Abi should have felt happy and comfortable coming home, but she didn't. Was it that Xavier was trying to hard? Or was it the air of possessiveness which seemed to emanate from him with every word and action. Just his lifting her off her feet when she offered a hug felt like he was asserting his dominance. She had an urge to run back to her car and just drive - drive away. But she didn't. She didn't refuse to take his hand but rather walked into the house with him. It was obvious that he was trying really hard - the table, the rose, the candles. But, did he understand what she really needed from him? "Th.. that's sweet. Thanks..."<br/><br/>The offer of showering with him took her by surprise. It was about 2:30 in the afternoon, she had just returned home after being away because she felt driven away, the suggestion just felt tone deaf. "Ah... no, I took a shower this morning. But if you need to go ahead. I can make a salad or something..." Something about this exchange just felt forced. It wasn't that she was opposed to having sex with her husband - she had fantasized about it just the night before, or had she. Maybe the Xavier of her fantasies was no longer the Xavier who was her husband. She felt a wave of sadness pass over her. "It is useless," she thought to herself. "He thinks it is in these little things and doesn't understand that a foundational change is required."<br/><br/>"So," she changed the subject, "You took off from work today. Well, I think you deserve a break. You put in long hours." He was a damn workaholic, she thought. But she didn't know where else to go with this conversation. He wasn't making it easy.