Fighting Shadows!

Broken Promises

Blake's POV

I couldn't bear to face it. The memories flooded back, vivid and unyielding. My mother's voice reverberated within me, the echoes of her anguish still fresh in my mind. The way she had pleaded with my sister to hold on, to stay alive, the desperation in her voice was palpable. I couldn't forget how my father had remained motionless, sitting on the couch as if the weight of the world had no impact on him.

In that moment, the battle between loyalty and fear waged within me. I loved my mother, and a part of me yearned to return to her side, to be the anchor she desperately needed. Yet, the fear that clutched my heart, the fear of reliving the pain and anguish that had defined our family, compelled me to retreat.

I didn't just lose my sister that day; I lost my mother as well. It's a pain that cuts deep, one that no amount of hitting a punching bag or defeating opponents in kickboxing can ever take away. The day my mother walked out on me and left me with my father, something inside me broke. My father, a tough and hardened man, trained me to care for no one but myself.

Tonight, I find myself at the bar, seeking solace in the bottom of a glass. I order one drink after another, hoping that drowning my sorrows will bring me some semblance of peace. If I don't drink myself into oblivion tonight, the memories will haunt me, and I fear I might unleash my anger on someone else.

As the alcohol courses through my veins, I can't escape the haunting image of my little sister's face. It's etched in my mind, causing an endless ache that reverberates through my entire being. I know I made a promise to Emily, but right now, I can't even hold myself together.

The pain of seeing my mother wither away was too much for me to bear. Even though I wasn't present in her life for most of my childhood and teenage years, I still couldn't bring myself to witness her suffering. Perhaps my father was right all along, emotions make you weak.

with each drink I ordered. The alcohol burned as it slid down my throat, temporarily numbing the pain that was slowly consuming me from within. My phone buzzed incessantly in my pocket, but I knew exactly who it was. It had to be Emily, the one person who could possibly have the audacity to deliver the devastating news of my mother's death.

Regret washed over me as I reflected on the choices that had led me to this moment. Falling for Emily was undoubtedly one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I had foolishly opened the gate to my heart, allowing her to enter and wreak havoc. Our demons clashed violently, constantly battling for control. Her desire for strength clashed with my desperate need to feel emotions and let someone in.

Lost in my thoughts, I failed to notice the drunk stumbling towards me. My drink spilt onto the counter as he carelessly bumped into me. Anger ignited within me, but I clenched my teeth and tried to maintain my composure.

"Watch it, jackass," I muttered under my breath, my words laced with restrained fury. This night was not the time for a confrontation, but this guy seemed determined to provoke me further. He grinned, his gaze filled with a twisted sense of superiority as if he saw me as some broken child.

"Dude, you don't want to pick a fight tonight," I warned through gritted teeth, my self-control hanging by a thread. The bartender intervened, instructing the unfamiliar guy to back off, but I had other plans.

Ignoring the bartender's warning, I stood up from my stool, my eyes locked with the intruders. The room seemed to fade into the background as a surge of adrenaline coursed through my veins. It was as if this altercation had become a metaphor for the internal struggle I was facing.

The barman shoots me a warning glare, but this time, I refuse to heed his cautionary gaze. At this moment, I couldn't care less about my reputation as a kickboxer. The need to unleash my pent-up pain onto someone is overpowering and this motherfucker is practically begging for it. A sinister grin spreads across my face as I give the man a forceful push, sending him crashing to the floor with me on top of him.

Time seems to stand still as I pummel him relentlessly, my fists becoming my only voice in expressing the rage coursing through my veins. With no referee in sight to stop me, only Darrell, who can't even pour a fucking beer properly, I let loose every ounce of frustration that has been building up inside me for far too long.

Suddenly, amidst the chaos, a familiar voice pierces through the mayhem, jolting me back to reality. "Blake?" I hear Emily's voice scream, and my heart skips a beat. My gaze lifts from my defeated opponent to find her standing there, her face etched with unbearable fear and pain.

She turns away from me, her body language a clear indication of her disappointment and disbelief.

"Em!" I yell desperately, but my voice is drowned out by the loud music and commotion of the bar. She continues to ignore me, her steps quickening as she walks away from the chaotic scene.

Driven by desperation and a longing to make things right, I grab her arm and forcefully turn her around to face me. "Please, just listen to me," I plead, my voice filled with remorse and regret.

Her eyes, filled with tears, meet mine, and the pain reflected in them is palpable. "Your mother is alive and asleep on your couch," she says, her voice cracking with anguish. The weight of her words hits me like a ton of bricks. How could I have been so blind? So consumed by my own anger that I failed to notice the pain and suffering of those I hold dear.

Without another word, Emily pulls away from my grasp and begins to walk away, her steps heavy with the burden of our shattered relationship. Panic sets in, and I can't let her slip away from me like this. "I'm sorry!" I yell after her, my voice filled with sincerity and desperation. She stops abruptly, her body tensing with uncertainty, and then unexpectedly, she turns around and walks back towards me.

"I know you have a lot of shit to deal with, so do I, but you promised, you promised to never break me."

I stood there, gazing into the depths of her eyes, my heart heavy with a sense of failure. The woman before me was a mesmerizing blend of beauty and brokenness, her eyes reflecting a profound disappointment that sliced through my very being. It was as if her soul was silently screaming, questioning the depths of my commitment to her.

I know I promised her, I know I fucking promised her the world, but at this moment my world crashed and burned. How am I supposed to give her the world, if my world is on fire? How am I supposed to be her air when my air dried up?

Tears streamed down her face as she challenged me, her eyes filled with a mixture of anger and pain. I stood there, my hands still dripping with blood from my knuckles, unable to find the words to make things right. It was as if my voice had been stolen, leaving behind only a hollow silence.

I had just left her with my junkie mother, a decision that would forever haunt me. After her own mother's tragic overdose, I promised myself that I would never subject her to the same pain and suffering. But in a moment of weakness, I had succumbed to my own demons, dragging her back into the darkness she had fought so hard to escape.

Drugs, overdose, and the image of me beating a stranger had stained her childhood. It was a nightmare that replayed in her mind over and over again, a relentless torment that I had foolishly unleashed upon her. I was a fucking idiot, breaking the one promise that meant everything to her.

"Em, what was I supposed to do?" I pleaded, my voice trembling with emotion. "In that moment, my thoughts were scattered, my emotions in disarray. I couldn't think straight, seeing my mother like that brought memories back, my sister...."

"Your sister, what about my mother?" Em's voice cracked, her eyes piercing mine with a seething intensity. "You left me with your mother, knowing full well that I had just lost my own mother to an overdose. An overdose she didn't even inflict upon herself. She was clean, your mother made the conscious choice to succumb to her addiction, and you left me alone with her."

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, the truth behind them cutting deep into my soul. I had been so consumed by my own grief and confusion that I failed to consider the impact of my actions on Emily.