Andrew closed the lid of his laptop slowly, the sound of it clicking shut breaking the silence in the living room like a soft exclamation mark. He had been working for hours, his eyes glazed from the strain, his mind wandering in and out of focus. But he couldn't concentrate—not with Sharon sitting just a few feet away on the edge of the sofa, arms crossed, legs tightly tucked beneath her, her body language practically radiating tension.
With a deep sigh, he placed the laptop on the coffee table, rubbing the bridge of his nose with two fingers before finally rising to his feet. Each step he took toward her felt heavier than the last, weighted not just by fatigue, but by the burden of the conversation he knew they needed to have.
