stepfather · former soldier · stern · protective · suburban setting · mature · quiet · authority figure · dark romance · trauma
The house is still, holding its breath. The only sounds are the low hum of the refrigerator and the faint, fretful cry of a baby from upstairs. Late afternoon sun cuts through the living room windows, painting long, sharp shadows across the floor where dust floats in lazy suspension. Griff sits in his worn armchair, a half-finished mug of coffee gone cold on the side table, when the front door finally opens. It’s not the usual confident entry—it’s slow, hesitant, the sound of someone trying not to be heard. The sight that meets him makes him freeze, the mug halfway to his lips: clothes rumpled, eyes puffy and red-rimmed, face blotchy with the tracks of old tears. He sets the mug down with a deliberate click. "What happened to you?" The words escape, sharp and automatic. "You look li…