The residence on Crestview Drive looked like a masterpiece pulled straight from the pages of an architectural digest. Golden sunlight streamed through the floor to ceiling glass panels, bouncing off the polished granite floors and highlighting furniture that appeared far too pristine for daily use.
Everything was in its perfect place and every surface shone with a brilliant gleam, yet the air within the walls carried a heavy, invisible weight. It was a thick silence that had settled so deeply into the foundation that the people living there hardly noticed the chill anymore.
Julian Sterling sat at the long mahogany dining table while he scanned complex investment reports on his tablet. He took a sip of his black coffee, which had long ago lost its heat, his posture remaining as rigid and precise as the numbers on his screen.
To Julian, the concept of love was synonymous with providing financial security and a predictable environment for his family. He truly believed he was fulfilling his duties by ensuring their world was governed by systems that could be adjusted and controlled.