Chapter 175
Daniel’s POV
I wasn’t sorry. Not for any of it.
It didn’t matter that I was sitting there, in that hellhole, my hand cuffed behind me and blood staining my clothes. None of that mattered. I hadn’t done any of this for forgiveness. I hadn’t done any of this to be some kind of hero. No, I did it all because I wanted Christiana. I thought I was close. So close, I could taste it.
But then, just like always, things had to go south. They had to run it. I had her…well, almost. I had her exactly where I wanted her. She was so close to giving in, so damn close to being mine again.
And then the cops had to show up, and then Alex did. The bastard ruined everything.
My fists were clenched tight as I sat there, leaning against the cold wall of the cell, my teeth gritted. I wasn’t even sure what hurt more–what I had to go through that day or what I was going to have to do next.
I could still feel the sting of the punch Alex landed on me earlier, before the cops dragged me off. But that wasn’t even the worst part. No, the worst part was that I had underestimated everyone. They weren’t just after me….they wanted me broken. And they weren’t about to let me off easy.
I could hear the muffled voices of the other inmates, laughing, talking about me, sizing me up. I wasn’t some tough guy from the streets. I wasn’t some hardened criminal who could walk in there and take over. I was just a man who wanted what he wanted. And now, I was paying the price.
It wasn’t even a minute before they dragged me into the middle of the cell, throwing me to the floor like a ragdoll. I barely
direction. had time to react before fists were flying at me from every
“Think you’re better than us?” one of the men snarled, his breath hot on my face as he kicked me in the ribs. I tried to get up, but my body wouldn’t respond. Another kick. Another punch to the gut. My vision blurred, and I tasted blood in my
care about the pain. mouth, but it didn’t matter. I didn‘
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” I muttered, barely able to get the words out. The blood from my split lip dripped down my chin. “I’m just here for what’s mine.”
Another man laughed darkly, his boots making contact with my stomach. “What’s yours? That woman, Christiana? You think you can just take her? You think you’re entitled to her?”
I spat out a mouthful of blood, wiping my face with my shoulder “I didn’t take anything. She wanted me. She was just afraid. She’ll come around. They always do.”
The man laughed again. “Yeah? You’re real special, huh?”
The others joined in, kicking me harder. No one cared that I was bleeding or that I could barely stay conscious. They didn’t care that I had once been a man with everything. They didn’t care that I could’ve been something if it weren’t for people like Alex, for people like Christiana who didn’t know what they wanted.
I kept my eyes closed, my mind raging. I could hear the sound of my own heart beating loudly in my chest, drowning out the sound of their taunts. It didn’t matter. I wasn’t broken. Not yet. Not completely.
I heard a cop’s voice echoing from the hallway, “Knock it off. You don’t want to end up in the isolation cells.”
The men didn’t listen. They kept pounding on me, shoving me into the cold concrete walls of the cell. The guards weren’t doing anything, watching with detachment, as though they were bored with the whole thing. I didn’t even care anymore.
I wanted out. I wanted to make things right. I wanted Christiana back. And I’d do whatever it took.
14:57 Mon, Dec 23 GBB.
Chapter 175
But for now, I had to survive this.
+5
The cell door creaked open, and I knew it was them before I ever heard their footsteps. My grandmother, her frail voice already calling out to the guards, had come to see me. She’d been with me for years, even when things were bad, but this time, her tone was different. It was sharp, desperate…like she was already mourning the son she thought she knew.
Behind her were my two younger brothers, their faces pale, eyes wide with fear. They looked out of place, like they didn’t belong in this kind of world. But they were here now, dragged into this mess I had created. They stood behind her, their eyes darting nervously between the guards and me, as if waiting for some sign that I’d still be the brother they once knew.
My grandmother stepped forward, her heels clicking sharply on the stone floor. She was so small, hunched over by age, but she had always been the one person who never gave up on me. But not today. Today, she was lost. Her worried eyes met mine, and she didn’t even try to mask the disappointment.
“Daniel…” Her voice trembled, like the words were heavy on her tongue. “What have you done?” She shook her head slowly, as if she couldn’t wrap her mind around what had happened.
I didn’t say anything. I just stared at her. There was nothing to say. She was looking at me like I was a stranger. Maybe I was.
She stepped closer, her voice now more urgent. “I don’t understand you anymore. I thought you were different. I thought you could be better than this.” Her eyes were full of pain, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. I didn’t need her to understand me. I didn’t need anyone.
The younger of my two brothers shifted nervously behind her, clearly uncomfortable with the scene. His hands fidgeted at his sides, unsure whether to speak up or just keep quiet. The other one stood frozen, his face flushed, eyes darting between my grandmother and me. They were scared. They didn’t know what I had become.
“You’re my family,” my grandmother continued, her voice breaking now. “Why, Daniel? Why did you do this?” She didn’t ask in anger. She asked in confusion, in hurt. Like she wanted to understand, but the pieces didn’t fit.
no idea what I’d been through, I didn’t answer. My eyes were cold, my mind a storm of frustration and bitterness. She had what I had to do to get where I was. This was survival. This was what it took to succeed. She didn’t get it.
“You’ve ruined everything,” she whispered, choking on the words as they left her lips. “You’ve ruined your future, your life… What’s left for you now, Daniel? Tell me. What’s left?”
I didn’t care. She was upset, sure, but she didn’t understand. She never would. All I could do was watch as the cracks in her face deepened with every word she spoke. I was beyond redemption in her eyes, and maybe I was okay with that.
My younger brothers didn’t say much. One of them finally shifted his weight uncomfortably, but neither spoke up. They both stood there like statues, too afraid to intervene, to ask the questions that were probably eating at them.
The younger of my two brothers finally spoke up, his voice trembling. “Are you… are you going to be okay?” His question hung in the air, as though he wanted to believe that things would turn around, that I could somehow fix everything.
But I didn’t need to fix anything. This was how it was meant to be. If they couldn’t accept that, that was their problem, not mine. I didn’t look at him, just stared straight ahead, the tension in my jaw growing tighter
My grandmother’s voice cracked as she turned to leave. “I can’t do this anymore, Daniel. I can’t watch you destroy yourself.” She paused at the door, her shoulders shaking. “I don’t know who you are anymore.”
didn’t answer. I didn’t even look up. The truth was, I didn’t care what they thought of me. This was the life I’d chosen, the life I’d carved out for myself. If they couldn’t accept it, that was on them.
The sound of the door closing echoed in the small, empty cell. The silence that followed was suffocating, crushing. But it didn’t bother me. I was used to being alone. I had nothing left to lose anyway.
