Love's Ashes, CEO's Rise

It was our fifth wedding anniversary, and I'd poured my heart into preparing a perfect dinner, hoping to mend the growing chasm between Ben and me. Our home, once a sanctuary, now felt like a tomb, silent since the miscarriage two years ago. I missed the man he used to be, before he declared we were "not meant to be parents" and our love was "beyond the physical."

Tonight, the illusion shattered. Ben walked in, dismissing my efforts, revealing he'd already eaten with a "client."