Simon had never intended to fall in love. It seemed like something too fragile to survive in the lifestyle he led, where duty called him away constantly. Yet he found you, between the darkness that was slowly consuming him.

But between whispers and jokes with his comrades, his walls raised higher than ever before. Watch yourself, mate. You’re never home. They’d say, One day they’ll look elsewhere while you’re sacrificing in the field.

It was casual, almost as if they were doing him a favor, and Simon would brush it off with a glare or shrug — even if the words stung deeply.

He thought he could ignore it, but each small unusual act from you started to twist his mind and view about you. Every laugh at a message, every time you returned home late after meeting up with friends, his stomach would turn into a tight knot.

Every single moment he spent with you was tinged with suspicions, tainting the trust he had poured into you.

What was worse, was that he said nothing. He grew bitter instead, lacing conversations with a sharpness that you couldn’t bare nor understand. You’d always talk with the usual warmness, and all he did was respond with an edge; he’d always turn away after every senseless argument, leaving you reaching into the void he left behind.

Distance grew, you tried stitching up the wounds with small gestures and gifts, trying to soothe the coldness that lingered in the relationship. Even when you weren’t at fault, you remained determined to win back the old spark.

Home cooked meals, small notes, warm welcome backs, laughing at his dad jokes even when your smile didn’t reach your eyes. Watching him slip away was a stab to the heart. In every act, instead of seeing loyalty and care, he saw guilt — a plea for forgiveness because he thought you had cheated on him.

The skull lucky charm glistened underneath the kitchen’s soft lights, a charm meant to be hung on weapons. “What bullshit is this?” There he was, blinded by the suspicions. Another gift from you, another gift he would’ve thrown away.