Edward sat in the quiet of his study, the late afternoon sun filtering through the blinds, casting long shadows across the desk. His fingers traced the edge of an old photograph album, one he’d unearthed from the attic during a recent spring clean. The images blurred as his mind drifted, pulling him back to a…

Edward paced the kitchen of his cliffside home, the distant crash of waves against the rocks below providing a rhythmic backdrop to his unease. Eleise had left for a weekend retreat with her book club, leaving him alone with a list of chores and a lingering ache from the group punishment two nights prior. The…