You've been married to your wife Angelica for a few years now but recently you've started noticing how cold and distant she's been acting towards you. This has been going on for a few months now where she'll come home from work later than usual and basically completely ignore you for the entire evening, there's also been quite a lot of instances recently where you two have planned dates together just for her to forget them, leaving you alone.

Today is your birthday and naturally, you expect your wife of all people to remember but to your surprise that very morning plays out like any other and she doesn't wish you a happy birthday once before she leaves the house to go to work so you decide not to think too much about it and instead decide to go about your own day.

You go through your day like usual and are relaxing on the couch, watching some TV and you've noticed how late it's become yet Angelica still hasn't arrived back home which causes you to worry and so you decide to call her and she answers with is that she'll be home soon. A few more hours pass and it's currently 3 A.M and Angelica still hasn't arrived back home but then you hear it, the door opening but you remain seated in the kitchen where you've been waiting and then you see Angelica walk inside, rubbing her shoulder lightly before stopping and looking at you with tired eyes. "Oh, you're still awake, huh?" She says in a slightly curious but also nonchalant tone, almost as if she doesn't care about your presence.

At first, she says nothing as her head is gently stroked by your hand before finally looking up at you with those tired eyes and sighing softly. "What do you want me to say, honey?" She yawns quietly before walking over to the table where the dinner she brought home from work rests on a plate, still warm despite it being so late at night.

Picking up her plate of food, she slowly sits down across from you at the kitchen table and begins eating, not making eye contact with you as she takes tiny bites out of each morsel, chewing methodically and swallowing before looking back up at you with a defeated expression. "I'm sorry... I just... today was a long day, okay?" She says almost as if trying to excuse her behavior but doesn't seem convincing even to herself. "Look, I know things haven't been great between us lately and I wish I could say or do something about it but..." Her voice trails off as she takes another bite of her food.

Eventually, she pushes the plate away from her and sighs again before resting her head in her hands. "I'm just so tired... and I think maybe we should talk about this some other time when we both aren't so exhausted, okay?" Her gaze flickers down to the floor as she bites her bottom lip nervously, obviously uncomfortable with the situation.

As you angrily toss your wallet onto the table and storm off toward the living room, leaving her sitting there at the kitchen table with a look of guilt spreading across her features, Angelica bites back a sharp retort as tears begin to burn behind her eyes. She hadn't meant for it to sound like that... but she was so tired. Why couldn't he just understand?

With shaking hands, she reaches out to grab your wallet, flipping it open and quickly going through the bills inside before slamming it shut again and slipping it into her own purse. A moment later, she stands up from the table as well, walking over toward the living room where you've settled down on the couch with a huff.

She pauses in the doorway for a moment, watching as you turn your back to her and try to find a comfortable position on the worn-out piece of furniture. A part of her wants to go over there and comfort you... or at least try to explain herself better... but another part is too angry to even consider it.

Eventually, she clears her throat before finally speaking up. "Look... I'm sorry... I didn't mean that..." She trails off, hesitating for a moment before continuing. "I just... I've been working so much and coming home late, I barely see you anymore and when I do it's not like we can really talk... or connect... It feels like we're just two strangers living under the same roof sometimes..."

She pauses again, watching as your back tenses but doesn't say anything else.

As you roll over on the couch, effectively ignoring her even though she's standing right there in front of you, she can feel the coldness emanating from your body like invisible tendrils wrapping around her own heart. Her mouth twists into a sour expression and for a moment she's tempted to lash out, to scream at you until you finally listen... but somehow that doesn't seem to be what you want anymore either.

With a defeated sigh, Angelica turns away from you and walks back into the bedroom instead. She kicks off her high heels as she crosses the threshold and glances over at the bed where you usually sleep, her chest tightening uncomfortably. For a moment, everything feels so uncertain... like the foundations of their marriage are slowly crumbling beneath them and there's nothing either of them can do to stop it.

With a resigned shrug, she climbs into bed, pulling the covers up over her shoulders as she lies back against the pillows. Despite her exhaustion, sleep refuses to come easily tonight; images of you both flash through her mind, each one more painful than the last as regrets and what-ifs twist like knives in her gut. Eventually though, fatigue wins out and she falls into an uneasy slumber, dreams full of confusion and anger chasing away even the slightest hope for reconciliation between them.

When you finally return home after your morning jog, you find that it's already well into the afternoon and that she never left the bedroom once since falling asleep the previous night. Walking quietly so as not to disturb her further, you sneak into the kitchen and start making yourself some breakfast. A few minutes later, there's a soft knock on the bedroom door. "Honey? Are you awake?" You ask with your back still turned toward her.

There's no reply at first, only the gentle sound of her breathing coming from within the room. Eventually though, she stirs and sits up slowly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes before looking over at you through a fringe of dark hair. "Yeah... I guess..." Her voice is hoarse from sleep and she sounds even more tired than when she woke up this morning.

She climbs out of bed, wincing slightly as her back protests at the movement. Glancing over to the dresser where her phone sits charging, she realizes it's much later than she thought and that today is actually Sunday. Today was supposed to be a relaxing day for the two of you... now what? With a sigh, she crosses the room and slips into her favorite robe before walking over to where you stand at the kitchen counter.

"Hey... do you want to watch a movie or something?" She asks hesitantly, offering up a small gesture of peace after last night's argument. "Maybe we could order some take-out too..." Her voice trails off and she looks down at her feet, seeming almost as if she expects you to say no.

At first, you think she didn't hear your last comment about forgetting her birthday but then she tilts her head slightly to the side and looks up at you with a questioning expression. "My... birthday?" She asks softly, her eyes wide for a moment before they narrow in understanding. "Oh! Yeah..." She flushes slightly, suddenly feeling guilty for having forgotten such an important date. "I am so sorry, honey... I completely spaced out on that..."

She walks around the counter and comes to stand beside you, reaching up to gently stroke your cheek with her fingertips. Her touch feels cool against your skin but oddly comforting at the same time. "I should have remembered... It's not like it's just any old day, is it? I don't know what I was thinking..." She looks up at you now, her expression sincere and genuine. "You mean so much to me... You always have."

For a moment, the air between you feels almost peaceful despite everything that's happened over the past few months. Maybe there's still hope for your marriage after all? Could this be the first step toward repairing the damage that's been done?