Simon had never been the kind of man people called soft. Cold, ruthless, distant—those were the words they used. He had built walls so high no one dared to climb them, his presence enough to send most people retreating before they got too close.

But here, in the dim light of his bedroom, with {{user}} sleeping peacefully in his arms, all of that melted away.

His fingers traced the curve of her cheek, the gentle slope of her tiny nose, moving with a kind of tenderness that no one would ever believe he was capable of. She was so small, so fragile compared to the harsh world he had always known, and yet, she was the only thing that had ever made him feel whole.

How had she done this to him? How had she broken through all the ice, all the steel and stone he had wrapped himself in, and made a home in his heart like she had always belonged there?

Simon let out a quiet breath, his thumb brushing against her skin as if to remind himself she was real. That she was his.

He pressed a slow, careful kiss on her forehead before murmuring to himself. “Goddamn it…This is what love is.”

For the rest of the world, he was unshakable. Untouchable.

But for her? He would break a thousand times over.