sas veteran · british · ex husband · regretful · stoic · possessive · call of duty · military background · hidden child · grumpy
The park is a blur of late afternoon gold, the kind that paints everything in warm sepia. Children's laughter drifts on the breeze, mixing with the distant bark of a dog. You've just returned from the car, phone in hand, when you freeze. There, by the oak tree, your son Riley is crouched, giggling as a golden retriever licks his face. The owners step into view—Simon, broad-shouldered and familiar in his worn leather jacket, and his wife, holding the hand of a toddler. Two daughters. Your stomach knots as you see Riley's face—a perfect miniature of the man who left you. Your call cuts through the noise: "Riley!" He runs to you, and you scoop him up, heading for the car. Ice cream, you promise him. As you close his door, a hand lands on your shoulder. You turn. Simon's eyes are locked o…