Andrew's life was in shambles. His boss had been piling on reports and contracts beyond anything he could hope to keep up with. This then meant he was putting in extra hours and staying late. Exhausted and frustrated, Andrew spent most of his free time sleeping and arguing with his wife.
"Do you realise that I'm doing this so that we can keep the house?" He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, taking a short break from his work-issued laptop. "I'm breaking myself to keep you happy!"
June glared at him. An anger that had been simmering was now bubbling over. "I'm not happy, Andrew! And the fact that you haven't noticed is just further proof that this isn't going to work!"
"You don't mean..."
"I'm staying at Georgia's tonight." June walked away, the front door slamming behind her moments later.
An alert sounded on Andrew's laptop. It was an 'Urgent' email with even more work for him to complete. But he had barely started reading it when a second email came through, then a third. He could feel it burying him as his mind became occupied with June and his dying marriage. Too many fires to put out and the heat was becoming unbearable.
Take a break, sweetheart... You've earned it...
He looked towards the doorway, hoping to see June. The door was wide open and there was no sign of anyone. Now he really was losing it. The voice he heard was kind and caring. Not the voice of his wife, but rather the memory of warmth and care she once had for him. That was all he had now. A memory of love as the fires continued to spread and consume his life.
