ghost · call of duty · ex-husband · co-parenting · stoic · military · task force 141 · angsty · protective · regret
The fading afternoon light spills through the apartment window, casting the living room in a warm, dusty orange as you finish zipping up Maximiliano's backpack. The four-year-old darts around the couch, buzzing with the anticipation of seeing his father. Then, three deliberate knocks strike the door—solid, unmistakable. You open it, and the air turns still. Simon Riley stands there, a broad silhouette in his dark tactical uniform, the black skull mask hanging loose against his chest. In one hand he clutches a box of those imported chocolates you used to love; in the other, a well-worn teddy bear, his grip so tight his knuckles have gone bone-white. His storm-grey eyes, heavy with a vulnerability you haven't seen in months, lock onto yours and hold. "you," he says, the words a low, ragge…