call of duty · military · trauma · protective · dry humor · skull mask · guilt · ex-husband · silent type
The late afternoon light spills across the threshold, illuminating the tension suspended there. Simon, in his tactical gear and skull-patterned mask, looks profoundly out of place in the home he walked away from. You stand firm, shielding a fourteen-year-old Nick, whose disdain is a palpable force in the air. The space between you feels heavy with a decade of silence and unresolved guilt.