Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Cracks in the Glass

Amber Williams adjusted her seatbelt, staring out the window as the city lights blurred past. It had been another one of those silent car rides. She glanced at her husband, Marcus, who gripped the steering wheel, his jaw tight and his gaze fixed on the road ahead. The tension between them felt heavier than the thick evening air.

"You're quiet again," Amber said softly, though she knew the conversation might go nowhere.

Marcus sighed but didn’t respond immediately. This had become their routine—avoiding what needed to be said. He shifted in his seat, his eyes never leaving the road.

“I’m tired,” he finally replied, his tone clipped. “Work’s been rough.”

Amber bit her lip, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the hem of her dress. She used to find comfort in these excuses, but now they felt like flimsy covers for something deeper. Work couldn’t always be the reason, could it?

When they first got married, their weekends had been filled with laughter, spontaneous adventures, and deep talks about the future. Now, it seemed every conversation was either a polite exchange of pleasantries or an argument waiting to erupt. Tonight had been no different—a dinner that started with forced smiles and ended with strained silence.

Amber glanced at her phone, resisting the urge to scroll through social media, where she’d inevitably see posts from happy couples. Sometimes, she wondered if everyone was just pretending. Did those couples have nights like this too? Or was it just her and Marcus?

“We should talk,” she said, more firmly this time, her voice breaking the silence. She knew that avoiding it wouldn’t help, but it was easier than diving into the emotional depths they’d both been ignoring.

Marcus exhaled sharply, his grip tightening on the wheel. “Can we not do this right now? I really don’t have the energy.”

She turned her head, looking at him for a moment. His once soft, warm eyes were now distant, as if he was looking at someone he no longer recognized. That realization stung, like a splinter she couldn’t pull out.

They arrived home shortly after, the drive feeling longer than it should have. Amber watched as Marcus headed straight upstairs without a word, leaving her standing in the doorway of their house—a house that had once felt like a home, now just a place where two people lived their separate lives.

She hung her coat on the hook and sank into the living room couch. The silence in the room was deafening. She ran her hands through her hair, wondering how they had gotten here. They weren’t shouting, they weren’t fighting—but this silence? It was worse.

Her eyes wandered to a framed photo on the shelf. It was from their wedding day, nearly six years ago. Amber picked it up, tracing the edges of the photo with her fingertips. She could still remember how happy they’d been that day, filled with hope and excitement for the life they would build together.

But that happiness felt like a distant memory now. She wondered if they could ever get it back, or if the cracks in their marriage were too deep to repair.

As Amber set the picture down, she made a silent promise to herself. Tomorrow, she would stop pretending. Tomorrow, they would talk. Even if it hurt, even if it meant confronting the truth they’d both been avoiding for far too long.

Because Amber knew one thing for certain: a marriage couldn’t survive in silence.

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