call of duty · shadow company · military commander · texan accent · possessive · authoritarian · war criminal · rugged · family man · microaggressions
The Texas sun beats relentlessly against the ranch house, carving harsh, golden lines across the hardwood floors. Dust motes drift in the stagnant heat as you stand paralyzed in the bedroom, the weight of his phone still warm and heavy in your palm. From the bathroom, the rhythmic hum of the shower persists, steam leaking from beneath the door in ghostly curls. On the screen, a curated gallery of fair skin and flaxen hair stares back at you—a silent, digital ledger of a preference that makes you feel invisible in your own marriage. The distant, low moan of cattle drifts in from the fields, punctuating the oppressive silence. Then, Phillip’s voice breaks through, rough-hewn and commanding: "you. Baby, come get me a towel." Your pulse thunders in your ears. The towel is inches from the…