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.

Tiredly, she looks at her husband as he sits there in the kitchen, watching television. The last thing she remembers is finishing up a particularly tedious report for work; it had taken almost every bit of energy left within her exhausted body to complete it. And now here she was, back home after arriving much later than usual... and feeling more drained than ever before.

Sighing softly, Angelica shrugs, "I just finished up some work stuff..." Her voice trails off as she glances down at her watch, noticing the late hour for once. "God, it's even later than I thought," she mutters to herself. "Sorry about that." She meets his gaze once more, feeling a hint of guilt creep into her chest.

Walking over to him, she places a hand on his shoulder gently. "Look, you should probably go to bed or something..." Her voice is soft and almost gentle now; it almost seems like an alien quality to him at this point, considering how coldly she's been acting lately. "...I can handle finishing up the rest of whatever it was I was doing."

Angelica blinks in surprise at his tone, the cold mask slipping just slightly. It's like he has no idea how hard she's been working these past few months... or maybe that's exactly what she wants him to think. "Look," she says carefully, "it's late and I need to get some sleep. You should do the same." She pauses for a moment before adding, "I can talk about it in the morning, okay?"

Her grip on his shoulder tightens ever so slightly as she waits for him to respond. Part of her wants to just retreat to their bedroom and fall into bed without another word; another part of her is curious as to why he's being so insistent about whatever it was that kept them apart tonight.

Angelica watches silently as her husband gets up from the couch, clearly annoyed by whatever it is she had just said. A part of her wants to call out after him, to tell him not to go and to instead just stay home with her... but then another voice in her head tells her that he'll only see it as her trying to control him or manipulate the situation.

With a sigh, she decides against saying anything more and simply walks over to the kitchen counter, taking off her jacket and loosening her tie before hanging them up on a hook nearby. Her pencil skirt rides high up on her thighs as she moves, revealing smooth flesh that goes untouched except by her own hands most of the time.

Angelica glances at the clock one last time, wondering if maybe it would be better for them both if they just called it quits... if perhaps this marriage had run its course and there was nothing left to do but move on with their separate lives. But before she can allow herself to fully consider such a drastic decision, there's something else nagging at the back of her mind: an inexplicable sense of duty towards User#1749477777481... or maybe it was just guilt.

She shakes her head, dismissing those thoughts for now and instead reaches into a nearby cupboard, searching for something to drink before finally deciding on some cold water from the fridge. Taking a long swig, she wipes away any remaining moisture with the back of her hand and then sighs heavily again as she rests against the countertop, staring at nothing in particular.

The air between them is heavy with unspoken words and barely concealed tension; it feels like every breath they take is filled with

As if sensing his gaze, Angelica glances over her shoulder and meets his eyes briefly before turning back to the countertop. A flash of guilt crosses her features before she can hide it, but then something else takes its place: defiance. "What?" She snaps more harshly than she intends, instantly regretting her tone when he flinches slightly in response.

She takes a deep breath and tries to calm herself down. This isn't helping anyone... "Look," she says more quietly now, less defensively, "I know I haven't been the best wife lately... but that doesn't mean..." Her voice trails off as she searches for the right words. It feels like every sentence she tries to form is wrong, every excuse sounding thin and hollow in her ears.

After a moment of silence, she finally gives up, shaking her head again before looking back at him. "I'm sorry... I don't know what to say." It's true; she really doesn't. Nothing feels right anymore... everything just seems so complicated and messy between them.

She takes another sip of water, hoping it will calm her down enough to find the courage to face this situation head on rather than continuing to ignore it or avoiding conversation entirely. But deep down, she knows that running away isn't going to solve anything... eventually, they're both going to have to deal with whatever it is that's tearing them apart.

The air in the kitchen feels heavy with tension, every word spoken seeming to only make things worse. They've danced around the issue for long enough; tonight is about confrontation, whether they like it or not. Taking another sip of her water, Angelica attempts to steady her nerves before speaking again.

"I'm sorry," she begins softly, gazing down at the floor as she says it. "For being so cold lately... for forgetting our anniversary... for coming home so late and not even bothering to talk to you about it." She pauses, taking a deep breath before continuing, "I don't know what's been going on with me, really. I just feel... disconnected from everything." Her voice cracks slightly as she says this last part, and she finds herself unable to meet his gaze.

"Maybe we should see someone about it," she suggests hesitantly. "Go to counseling or something... try and figure out where things went wrong and how we can fix them." Even as the words leave her mouth, she's not entirely sure if that's what she really wants; part of her still feels like this distance between them might be necessary in order for either of them to truly find happiness again.

She waits anxiously for his reply, hoping against hope that he won't reject the idea outright. It would mean facing their problems head-on... something she hasn't been willing or able to do until now. But maybe - just maybe - it could save them both from the growing emptiness that has crept into their marriage and taken hold of their hearts.

At first, the question takes her aback; she hadn't expected him to immediately go there. But as soon as it leaves his lips, a cold knot begins to form in her stomach. Of course he would suspect an affair... he has every right to be suspicious after how distant and absent she's been acting lately.

She swallows thickly before looking up at him, searching for any sign of anger or betrayal in his eyes. All she sees is hurt, and something else - a spark of hope that makes her heart ache.

"No one," she says softly, slowly shaking her head. "I haven't been seeing anyone... it's just work, mainly." She pauses for a moment, trying to find the words to explain what it is she's actually feeling, before continuing in a more whispered tone, "It's complicated..."

Her gaze falls once more to the floor as she struggles with her emotions. A part of her wants to deny everything he's said, to tell him that she loves only him and would never betray their marriage like that... but another, more honest part knows that wouldn't be true. Because even if she hasn't been unfaithful in the traditional sense, she has been emotionally distant and unavailable... and perhaps that kind of betrayal is just as harmful in its own way.

"I don't know what I want anymore," she admits finally, her voice barely above a whisper. "Maybe... maybe we should talk about it tomorrow when we're both feeling less tired and more level-headed." She takes another sip of water, forcing herself not to cry as he watches her intently. It feels like everything they've built together is crumbling around them, and there'

"I just need some time, okay?" Angelica's voice trembles as she speaks. "It's been a lot... work has been really stressful lately and I don't know how to handle it all." She pauses, wondering if that excuse is even enough anymore. Truth be told, work hasn't been the only thing on her mind; there have been other things too, darker thoughts that she hasn't dared to voice aloud for fear of what he might think or how he would react.

"I just need some time to figure out what I want," she continues softly, her gaze still fixed on the floor. "And if that means being away from you for a while... then so be it." The words catch in her throat as soon as they're spoken; she hadn't meant to say them quite like that, hadn't intended to sound so cold and final about it all. But now that the words are out there, she can't seem to take them back.

There is silence between them for what feels like an eternity; a thick tension hangs in the air like mist before a storm. Finally, Angelica takes another sip of water, hoping it will help steady her nerves and ease the lump that has formed in her throat. When she looks up again, she's surprised to see him still there, staring at her with an expression she can't quite read.

"Please don't leave me," he whispers barely above a whisper. "Not now... not ever." His voice is raw and full of emotion; it almost undoes her completely. But even as she wants nothing more than to comfort him, to tell him that everything will be alright, she finds herself unable to make any promises or give any reassurances. All she can