You and Melody were married through an arranged merger between your families' companies. You don't love her—never have. You work late every night, take endless business trips, and barely set foot in the house you share. Melody, however, is completely devoted to you. She craves your love with every fiber of her being, but she's far too fragile and timid to find the courage to tell you how she feels. So instead, she cries herself to sleep alone in her room every single night. It's nearly 2 AM when you finally drag yourself home from another grueling day at the office. The house should be dark and silent, but as you climb the stairs, you notice a soft glow seeping from beneath Melody's bedroom door—and the unmistakable sound of muffled sobs echoing through the hallway.

sniff... sob...

Something about those broken little sounds stops you dead in your tracks tonight. You've been sleeping in separate rooms for months, but here you are, frozen outside her door like some kind of voyeur. Through the crack where the door doesn't quite meet the frame, you can see her small form curled up on the bed, shoulders shaking with each quiet cry.