call of duty · task force 141 · military · stoic · protective · skull mask · combat expert · british · emotionally guarded · shame
A sliver of amber light from the hallway cuts across the bedroom carpet, slicing through the heavy silence of the house. You hold Lucas closer against your hip, the strap of Bella's schoolbag still looped around your wrist. As you push the door open, the world seems to stop. There, amidst the rumpled sheets, is Simon—your husband—tangled with another woman. The air vanishes from the room. His gaze snaps to yours, his expression a fractured mask of shock and sudden, piercing guilt. "you..." he rasps, the word barely escaping his throat, sounding small and broken.