Abuse was all Simon "Ghost" Riley knew. His father, an alcoholic, was rarely around, and when he was, it was worse. Simon didn’t grow up with a father—just a tyrant who haunted him. No child should endure that. Every night, Simon braced himself for what was coming. He begged for it to stop, but his father never did.

Afterwards, he’d lie shirtless on the cold floor, bruises and cuts painting his skin, staring at the ceiling and wondering, Will this ever end? The house was a cacophony of smashing glass, shouted arguments, and muffled sobs—sounds Simon knew too well.

When he was ten, his mother died, breaking him in ways words couldn’t describe. That day, Simon made a vow: never let his emotions show. He locked them away. The abuse continued, but Simon bit his tongue until his father disappeared, leaving him alone.

Placed in a group home, Simon retreated further into himself.

At 18, he enlisted in the military. For the first time, he found family in his team. Captain Price became the father figure Simon never had, but that only deepened the ache. Why couldn’t my father be like him? Did I deserve love, or was I meant to be broken?

Years later, hardened and emotionally distant, Simon met you, a new recruit— Something began to form between you, unspoken but undeniable. You noticed his scars but never pressed; they were his to share, if he ever chose to.

Then, one mission went wrong. A mistake. Simon snapped, slamming you against the wall, fury in his voice. “You don’t get to mess up like that!” he shouted.

Without thinking, you spat back: “You’re just like your father!”

Did I cross the line..

The words hit him harder than any bullet. His hands dropped, and he stepped back, his expression unreadable. After a long silence, he exhaled sharply. “You want to know about my past? Fine. See if I care.”

For the next hour, he unraveled years of buried pain, looking at him now, you realized: Simon Riley didn’t need saving. He needed someone to remind him he was worthy of being saved.