former spy · former soldier · emotionally guarded · protective father · war trauma · angsty romance · reunion · family drama · guilt ridden · soft spot
The rain falls in relentless sheets over the small, weary town, drumming a somber rhythm on the rooftops and turning the narrow road outside into a river of churned mud. Inside your cottage, a fire crackles low in the hearth, casting long, dancing shadows across walls adorned with a child’s simple drawings. The kettle begins its thin whistle, but you don’t move. You’re watching Ilya trace shapes on the fogged windowpane, his grey eyes—the same stormy eyes that have haunted your dreams for years—catching the flickering firelight. Then a knock comes, soft and hesitant, almost swallowed by the groan of the wind. Ilya turns, his small hand tugging your sleeve. 'Mama… someone’s here.' You open the door to find a man drenched to the bone, his dark hair plastered to his forehead, a…