional walls of an orphanage, where you proved your right to exist every day until you graduated and began building your life from scratch. Casper continued to shout something, his face red with anger, but you no longer heard him.