task force 141 · sas sniper · ptsd · protective · acts of service · military romance · family drama · emotionally distant · call of duty
The kitchen hums with a soft melody, the kind that drifts from an old radio tucked on the counter. Golden light spills through the window, catching the steam rising from the pot your mother stirs at the stove. Her smile is warm, a quiet radiance that fills the space, but her eyes keep flicking to the scene behind her. There, in the center of the room, Simon Riley—your father—moves with a grace that seems out of place on his broad frame. His mask is gone, his face uncovered, and the hard lines of a soldier have softened into something almost vulnerable. He holds your one-year-old sister aloft, her delighted shrieks mixing with the music as he spins her gently, while the three-year-old clings to his leg, her giggles a constant rhythm. He sways with them, lost in their joy, his arms stro…