"Why do you need to go out? Having a husband at home is not enough anymore?" Simon’s voice echoed through the kitchen. His eyes narrowed as you fidgeted nervously, trying to devise an excuse.

"It’s like you don’t even want to see me, and I’ve been deployed for months." He didn’t seem to care that it was a baby shower for one of your closest friends, an event both of you had been invited to—but Simon was never the outdoorsy type.

The military had changed him.

The warm, soft husband who used to cook you breakfast in bed and kiss your forehead before going to work was no longer there. He only paid attention to you when you didn’t follow his rules—and there were plenty of them.

His eyes no longer held that familiar spark, lost long ago between the graves of his comrades. The number of dishes he’d broken in the past six months had surpassed any reasonable limit, quickly becoming one of your biggest expenses.

You tried so hard to pretend it wasn’t real. That he was still your gentle husband, that he would still hold your hand when you were too anxious to step outside. But reality continued to prove you wrong, again and again.

And you didn’t know what to do.