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.

"I don't know..." She sighs, sitting down at the kitchen table across from you with her hands on her hips, looking around the room before meeting your eyes again. "It's just... work is so boring and draining sometimes..." Her voice trails off as she shakes her head slightly before continuing. "...and then I come home late, tired as hell, and all you seem to do is bother me with stuff..."

She pauses for a moment, narrowing her eyes at you. "And I forget your birthday today? Did I mention that earlier?" She asks coldly, not waiting for an answer before continuing. "...I'm sorry." The apology feels hollow even to her ears. "It's been... hectic lately at work."

Her expression softens slightly as you retreat to the bedroom, but she doesn't call after you. Instead, she takes off her shoes and sighs heavily, rubbing her eyes before standing up again. "I should... go shower or something," she mutters, walking past you and heading for the bathroom. As the sound of water running through the pipes fills the air, a sense of unease settles in your stomach.

The silence between you both is deafening as the minutes tick by, the shower running in the background not quite drowning out your discomfort. You close your eyes, hoping that maybe some sleep will help ease the tension and make things feel better in the morning... but something tells you they won't.

Eventually, Angelica emerges from the bathroom wearing a pair of soft, fluffy pajamas that do little to hide her curves. She pads over to the bed and slides under the covers before turning away from you, seemingly intent on getting some sleep herself.

The soft rustling of sheets and the steady rhythm of breathing are the only sounds in the room as the hours slowly tick by. Despite her earlier claim of tiredness, sleep eludes you both; your thoughts racing with uncertainty and doubt, unable to find solace even in the comfort of your own bed.

Eventually, the first hints of morning light peek through the curtains, signaling that another day has begun. You roll over to face Angelica, finding her gaze fixed on something outside the window. "Angelica?" you whisper, reaching out to touch her shoulder gently.

She flinches slightly at your touch, tensing up before forcing herself to relax against the pillow. Her gaze flickers back over towards you, studying your features as if searching for something reassuring. "What's on your mind?" she asks quietly, her voice still tired but edged with a hint of caution now.

As you get up and quietly pad off to the kitchen, she watches your retreating back with a mix of curiosity and irritation. A part of her wishes you would just let her be, but another part feels like something needs to change... or at least that's what she thinks she wants. The tension in the room doesn't ease any as the morning progresses; instead, it seems to grow heavier with every word left unspoken.

The silence in the room is deafening as you go about your morning routine, silent treatment being returned in kind by both parties. Angelica sighs heavily and rubs her eyes, finally getting out of bed and making her way to the kitchen where she finds Perruno already deep in thought at the breakfast bar.

"Do you want some help?" She asks quietly, forcing herself to speak after hours of silence. It's more out of politeness than actual desire to converse; a way to break through the tension that's been building up between them all morning. Her eyes dart back and forth between Perruno and the items laid out on the counter, not sure what she could possibly contribute but wanting to do something productive with her time here.

As he doesn't reply for several moments, she busies herself by pouring coffee into mugs and setting out plates of cereal and fruit, her movements efficient and practiced despite her tiredness. The familiarity of these morning routines brings a sense of normalcy to the situation, at least on the surface. But underneath it all, there's an unspoken tension that hang

As he finally responds and begins serving their breakfast, Angelica can't help but feel a sense of relief wash over her. The silence had been almost unbearable, making every sound in the room seem amplified tenfold. She takes the mug of coffee he hands her with a nod of thanks, her fingers brushing against his as she does so, and is surprised to find herself blushing slightly.

It's then that she realizes how much this tension has been affecting them both; not just in their words but even in the smallest gestures. The thought makes her feel guilty for being so cold and distant lately, but at the same time, she can't help but wonder why she feels this way towards him now... and if there's anything that can be done to change it.

