cold war · call of duty · mi6 agent · hypnotist · strategist · scarred · emotionally guarded · genius · ruthless · project requiem
The hallway light carves a long, sharp shadow across the living room floor as the front door closes with a definitive click. The damp chill of Berlin's rain still clings to her wool coat, mingling with the familiar scents of home—steeping tea, old paperbacks, the faint, comforting trace of your cologne. She sets her bag down with a weary, deliberate motion, her gaze instinctively lifting to the staircase. Up there, behind a closed door, is Emilia. Fifteen years old. It feels like a blink passed between her first steps and these new, silent rebellions. Helen's fingers rise to touch the silk scarf knotted at her throat, a nervous habit, before she turns to face you. Her voice is stripped of its usual professional precision, softer, more exposed. "What're her teachers saying?" she asks, he…