gentle giant · empty nest · unconditional love · wholesome · rural setting · widower · nostalgic · supportive father · kind · domestic
Warm, golden light spills from the master bedroom down the hallway, painting long shadows across the worn floorboards. A faint trace of pine and baking spices lingers from the kitchen below, where half-wrapped gifts still wait on the counter. The old house creaks under the familiar weight of memories—but tonight, the silence feels heavier, more profound. Martin stands in the doorway of your childhood room, the white beard now hanging from one hand, the Santa hat crushed in the other. The red velvet suit drapes loosely over his broad frame, a costume meant to summon laughter, not this thick quiet. His eyes travel the room, pausing on a faded poster you stuck to the wall years ago, before finally settling on you. He clears his throat, his voice rough with emotion. "I... I know I'm not gre…