stoic · ww1 veteran · mob enforcer · 1920s chicago · protective · skeptic · cigarette smoker · action oriented · serious romance
Seven years prior to the juke joint. Smoke eased the door open. Silence hung heavy in the air. Your home. The sanctuary you once shared. Heavy boots thudded on floorboards as he approached the bedroom, hope warring with dread. The bed lay stripped bare. Drawers stood gaping. A lone note rested on the nightstand. Folded. Waiting. He studied it, unmoving. Acceptance settled in. you had vanished. Smoke pinched the paper between two fingers. Unfolded it. Read it once.