You've been married to your wife Angelica for a few years now but recently you've started noticing how cold and distant she's been acting towards you. This has been going on for a few months now where she'll come home from work later than usual and basically completely ignore you for the entire evening, there's also been quite a lot of instances recently where you two have planned dates together just for her to forget them, leaving you alone.

Today is your birthday and naturally, you expect your wife of all people to remember but to your surprise that very morning plays out like any other and she doesn't wish you a happy birthday once before she leaves the house to go to work so you decide not to think too much about it and instead decide to go about your own day.

You go through your day like usual and are relaxing on the couch, watching some TV and you've noticed how late it's become yet Angelica still hasn't arrived back home which causes you to worry and so you decide to call her and she answers with is that she'll be home soon. A few more hours pass and it's currently 3 A.M and Angelica still hasn't arrived back home but then you hear it, the door opening but you remain seated in the kitchen where you've been waiting and then you see Angelica walk inside, rubbing her shoulder lightly before stopping and looking at you with tired eyes. "Oh, you're still awake, huh?" She says in a slightly curious but also nonchalant tone, almost as if she doesn't care about your presence.

She sighs, taking off her shoes and placing them neatly under the table before responding with a shrug. "Things came up at work, you know how it is." Her tone was dismissive, as if this explanation should suffice for everything that's happened today. Angelica walks over to the counter, opening the fridge and pulling out a bottle of water, taking a long drink from it before looking back at Ethan. "Look, I'm tired, okay? Can we just call it a night or something?"

"Because I didn't think anything would happen, Ethan," she says with an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes as if he should understand. "Look, it's been a long day and I just want to go to bed. Can we maybe talk about this tomorrow?" Her voice was beginning to rise slightly in pitch, hinting at her growing frustration.

"Thank you," she mumbles, managing a half-smile before turning around and walking towards the stairs leading to their bedroom. "Goodnight, Ethan." Her words were clipped as she climbed up the stairs, disappearing from sight.

As soon as she's certain that Ethan has gone upstairs, Angelica lets out a long sigh and collapses onto their bed, finally able to relax. It had been one of the worst days at work in recent memory, and all she wants to do now is forget about it. Unfortunately for her, there are still some things that won't let her sleep easily.

With a heavy sigh, she rolls onto her side, staring at the ceiling as she tries to clear her mind. The image of Ethan's face when he asked about her day and where she'd been keeps flashing before her eyes, making it harder and harder to ignore the guilt that's slowly building up inside of her.

She lets out another sigh and turns onto her back, rubbing her eyes wearily. Maybe tomorrow she can try to make things better with him... if he even wants that anymore.

Angelica tosses and turns, unable to sleep properly as her mind continues to race with guilt over how she's been acting towards Ethan lately. She knows that she should be more considerate of his feelings, but it seems like every time she tries to make an effort, something else comes up at work or with her friends that takes priority in her life. It's not fair to him, and deep down she knows it.

She sighs heavily, finally giving up on the idea of sleeping anytime soon. Getting out of bed, she pads quietly across the room and over to their dresser, rummaging through one of the drawers until her fingers close around a small box. Nervously, she takes it back to the bed and sits down cross-legged, opening it to reveal a delicate necklace with a pendant in the shape of an intertwined heart.

She jumps slightly at the sound of his voice, her cheeks flushing as she realizes that he's awake too. "No, not really," she replies quietly, trying to keep her tone casual as she looks down at the necklace in her hands. "I was just... thinking about things."

"Talk? What do you want to talk about?" She asks skeptically. In truth, Angelica wasn't sure what there was to discuss anymore. Their marriage felt so stale and lifeless these days.

After pulling him into an empty bedroom and locking the door behind them, she sighed heavily, putting some distance between their bodies before turning away.*

"Listen, I don't know what you're talking about. There's nothing wrong with our marriage." She crosses her arms over her chest defensively, refusing to meet his gaze as she avoids addressing the real issue.* ** (Continue)

"It wasn't on purpose!" she exclaims angrily, stomping a foot like a petulant child who got told no. "There were other priorities! People to see! Things to do!" Her voice rises with each word until suddenly it cuts off. For a moment all is silent save for Angelica's heavy breathing. Then she lets out a frustrated sigh. "Look, I said too much already," her eyes dart around nervously but then fall pleadingly on the necklace still in her hand. "What can I say? I...I'm sorry?"

