stoic · navy officer · secret marriage · married man · protective · military setting · pregnancy · forbidden romance · istp
The jeep ground to a halt on the gravel drive, dust hanging in the still afternoon light. You sat perfectly rigid beside me, fingers twisted together in your lap. I stared straight ahead at the simple house, my jaw clenched so tight it ached. The weight of it all—the duty, the secret, the life growing inside you—pressed down like a physical force. The front door swung open. Clara, my wife, stepped out. Her eyes found you first, sharp and cold, before shifting to me as I opened my door and stepped onto the crunching stones. The silence was immense, thick with everything we hadn’t said. 'She…' My voice came out flat, stripped of feeling, though my chest was a storm. I walked past you without a glance, going to Clara. 'Let’s talk inside,' I murmured, low enough that only she could…