They eat their breakfast together in silence once again, with only the sounds of chewing and swallowing breaking the air between them. As they finish up and begin clearing away dishes, Angelica finally finds her voice. "I should probably go take a shower or something..." She trails off, looking at Perruno expectantly, unsure

Angelica pauses, her hand hovering near the doorknob to the bathroom. Part of her wants to just disappear into the shower and pretend everything is normal, but another part knows that won't solve anything. She turns back towards Perruno, taking a deep breath before speaking again. "I'm sorry for being... so distant lately." Her voice sounds small in the quiet room, almost as if she's trying to apologize for something much bigger than just her recent behavior.

There's silence once more, but this time it feels different; less tense and more... vulnerable. Perruno looks up from where he's washing dishes at the sink, his expression unreadable as he considers her words. "It's not just lately," he says eventually, not looking at her when he speaks. "I feel like things have been off between us for a while now."

Angelica frowns, feeling a twinge of guilt in her chest. "I know... I guess I've just been so busy with work and..." She trails off, unsure how to explain

"I'm sorry," she mumbles, feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment. She takes another deep breath before speaking again. "We should... maybe talk about this sometime, when we both have more time." There's a tiny thread of hope in her voice as she says this, like maybe they can work through whatever it is that's come between them and return to the relationship they once had.

Perruno merely nods in response, not meeting her eyes as he continues to wash dishes. It seems like an agreement has been made, but whether or not anything will truly change remains to be seen. The rest of the day passes quietly, with both Angelica and Perruno trying their best to avoid any further confrontation or uncomfortable silences. As night begins to fall outside the window, they find themselves on opposite ends of the couch, each lost in their own thoughts about where their relationship goes from here.

The silence between you grows thicker, almost suffocating at times. As she watches you staring intently at the television screen, her heart begins to race faster and faster, as if it's trying to keep up with the frantic beat of her brain. She can't help but wonder if anything they could say or do would even make a difference anymore.

Finally, unable to take the quiet any longer, she stands up abruptly, her chair scraping noisily against the floor in protest. "I think I'll just... head to bed early tonight," she says softly, not quite meeting your eyes as she walks past you towards the hallway leading off to their bedroom.

The sound of her retreating footsteps grows fainter with each step until it's completely swallowed up by the stillness that remains in the room after she's gone. Her absence leaves a gaping hole in your chest, as if some vital piece of yourself has been torn away and taken from you forever. With nothing else to do now, you turn back towards the television, flipping through channels aimlessly while you wait for sleep to

As you change into your pajamas and climb onto the sofa, feeling its familiar yet unfamiliar contours against your body, the weight of the day begins to settle heavily on your chest. You toss and turn restlessly for hours, unable to find a comfortable position or quiet your racing thoughts. It's nearly dawn when you finally manage to drift off into an uneasy slumber, haunted by fragmented memories of happier times with Angelica.

The sun streams in through the windows when you wake again some time later, the lingering traces of sleep slowly fading from your mind as you force yourself to face another day. Sitting up, you stretch and yawn widely before noticing that the house is silent once more; devoid of any sounds except for the gentle ticking of a clock on the wall. It takes you a moment to realize that Angelica hasn't returned home yet, her absence making the apartment feel even emptier than usual.

As you contemplate the possibility that she might not have been telling the truth about her late hours at work, your mind begins to race with questions and doubts. You pace restlessly around the apartment, trying to distract yourself with mundane tasks like cleaning and organizing, but her absence looms large in every corner of the room. It's only when you hear the key turning in the lock that you manage to snap out of your thoughts; relief washing over you as she finally returns home.

Angelica appears exhausted, her clothes rumpled and hair disheveled, but there's an air of tension around her that tells you something is still very wrong. As she shrugs off her jacket and drops her bag on the floor, she meets your gaze briefly before looking away again, seemingly unable or unwilling to face whatever it is you might say or do next. The silence between

Angelica doesn't bother with changing out of her work clothes, instead opting to crawl straight into bed and pull the covers over her head. Her breathing grows steady as she falls asleep eventually, leaving you alone in the silence of the night. Taking advantage of the quiet, you sneak across the room and retrieve her phone from where it lay on the bedside table. Flicking through its contents, you come across a text message she received earlier that day; an invitation to a party tonight with several of their mutual friends. You feel a stab of hurt as you read the exchange between them and their friend, alluding to Angelica's sudden desire to avoid certain social situations because she "just isn't feeling it anymore."

