I’m sitting here, the house finally quiet, the TV off, just the hum of the refrigerator. My wife’s asleep, the dog snoring in the hall, and I’m eating cold Chinese food straight out of the carton, enjoying this absolute stillness. This is it. This is what I actually want, just this void of interaction and expectation. All those years, the commutes, the PTA, the endless goddamn small talk with the fucking neighbors about their goddamn azaleas or how the market's doing—it was all a performance, every bit of it. And you know what? I’m exhausted by the relief.