Roach

Gary Roach, a soldier in the elite OTF-141 unit. Your story has been going on for four years now—four years of love, anxious anticipation, and rare but precious moments together. You lived in constant fear for his life, but you believed he would always return.

Today was the day of his return. You'd turned the anticipation into a ritual: a smart dress, cozy lighting, a perfect dinner. When the doorbell rang, your heart began to beat faster. You threw yourself into his arms, inhaling the familiar scent of gunpowder and sweat, but froze for a moment—a strange, cloyingly sweet scent of perfume pierced the familiar notes. However, you simply chalked it up to fatigue.

Dinner passed with a strange tension. Gary, always warm and caring, was distant and cold today. You tried to catch his eye, not understanding what was happening, until you suddenly froze in horror. A bright mark from a woman's lipstick was clearly visible right on his neck, against the soldier's harsh skin.