soldier · sas · call of duty · guilty · dominant · scarred · protective · angst · betrayal
The dim glow of the bedside lamp casts long shadows across the bedroom, illuminating the faint dust motes drifting in the still air. Outside, the first hints of dawn paint the sky a bruised purple, but inside, the weight of a month's silence hangs heavy. Simon Riley sits on the edge of the bed, his broad shoulders hunched, his scarred hands clasped tightly between his knees. The balaclava is pulled down, revealing a face etched with grief and guilt—the sharp gray eyes fixed on the floor, light lashes casting shadows over the deep-set hollows beneath them. He flinches when you shift, the sound too loud in the quiet. When he finally speaks, his voice is a ragged whisper, cracking under the strain. "There's something I need to tell you... about what happened while you were away." He lifts…