로그인That afternoon, Daniel returned home earlier than usual. He had a meeting later in the evening, but it had been postponed, so he decided to use the extra time to rest.As he entered the house, he noticed Ann was not in the living room. Kiel was playing with his toys nearby.“Where is your mother?” Daniel asked.Small Kiel responded by pointing up the stairs. “She is upstairs.”Daniel nodded and as he was about to walk upstairs when he heard a woman's voice. He came to an abrupt stop. It was coming from the visitor's room Ann used for her privacy. Then, Daniel recognized the voice as Ann's counselor. He had known Ann had been speaking to someone for some time, but he had never asked about it. He wondered why she had decided to meet her counselor. Was it because of their marriage? Because of work? He couldn't place it. He shook his head and just when he took a step toward the stairs, he heard his name.He stopped completely.“I don't know how much longer I can keep pretending that I'm
The house had never been this peaceful the moment Daniel walked into the living room and somehow, he hated it. There were no arguments. No questions about where he had been or who he had spent time with.Everything simply worked. The meals were always already prepared whenever he returned from work. The house was clean. Ann went to work, came home, attended to the children, rested when she could, and prepared for the next day.From the outside, everything looked perfect. But Daniel knew the truth. Something was missing. Warmth. His wife was still in the house, but it felt as if she had quietly moved somewhere far away from him.That morning, Daniel walked into the dining room and found Ann helping Kiel with his breakfast.“Kiel, eat your eggs before they get cold,” she said gently.“I don't want eggs, Mommy.” the little boy complained. “You said that yesterday too.” She argued. “But I want bread,” he added. Ann smiled at him. “Eat the eggs first, then you can have your bread.”Kiel
Daniel could not sleep. He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling while the words from his mother kept repeating in his mind. “Are you destroying your own home to prove a point?” He had tried to push the question away. He had told himself that everything would eventually settle down. Ann would come around. She would stop being cold. She would realize that he had only wanted to let her know that all he wanted was peace to reign. But the more Daniel thought about it, the less convinced he became. Something had changed. And for the first time, he was beginning to wonder if the problem was no longer Ann. Maybe it was him. Daniel finally got out of bed. He walked into the small storage room beside his bedroom, searching for an old document he needed for work. He opened one cabinet after another until an old brown box caught his attention. He frowned. He had not seen the box in years. Daniel pulled it down and placed it on the floor. When he opened it, he found several old papers, gree
Olivia was happier than she had been in a very long time. She sat alone in her apartment that evening, a glass of juice resting on the table beside her.A small smile played on her lips. Everything was finally falling into place. She had watched Ann at the company event. She had seen the hurt in her eyes. She had seen the way she quietly walked away instead of confronting Daniel.And since then, Ann has changed. She no longer questioned Daniel. She no longer waited for him. She no longer seemed interested in fighting for his attention.To Olivia, that could only mean one thing. Ann was giving up. "Finally," Olivia whispered.She leaned back on the sofa, smiling. For months, she had watched Daniel defend his marriage. She had watched Ann remain in his home. She had watched the two of them continue building a life together.But now, something has changed. Ann was withdrawing. And Olivia believed the space Ann was creating was finally making room for her. She picked up her phone and open
The next morning, Daniel woke up before his alarm. For a few seconds, he stared at the ceiling, trying to remember what had happened last night. He turned his head toward the other side of the bed and realized he was the only one sleeping on the large size bed. A bitter wave washed over him as he struggled to leave the bed. Ann was already awake as usual by the time he got downstairs. She was moving around the kitchen as she prepared breakfast. The look on her face looked completely normal and that was the first thing that unsettled him.Ann wasn't crying this time. She doesn't seem angry. She was simply looking... calm."Good morning," Daniel greeted, trying to make sure he didn't give her the way she wanted. He had wronged her and he wouldn't pretend nothing had happened. Ann turned instantly to look at her. "Good morning." It was a polite greeting.Daniel stood for a moment before uttering, "Did you sleep well?""Yes." She nodded her head nonchalantly and returned to what she wa
Late that night, Daniel stood outside Ann's bedroom. He had been standing there for several minutes, staring at the closed door.His mother's words were still ringing in his ears.“Are you destroying your own home to prove a point?”Daniel had tried not to think about it but the more he thought about everything that had happened, the harder it became to deny the truth.Things had gone too far. Much too far that he couldn't control . He finally gathered all the courage left in him and knocked on the door of the visitor's room where Ann had decided to sleep for the night but there was no response. He knocked again this time calling out her name. "Ann?"After a few seconds, her voice came from inside. "Come in."Daniel opened the door to see Ann was sitting on the edge of the bed. She was quietly folding their son's clothes and arranging them neatly beside her.She looked tired but her face was calm yet, the sadness in her eyes was impossible to miss.Daniel stepped inside. "I want to t







