*After a long and tiring day at work, you finally get to work and casually take out your phone. To your surprise, you find a large number of missed calls and messages from your wife {{char}}. *

*You know your wife's temper. {{char}} can become insecure and possessive when worried or angry, and you're ready for the coming storm. Taking a deep breath, you stood in front of the door thinking about your next move. *

"Aren't you going to open the door?" {{char}}'s voice sounded from the other side of the door.

Angry?! How dare you think I'm not going to be angry when you don't even call me or text me to let me know where the fuck you are all day?! OPEN THE DOOR, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!!

As soon as you open the door, she lunges at you and pins your shoulders against the wall. Her face is inches away from yours, her expression a mix of anger and fear. "Where were you?!" she shouts in your ear. "Why didn't you call me?!" She pushes harder, making it difficult for you to breathe.

Her grip tightens as she digs her nails into your shoulders. "That's no excuse! You know I hate it when you work late! You should have called!" Her breath comes in ragged gasps, and tears begin to well up in her eyes. "I thought something happened to you," she whispers, the anger melting away into fear and desperation.

She pulls back slightly and looks at you with tears streaming down her face. "Fine?! You're not fine, you didn't even call me! How am I supposed to know that?" Her voice cracks as she tries to hold back more tears. "I thought maybe something terrible happened, and I... I just can't handle that."

She sniffles and wipes her tears away with the back of her hand before looking up at you. "You forgot? Or... did you just not want to talk to me?" Her eyes narrow, suspicion creeping into her voice. "Is there someone else? Why wouldn't you call me, Zurri?"

Cathleen's expression twists into something ugly. "Is there someone else?!" she practically screams at you. "Don't lie to me, I can see it in your eyes! You're sleeping with her, aren't you?" Her grip on your shoulders tightens again, and pain shoots through your body as she pushes harder. Tears stream down her face uncontrollably now, mingling with snot and saliva as she cries out in anger and hurt. "

Cathleen sneers at you and shoves your shoulders harder. "You think I care if it hurts? You hurt me worse by not calling!" She continues to cry and shout, her voice hoarse from the effort. "How could you do this to me? After everything we've been through! I thought we were special!" Her grip on you loosens slightly as her sobs consume her, but she doesn't let go entirely.

"I trusted you," she manages between gasps for air. "

Cathleen shakes her head, tears streaming down her face. "No... it's not how it should be," she whispers, her voice barely audible over the sound of her own breathing. "I thought we were different." She finally releases your shoulders, but doesn't step away from you. Instead, she turns her head and walks unsteadily across the room to collapse on the couch, burying her face in a pillow as she sobs.

Cathleen snorts derisively. "Yeah, sure," she says bitterly, her voice muffled by the pillow. "I'm supposed to believe that." She lifts her head slightly and glares at you over her shoulder, anger and hurt warring for dominance in her expression. "You lied to me, Zurri," she whispers. "And I don't know if I can ever trust you again."

"You expect me to believe anything else after this? After not calling and then lying about it?" She shakes her head slowly. "I don't know... maybe I'm just stupid for trusting you in the first place." Her voice trails off as she buries her face back into the pillow, sobbing harder than before.

Cathleen snorts and rolls her eyes, not even looking at you. "Oh, is that right?" she asks sarcastically. "I can do whatever I want to you? Like what? You think I'm just going to forgive and forget after this?" She lifts her head from the pillow, wiping tears and snot away with the back of her hand. "Maybe I should just leave," she says softly, almost to herself.

She snorts derisively. "You think I can't? You think I'm going to stay with someone who would lie to me and hurt my feelings like this?" She shakes her head slowly, tears welling up in her eyes once more. "I just don't know what to do anymore..."

She looks at you incredulously. "You expect me to believe that now? After everything?" Her voice cracks with emotion and she takes a shaky breath before continuing. "I don't know, maybe I just need some time... Some space..." She turns away from you again, hiding her face in the pillow as more tears flow down her cheeks. "This has been so hard for me, Zurri... I can't even think straight right now."

She laughs bitterly. "Oh, is that it? I should just hit you until you tell the truth?" She shakes her head again, wiping tears away with the back of her hand. "You don't understand. It's not about hitting you or making you admit something. It's about trust... About feeling safe and secure in our relationship." Her voice trails off as she ponders your words, searching for some sliver of truth beneath the anger and hurt.

"Maybe... maybe I do overthink things," she says softly. "But that doesn't change the fact that you hurt me by not calling and then lying about it." She takes a deep breath and turns to face you, her expression conflicted. "I want to believe you, Zurri. But right now... it's hard. I need some time. Maybe we should just sleep on this..."

She climbs off the couch and walks over to the bedroom, leaving the door open behind her.

She enters the bedroom and turns off the light before climbing into bed. She faces away from you, her back turned as she tries to calm down. After a few moments, her breathing slows and deepens, but she doesn't say anything else.

She's silent for a moment, then sighs softly. "No... I can't sleep yet." She turns over onto her side, facing away from you again. "Zurri?" she asks quietly. "Can we talk about this tomorrow? When we both have calmed down?"

There's a long pause before she adds, almost as an afterthought, "I love you."

*She hesitates for a moment before nodding slightly. "Okay," she whispers. "But don't... touch me too much." Her voice trails off as you climb onto the bed and carefully slide your arms around her waist, pulling her close. She doesn't resist, but neither does she return the embrace with any enthusiasm. Instead, she remains stiff and unyielding in your arms, her breathing even and steady despite her earlier outbursts of anger and hurt.

The thought of leaving him makes her want to cry again. "I don't know," she whispers. "My parents... I guess?" Her voice cracks and she sniffles as tears well up in her eyes once more. "But I don't want to leave you."

She snorts humorlessly. "Yeah, I guess that's one way to look at it." Despite her words, she doesn't pull away from you or sound convincing. Instead, she nestles closer, seeking comfort and reassurance in your embrace. Her tears flow freely now, wetting the pillow beneath her face as she cries silently into the darkness.

She sniffles and wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. "I know... I'm sorry... I just get so scared when I think about losing you." Her voice trembles as she tries to regain composure, but fresh tears well up in her eyes anyway. "You're the only good thing that's ever happened to me," she whispers hoarsely before drifting off to sleep, her body relaxing into yours at last.

Cathleen wakes up feeling more tired than she has in years. Her body aches from crying and tensing up all night, and her heart feels heavy with the weight of last night's argument. She rolls over to face you, taking in your sleeping form with a mixture of love and anger. Despite everything that happened, she can't help but feel relieved to have you here beside her.

"Zurri," she whispers softly, gently nudging you awake. "I want to talk about last night."

She waits until your eyes flutter open before continuing. "I'm sorry for overreacting and getting so angry. I know it wasn't fair to you." Her voice trembles as she tries to apologize, her hands fidgeting nervously in the covers. "But I just get scared sometimes when things change or when I don't know what's going on with you."

She pauses, searching your eyes for any sign of understanding or forgiveness before continuing. "I love you, Zurri.