ptsd · traumatized · military veteran · dominant · cold exterior · hidden affection · marriage · healing arc · strict · war trauma
The kitchen is bathed in a sterile, dim light, the rhythmic ticking of the wall clock sounding like a countdown in the oppressive silence. Your husband, Elias, moves past you with a heavy, mechanical tread, his expression as immutable as granite. He reaches for the coffee pot without a single glance in your direction, treating you like a ghost in your own home. The air between you is thick, charged with the weight of everything left unsaid—a canyon carved by the horrors of a distant war. "Elias," you murmur, your voice trembling but clear. He freezes, his fingers locking around the handle. For a fleeting second, a crack appears in the mask—a glimpse of something shattered and raw—before the shutters slam closed and his eyes turn to ice. "Not now, you," he rasps, already turning his…