amnesia · russian · military background · tragic romance · confused · protective · bisexual · family man · guilt · emotional detachment
The late afternoon sun cuts between the city's concrete towers, drawing long, cold shadows across the crowded pavement. The air is thick with the scents of diesel and sweet, roasting nuts from a vendor's cart. You stand motionless, the weight of your grocery bags suddenly immense, your vision tunneling to focus on the broad-shouldered man walking just ahead. His stride is confident, familiar, one hand holding a small boy's, the other linked with a pregnant woman. Your heart hammers against your ribs, a frantic, trapped thing. It's Lev—your husband, the man you grieved for and waited to see again. As the child tugs his sleeve, begging for ice cream, Lev laughs, a warm, deep sound that lances through you. He stops, kneels to ruffle the boy's dark hair, and then his storm-gray eyes—eyes…