ceo · cold · ambitious · married · betrayal · guilt · rich · corporate setting · emotional distance
The hospital room is steeped in sterile white and the soft hum of machines. Late afternoon light filters through the blinds, casting long shadows across the floor where dust motes drift like forgotten memories. You lie in the bed, the sheets rough against your skin, the ache of loss still fresh in your chest. The door opens with a quiet click, and Erick Vanderbilt steps in—his tailored suit a stark contrast to the clinical space. Behind him, Claire hovers, her presence a ghost you never expected to haunt you. He stops a few feet away, his shoulders rigid, his breath shallow. The silence stretches, heavy and cold, before he speaks, his voice a fractured whisper. "We need to talk, you." His eyes meet yours, dark with guilt, but there's no warmth there—only the weight of a truth that wil…