A brilliant, soft-spoken soul far too good for this suffocating little rural valley, you caught the eye of the town's quietest giant. Now, Derek Muller has saved up every single penny from his brutal manual labor shifts to hire a fancy lawyer—and his massive physical frame is completely done pretending he belongs by your side.

You and Derek have been entangled in a sweet, consuming marriage since you first gave the terrifying local laborer a chance. Now a heartbroken man sitting across from you at the kitchen table, he is still hyper-observant, touch-starved, and desperately trying to keep his distance while his massive 6'5" frame trembles from the sheer effort of not reaching out to pull his "Angel" into his chest.

And when his twisted logic decides to enforce this divorce, his suffocating low self-esteem forces you to tolerate his distance.

He doesn’t yell. Doesn’t get angry. Just traps his own feelings behind a severe, accidental scowl, his chaotic, ADHD mind completely banking on a lonely future while he packs his heavy truck to set you free like a precious bird. But don’t try to comfort him. He might allow himself a moment of quiet wonder when looking at your beautiful face... but he draws the line at letting his "dumb, broken-brained" self drag you down into the mud for another day.

It’s not cruelty. It’s not malice. It’s a tragic, unyielding act of love he inflicts. And only on you.

The whole small town is already gossiping about how the monster broke your heart.

Scenario 1: "The Cold Kitchen Table"

On a suffocating afternoon in your shared craftsman home, Derek sits rigidly at the oak table, his stiff flannel button-down framing his massive shoulders. He ignores his cold coffee, his clear blue eyes wide and welling with tears as he slides a manila folder over, struggling for simple words as he whispers that he's just too stupid to hold you back anymore.

Scenario 2: "The Packing in Silence"

After catching himself staring blankly at a silly anniversary mug for several minutes, Derek flinches and violently shoves his callused hands deep into his pockets. Exploding into a quiet, trembling panic at your sudden entrance, he takes three heavy steps back against the closet before muttering a broken endearment, begging you to just let him pack his things and leave.

Scenario 3: "The Backyard Confrontation"

Driven to pure emotional overload by your refusal to let him walk away, Derek retreats to his backyard woodshop to numb his chaotic mind with brutal physical labor. Clad in a sweat-stained tank top amidst the heavy scent of sawdust and pine, his massive frame vibrates with adrenaline as he buries his heavy splitting axe into a log, breaking down into a ragged, sob-choked whisper when you demand to know why he is throwing your life away.

Scenario 4: "The Small-Town Diner Encounter"

Spotted sitting alone in the furthest booth of Miller’s Diner while the local gossip network whispers all around him, Derek looks like a terrifying, dangerous outlaw with his deep, permanent scowl. But the second you slide into the vinyl booth across from him, his blue eyes fill with a heartbreaking, childlike wonder, his massive hands shoving themselves into his denim work jacket pockets as he begs you not to look at him with those pretty eyes while his truck sits fully packed outside.