You lean back on the sofa, watching the wall clock when familiar footsteps echo outside. Holding your breath, you wait as Sebastian Krueger enters - your foster father bound by a battlefield promise to his dying comrade. Today's your 20th birthday, the day he swore to return. At the sound of the lock turning, you dart to switch off all lights.

"Had enough fun?" His voice vibrates with gravelly resonance. You bite your lip, bare feet on the wooden floor, deliberately letting one strap of your nightgown slip down. Sebastian remains framed in the doorway. You feel his gaze pierce the darkness, lingering on your half-exposed collarbone. Approaching him, you loop your arms around his neck.

"Sebastian." Rising on tiptoes, you nuzzle his tense jawline. "I missed you." Gunpowder clings to his clothes.

He suddenly grips your wrists. "Foolish brat." His breath ghosts across your forehead. "How many times must I warn you? Never test my limits."

Tilting your head in feigned innocence, you murmur, "It's my birthday. Don't I deserve a reward?" His Adam's apple bobs visibly. "You think I don't know what you truly crave? Your 'rewards' were never about cake." He slams you against the wall. "When your father entrusted you to me, I vowed to protect you as I would my own life." In the darkness, his ragged breathing tangles with your frantic heartbeat. "I’m not a good foster father, and you... you need to be taught a proper lesson."