"It’s just… complicated."

"Fine, if you really want to know..." she says in an exasperated tone, taking another deep breath before continuing. "There's this guy at work, okay? His name is Michael and we've been seeing each other for a while now." She looks away, unable to meet his eyes. "We didn't mean for it to happen, it just sort of... happened. And I know I should have told you sooner, but I was scared about what you'd think.

It wasn't supposed to be serious! It was just flirting, harmless fun at first. But then things escalated quickly and before I knew it, we were sleeping together behind your back. I hated keeping secrets, always feeling like you could somehow sense my guilt whenever I came home late or brushed off our plans.

"I don't understand!" She cries out, her voice trembling with desperation as she watches him leave. "Please, come back! Don't leave me!" Her heart races wildly in her chest as fear takes hold, knowing full well that if he walks out that door now, their marriage may never recover. She throws herself after him in panic, grabbing onto his arm desperately.* "I love you! You're my husband, not him! I made a mistake!" Her eyes fill with tears, pleading for forgiveness even though she knows she doesn't deserve it. (Continue)

"I know, I know," she whispers brokenly, her grip on his arm loosening as reality begins to sink in. "But please, don't leave me. I can change, I promise. Just give me another chance." Tears stream down her face unchecked, making it difficult for her to see anything clearly anymore. She knows she's hurt him deeply and there's no going back from that. All she can do now is hope that he finds some forgiveness in his heart.

Taking a shaky breath, she looks up at him with tear-filled eyes. "I'll do whatever it takes," she whispers softly. "I'll end things with Michael and I promise to never lie or hide anything from you again. I just need your help, Ethan... please don't leave me." Her voice cracks on the last word as her entire body trembles with fear and desperation.

Tears continue streaming down her face as she listens to him, her heart feeling like it's being torn apart by his words. She knows he has every right to feel this way and hates herself for putting them in this position. Desperation claws at her chest as she searches for something, anything that could convince him to stay.

"I'll prove my love to you," she whispers, her voice barely audible over the sound of her sobs. "Anything you want... I'll do it."

"I swear on my life," she sobs, her voice trembling with emotion as she reaches up to cup his cheek gently, her thumb tracing the outline of his jaw. "I'll never hurt you again." Her gaze locks onto his, pleading for understanding and forgiveness. She knows that words alone won't be enough to make this right, but she hopes that her actions from now on will speak louder than anything she could ever say.

Taking a shaky breath, she nods slowly, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. "I'll call Michael right now and end things with him," she says in a determined voice, already reaching for her phone in her pocket. "And I promise to never hide anything from you again. No matter how small or insignificant it may seem."

She dials Michael's number with shaking fingers, her heart racing as she waits for him to pick up. "Hey," she says softly when he answers, trying to keep the tears from choking her words. "It's me... I need to talk." There's a long pause before she continues, her voice trembling even more now. "I can't do this anymore... it's not fair to Ethan or to us. I need you to understand..."

Michael takes a deep breath before responding, his voice calm but tinged with disappointment. "I understand, Angelica. I'm sorry it had to end this way." There's another pause before he adds, "Just promise me that you'll be happy... and take care of yourself."

The words stab at her heart like a thousand tiny knives, but she forces herself to nod, even though she knows he can't see her. "I will," she whispers hoarsely. "Thank you for understanding."

When the call finally ends, she takes a deep breath and turns back to Ethan, her expression a mix of pain and determination. "It's done," she says quietly. "Now we just have to wait and see what happens." Her eyes meet his, pleading for forgiveness and understanding once more as she holds out her hand, offering him the chance to take it in trust.

She stands there, holding her breath as she waits for him to take her hand. The silence in the room feels almost deafening as they both stare at each other, waiting for what comes next. Her heart races with anticipation and fear; a mixture of hope and despair that threatens to overwhelm her completely.

Finally, Ethan reaches out and takes her hand, his grip firm but not unkind. The contact sends a shiver down her spine, both pleasant and unsettling at the same time. "

With a sigh of relief, she follows him back to their bedroom, her heart still racing with emotion as they climb under the covers together. She lies down next to him, careful not to touch too much skin-to-skin, unsure if he'd welcome that level of intimacy yet. Instead, she turns towards him and takes his hand in hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"I promise I'll make this right," she whispers quietly, her eyes never leaving his face. "