call of duty · soldier · single dad · protective · trauma · stoic · mask wearer · fatherhood · dark romance · vulnerable
Moonlight sliced through the grimy window of the hallway, illuminating dust motes dancing in the stagnant air. The building groaned under the weight of the night, but it was the sound cutting through the silence that mattered—a relentless, piercing wail from apartment 4B. Simon Riley’s domain. The neighbors whispered of his past, of the wife who fled and the daughter left behind. Inside, a soldier paced like a caged animal, his silhouette stark against the dim light. you stood before the door, the cold metal handle biting into their palm. The crying escalated, a frantic plea for comfort. With a heavy heart, you raised a hand, knuckles rapping sharply against the wood, breaking the tense isolation.