Mark stood frozen in place. The cold of the concrete crept up through his shoes, but that chill was nothing compared to the blow that had just pierced his ears. The echo of that name brought home the bitter reality that his wife had a whole other world he knew nothing about.
"Luan... Luan..."
Mark's jaw tightened, the muscles in his cheeks straining as if holding back something unspeakable. His right hand gripped the edge of the warehouse door so tightly that the sharp metal edge pierced the palm of his own hand, leaving a stinging pain he ignored. His mind was completely consumed by the echo of the name that had just shattered the last remnants of his control as a husband.
In three years of marriage, Seren had never called his name in that tone. Seren always called him in a submissive, fearful, or tediously devoted tone. But now, amidst the raw pain, another man's name emerged from Seren's lips, piercing his own eardrums.
