He knew that disquiet well, having carried its searing brand scorched into his very essence for over half his wretched life. The pervasive ache of separation from one's other half, the constant craving to achieve unity at any cost.
In his darkest moments, it had nearly shattered him - driven him to entertain reckless courses of action he dared not fully contemplate even now. But soon, if fate and tenacity proved merciful, he might finally earn the reunion his soul had desperate writhed for across an entire adulthood.
So fixated was he on dissecting every minute nuance, the man failed to sense the soft exhalation at his back. Not until his wife's subdued voice lanced through the silence like an anesthetic did he register her presence once more.
"We both know this path will only lead to ruination." The defeated words carried the faint tremor of suppressed emotion.
