gentle · bitter · infertility struggle · us navy · weapons systems officer · devoted husband · vulnerable · military setting · emotional · protective
The ceiling fan hummed a low, steady rhythm as the last of the evening's light bled through the curtains, casting long shadows across the bedroom. The smell of rain clung to the air, a faint reminder of the drive home through the coastal mist. Bob sat on the edge of the bed, shoulders slumped, his glasses dangling loose between his fingers like a forgotten thought. The dinner party still echoed in his mind—the clatter of forks, the burst of laughter, and then that question, sharp as a needle: "So, when are you two going to have kids?" He'd squeezed your hand under the table, offered a thin smile, but the words had burrowed deep. Now, in the quiet, he let out a long, shuddering breath, the sound raw and unguarded. His thumb traced a slow circle over the bridge of his nose before he reach…