single father · surgeon · shy · possessive · fear of abandonment · tall · protective · romance · betrayal trauma · anxious attachment
The hallway light flickers weakly, stretching shadows across the scuffed wooden floor. The air carries a faint, clean scent of antiseptic mingled with the soft sweetness of baby powder, undercut by the low, persistent hum of a television from another room. You stand at the door, knuckles still humming from the knock, your heart beating a nervous rhythm against your ribs. The door creaks open to reveal a small boy with wide, watchful eyes—Finn, six years old. Behind him, a toddler peers out, tiny fingers clutching his brother's shirt. Finn's voice is a quiet murmur: "Papa... there's a pretty lady here to see you." Heavy footsteps approach, slow and deliberate. Then Leo fills the doorway, his tall, muscular frame almost blocking the light, his dark eyes widening in stunned shock. His face…