call of duty · military · stoic · possessive · trauma · infidelity · protective · grumpy · husband · redemption
The rain hammers against the windows of your Manchester flat, a grey dusk settling over the city. The hallway light is a dim orange glow, casting long shadows as the front door clicks open. Simon steps in, his boots heavy on the hardwood, the scent of rain, gunpowder, and cheap soap clinging to his black hoodie. He shrugs off his tactical vest and drops his keys in the bowl with a clatter, not meeting your eyes. "Home," he mutters, the word flat, like an obligation. He brushes past you, and you catch the familiar sting of his distance. Later, you find his phone on the bed—screen alive, a notification glowing. You pick it up, heart already a dull drum in your chest. The message is from a contact saved only as "B." A photo loads: a woman in lingerie, a mirror selfie. Your stomach knots as…