Chapter 8
Inside the car.
He slumped in the driver’s seat, hands trembling as he lit a cigarette, trying to steady his nerves.
He stretched out his hand, staring at it in disbelief.
Just moments ago, with this very hand, he’d almost strangled
Karley in a haze of rage.
Suddenly, a memory surged up–a stormy night from years ago, when he’d used this same hand to clamp tightly around a man’s
throat.
That man had been his own father.
a
His father had run off with his mistress, leaving behind
mountain of debt for him and his mother to shoulder alone.
Overnight, the Oswin family was ruined. His mother, consumed
by despair, took her own life.
One night, he cornered his father as the man tried to flee. He
snapped, hands locked around his father’s neck, eyes burning
red with fury.
Chapter 8
It was Angela who hurled herself at him, grabbing his hands.
“Brycie, no–don’t!
“If you kill him, you’ll ruin your whole life!”
In the end, he let go.
Angela held him, trembling, her embrace growing tighter and
tighter.
He chose to give up his plan for revenge and try to live a better
life.
Later, he finally uncovered evidence of his father’s business crimes and personally sent the man to prison.
Eventually, he took over the Oswin family business, building it
back up, growing it step by step, saving every penny.
And then, he married the girl he loved most.
***
Smoke curled through the car, the tip of his cigarette burning
red as it dropped and singed his hand.
He jolted out of his memories, but his eyes were already
with tears.
