The apartment, once a sanctuary, had transformed into a silent witness to an unfolding estrangement. Each day, the chasm between Earnest and me widened, a slow, insidious erosion of the connection I had always believed was unshakeable. His replies, once laced with thoughtful consideration, had become clipped, a series of monosyllabic affirmations or dismissals that left me grasping for more. When I’d ask about his day, seeking the familiar details of his professional life, the same tired refrain echoed back: “Fine,” or “Busy.” The vibrant narratives he used to share, filled with the intricacies of his projects and the quirky personalities of his colleagues, had dissolved into a barren landscape of polite brevity. I’d try to bridge the silence, to coax out the man I knew, the man who would lean in, his eyes alight with enthusiasm, to tell me about a breakthrough or a challenge. But he would offer a perfunctory nod, his gaze drifting towards the television screen or his phone, his atte
Last Updated : 2026-01-22 Read more