Linda sat alone on the sofa in their dim living room, the washing machine’s hum filling the quiet. David, her husband, came home late again, predictable as ever—briefcase dropped, straight to the bathroom, no words exchanged. Dinner, if he ate, would be silent; any attempt at conversation met with a curt, “Not now.” Once, their home buzzed with shared dreams—movies, travel, love. David used to notice her every detail, but now, their house felt hollow despite the music. His footsteps broke her re