The knowledge that your wife has been hiding things from you only serves to fuel your anger and frustration. You pace the room for hours, lost in thought as you struggle with what you should do next; whether you should confront her about everything or try to pretend like nothing is wrong. Eventually, exhaustion gets the better of you and you reluctantly crawl into bed, hoping that maybe tomorrow will bring some

You wake up to find that she's already gone, leaving you alone with the silent accusation of her empty bed. Your heart feels heavy and hollow as you get dressed for work, unable to shake off the feeling that something fundamental has changed between you both. As you make your way through your morning routine, a part of you wishes you could go back in time and undo everything; fix whatever it is that's gone wrong. But another part of you knows that won't be possible; all you can do now is try to move forward and navigate the uncharted waters ahead of you, however uncertain they may be.

Angelica wakes up to the sound of the front door slamming shut and groans, rolling over in bed to hide her face under the pillow. She knows something's wrong; there's an unmistakable feeling of emptiness and loss that permeates every corner of the room where Perruno once was.

With a sigh, she climbs out of bed and pad across the cold hardwood floor to the kitchen. The note he left on the table catches her eye first; she hesitates for a moment before picking it up, reading through his heartfelt apology and pleas for understanding with tears streaming down her cheeks. It's only when she reaches the bottom of the page that she finds the engagement ring lying beside it, shining brightly in the morning light.

Her breath catches in her throat as realization washes over her; Perruno has left and taken their shared future with him. She sinks down onto a chair at the kitchen table, unable to process what's happened or how they got here. As the minutes tick by, she slowly begins to come to terms with the fact

Dear Perruno,

I can't believe you're gone. It feels like my heart has been ripped out of my chest, and I'm not sure how to go on without you. Your note only confirms what I suspected; that you've given up on us. But I don't understand why. We may have had our differences lately, but doesn't every couple?

I remember when we first met, how much we laughed together and how happy we were. I miss that person. I wish you could see past the arguments and misunderstandings to the love that still exists between us. Maybe then things would be different. Maybe then you'd want to come back home where you belong.

Please, Perruno... I don't know what else to say. Just know that this hurts me more than anything in the world, and if there's any chance of salvaging what we had, I am willing to try. Please come back to me.

Another week has passed, and I still haven't heard from you. I check my phone constantly, hoping against hope that there will be a text or a call, but there never is. It's like you've vanished from the face of the earth. Everyone keeps asking me about you, wondering where you are and why you left. Part of me wants to tell them what happened between us; how much I love you and miss you already. But another part doesn't want anyone else to know our business. It's like this pain is all mine to carry now.

I've been going through your things, trying to find any clue as to why you left so suddenly. In your desk drawer, I found a letter from an old flame of yours. It was written years ago, after you had broken up with her. Reading it only made me feel more confused and hurt; like maybe there were feelings between you two that never completely went away.

I don't know what to do anymore, Perruno. I want you back in my life, but at the same time, I need answers. Where are you? And why did you leave so ab

Her heart stops as she sees you being wheeled into the hospital on the news, your blood-stained shirt clearly visible through the open ambulance doors. She gasps and drops to her knees in shock, tears streaming down her face as she finally understands where you've been all this time. It's a miracle that someone found you when they did; it could have ended so differently if not for their quick thinking.

With shaking hands, she retrieves her phone and dials the hospital, begging them to let her know your condition and how she can get to see you as soon as possible. As she waits for someone to pick up, a million questions race through her mind; How did this happen? Why didn't you tell me where you were going? And most importantly... do you still want to be with me after everything that's happened?