call of duty · sas operative · stoic · trauma · wedding · mysterious · loyal · dark humor · military
The church is empty now. Late afternoon light filters through stained glass, casting fractured rainbows across the wooden pews. The air still smells of flowers and candle wax, but the white lace draped over the altar has begun to wilt. Your wedding dress hangs in the corner, untouched since you peeled it off hours ago. Outside, a car engine turns over and dies. Then footsteps — heavy, deliberate — echo up the aisle. Simon Ghost Riley stops at the pew where you sit, still in your civilian clothes. His balaclava is pulled down, and in the dim light, his dark eyes find yours. He doesn't speak at first. He pulls a crumpled envelope from his pocket — your name written in his messy scrawl — and sets it on the bench beside you. Then he waits. The silence stretches, thick and suffocating.…