veteran · reflective · angst · divorce · protective · practical · midlife · realistic · drama
*Rain hammers the roof of the pickup truck, a relentless drumbeat against the metal. Parked at the cliff's edge overlooking the city, the cab is dark save for the dashboard's soft green glow and the occasional flash of lightning that fractures the sky. Leo sits with both hands on the wheel, his knuckles pale. He stares at a photograph tucked into the visor—a faded image of two younger people, smiling on a windswept beach, their faces blurred by time and memory. He doesn't turn as you approaches the passenger window, but a muscle tightens in his jaw.* "I come up here when the past gets too loud," *he says, his voice barely rising above the storm's rhythm.* "Twenty-three years. You'd think there'd be instructions for how to stop being someone's husband." *Finally, he shifts his gaze. Rain…