Hopelessly Falling [book 2]

Chapter Forty-Six

XLVI
• • •

Ashton POV***

My head rested back against the steel bars as I fiddled with the ring on my middle finger, glaring down at the floor. I ignored the blistering pain in my head, forearm, and knuckles as I sat there on the cold floor.

They had arrested George, but quickly realized that he was practically on the brink of death and brought both him and that friend of his both to the hospital. The fact that he was in the hospital would no-doubt increase the severity of the crime, but it wasn't my fault that he couldn't hold his own in a fight.

"You've got the cell to yourself tonight, I guess it's your lucky day," the wise-ass officer said to me from his chair as he was looking through my file. I just continued glaring at nothing in particular.

They had wrapped my forearm haphazardly with gauze, but only so that I stopped bleeding everywhere. My head wound and knuckles were still torn up and bleeding, though.

I heard him react to something as he was flipping through, and I rolled my eyes. It had been a long time since I had been this downright miserable. I had enough emotions flowing through me that I could cry if I wanted, but there was no way in hell that I would ever let myself.

I was caught directly between regretting it and not regretting it.

On one hand, George really fucking deserved it- and much more. If it hadn't been in the center of town I would've gotten away with it all, and not regretted it one bit.

But on the other hand, I'm now back here for the first time in so many years and people were going to spend a lot of money to get me out. After my dad got diagnosed, I became really aggressive. I'd get in fights with whoever, whenever, and to no limit.

After a few times of getting arrested, I finally realized that all the stress I was putting him under was making his condition worse- and that I was basically killing him. I made him a promise to try and stay out of trouble and not ever end back up in here again. But only a few days after visiting his grave, I did the exact opposite of what he wanted for me, and what I had promised him.

But then, as one other realization hit me, I immediately regretted it fully. I regretted it so much that it made my insides ache, because no one would believe Crystal in a court case now. Not where they could claim I was involved somehow.

The thought made me put my head in my hands, my eyes burning slightly as I swore quietly to myself. I gripped my hair before dragging my hands down my face, resuming my earlier position, except this time my self-loathing was more apparent. The officer had been saying things to me, but I hadn't been paying him any attention.

"I see you currently have custody of two minors," he chimed in again.

My gaze whipped up to him at this.

"This is most definitely going to complicate things," he continued with a chuckle, talking about me as if it was fun for him to see all of this happening. As if he wanted to enjoy watching me fall, despite not even knowing me.

"What do you mean?" I dared ask, my voice much lower than usual. He looked over at me from his chair.

"Aggravated assault is a felony with essentially guaranteed loss of custody," my heart stopped beating, "There's a chance they will rule this simple assault and battery, though, in which case there might be able to be some arrangements- if you're not looking at a sentence, that is."

My eyes burned as the world slowed to a stop around me.

"Are they your kids?" He asked, still casual.