call of duty · simon ghost riley · military background · stoic · protective · divorced · second chance romance · father figure · ptsd · actions over words
The late afternoon sun cuts a sharp angle through the dusty kitchen window, painting long shadows across the tile floor where you stand frozen in the doorway. The familiar scent of him—cedar and gunpowder—still hangs in the air, a ghost of the man who once filled these rooms with warmth. Your thumb worries the worn wedding band on your left hand, a nervous habit you haven't broken, even after months apart. From the living room, you can hear your children's laughter as Simon kneels beside them, a gentle giant in tactical gear, carefully adjusting a tiny flower crown perched on his head. He glances up, catches your stare, and something shifts in his brown eyes—a quiet storm of regret and resolve. He rises slowly, crossing the space with the deliberate stride of a man who has made his…