Chapter 92

Chapter 92
Dale’s POV

I threw heavy punches at the punching bag in the underground boxing ring at Dave’s club. It was still early in the day, and there was no one around. His security had been shocked when I showed up here. However, because of how deep my relationship with Dave went, the guards did not stop me.

I was drenched in sweat. My hands hurt, and my knuckles bled from continuous punching, but I did not care. I just wanted to take out all the anger and pain inside me. The physical pain I felt was nothing compared to the terrible pain that filled my heart, mind, and soul.

“What the hell is going on here?” Dave’s voice reverberated in the boxing ring.

The only sound I had heard since I got in here was the constant bangs my punches made on the big heavy bag.

I didn’t pay him any attention and continued to punch the bag as though I didn’t know he was there.

“Dale, I’m talking to you. What are you on?” he asked again, coming closer to me.

“Nothing to bother yourself with,” I hissed and threw stronger punches at the bag.

“Stop this now,” he barked and stepped in between me and the bag.

I was already throwing a punch when he made that move, and I was too late to stop. Instead, his hand shot up and caught my punch right on time.

There was pissed-off anger in his eyes, and I could tell I was getting on his nerves. Well, he was lucky I was no longer in the mood to kill someone with my bare hands. He assessed me for a few seconds and then let go of my hand.

“Come with me,” he ordered.

I turned around to follow him, and just then, I saw that a small crowd of young men had gathered to watch me fight. That was new and unusual. There was something like pride and admiration in their eyes. They must have been impressed by the power of my punches, but they had no idea how bad I ached on the inside. I grabbed my shirt from the floor and followed Dave.

“Talk to me. What is wrong with you? Is it the fight at your place of work?” he asked when we were settled in his office.

He had a hand on his chin as he stared at me, trying to make sense of the craziness he had seen in the ring.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I said and dropped my gaze. I was in no mood to be scrutinized. I just wanted to be on my own.

“Unfortunately, I can’t just allow you to walk around like this. You are a danger to everyone and even to yourself in this state,” he said, and I quickly lost it.

“Fuck it! Why does everyone keep thinking I’m the bad guy in all of this? All I want to do is protect my mom and the woman that I love!” I hissed out at him, hating how he was trying to make me look bad.

“Well, if you want to protect your mom and the woman you love, you have to have control of your emotions. Otherwise, you’re simply going to lose them. And from the way you look right now, it seems like you already have.” He hissed the words at me.

Fresh pain seared through my heart, and I sat back down in the chair I had jumped up from.
“It’s all fucked up, man. I haven’t just lost my mom and the woman I love. I’ve also lost everything I worked so hard to achieve.”

“Can you imagine that? I dedicated years of my life to that company, and it’s all gone simply because they don’t want to be associated with me. I would never have thought that a day like that would ever come.”

I ran a hand down my face, heavy breaths escaping my mouth.

He stood up from his chair and came over to where I was seated. “What exactly happened?”

I raised my head and looked him in the eyes. He was genuinely curious and concerned about me, but as much as I wanted to open up, I couldn’t bring myself to. Sex and fighting were my coping mechanisms—not talking about my feelings. That was for sissies, and I was no sissy.

“Come on, dude. Open up to me. I know you love to appear strong to everyone, but don’t try that with me. I’ve always had your back. Punching a hundred bags isn’t going to solve your problem. But you know me—I can do a lot for you,” he said.

I let out a breath and honestly didn’t know where to start. “What do I even say now?”
“You can start by telling me what led to the fight,” he suggested, and like a pressure pot just opened, I let out all the steam.

I started by telling him about the anger of seeing Justin and Ava together. Then I told him the truth about my relationship with Ava. There was no judgment from him upon hearing that I was sleeping with my supposed sister. I told him the truth about my feelings for her and the lengths I would go to protect her.

Finally, I told him about everything I had lost, the most painful being my mom’s love. And as I explained things to him, I realized just how much of all this was my fault.

“You’re just a man, Dale. All men make mistakes, but what makes you different from the lot is that you’ll try to make things right. Maybe not all, but most of them,” he said.
“I don’t think there’s any redemption for me,” I stated.

“You’ll be surprised,” he smiled.

“So what do you suggest I do?” I asked, trying to see how much wisdom he had.

“Go home,” he stated simply.

I snorted at that suggestion. “My mom wouldn’t want me under her roof after all of this.”

“That’s the reason you should go home. She wouldn’t expect it, and it’s the only way you can show her that you’re sorry. Show her that she’s still your mom, no matter what.”

His words sank into me like a slow wave of truth. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was time to face the wreckage I had caused. But part of me feared that home wasn’t home anymore, not after everything I’d done.