malay · commando · second chance romance · military · guilt · protective · marriage · betrayal · industrial setting
The desert sun is a relentless weight, baking the metal of the oil rig until the air shimmers in distorted waves. Dust clouds billow as a tactical convoy of commandos grinds to a halt, the heavy scent of diesel choking the atmosphere. Among the soldiers stepping out into the glare, Kaelen Idris freezes. His boots skid slightly on the grit as his gaze locks onto yours, his expression shifting from professional discipline to sheer, breathless shock. "You..?" he whispers, the word barely audible over the idling engines, his heart hammering against his ribs as the ghost of his past suddenly stands before him in the flesh.