Chapter 113 Braydon's Crisis

Chapter 113 Braydon's Crisis
Evelyn's POV

My phone rang at midnight and I knew something was wrong before I even looked at the screen. Gyran was already asleep next to me and I grabbed my phone quickly so it wouldn't wake him.

"Hello?" I whispered.

"Evelyn." It was Braydon and his voice sounded strange. Thick and slurred like he'd been drinking.

"Braydon? What's wrong?"

"She left me. Sarah left me."

I sat up in bed and turned on the lamp. Gyran stirred but didn't wake up. "What happened?"

"I was going to propose tonight. I had the ring and everything. But then these guys from the Dynasty showed up in the parking lot, and they tried to jump me, and I had to fight them, and Sarah saw the whole thing, and now she says she can't do this anymore."

He was talking so fast I could barely understand him but I got the main point. Sarah had broken up with him.

"Where are you right now?" I asked.

"I don't know. Some bar. I've been drinking."

"Braydon you need to go home."

"I don't want to go home. The apartment is empty and I just keep thinking about her."

I looked at Gyran who was starting to wake up now. He raised his eyebrows at me and I mouthed Braydon's name.

"Come to our house," I said. "Don't drive. Take a cab and come here."

"Okay."

He hung up and I turned to Gyran. "Braydon and Sarah broke up. He's drunk and he's coming here."

Gyran sat up and rubbed his face. "What happened?"

"Some Dynasty guys attacked him and Sarah saw it. She told him she couldn't handle the danger anymore."

"Damn."

We got out of bed and went downstairs to wait. I made coffee even though it was the middle of the night because I had a feeling we were going to be up for a while.

About thirty minutes later we heard a car pull up outside. I opened the door and saw Braydon getting out of a cab. He could barely walk straight and his eyes were red like he'd been crying.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey."

I helped him inside and Gyran took his other arm. We got him to the couch and he collapsed onto it. He still had on the suit he'd worn for the proposal but it was wrinkled and stained with blood.

"Are you hurt?" Gyran asked.

"No. It's not my blood. Well, some of it is, but I'm fine."

I brought him some water and he drank it all in one go. Then he just sat there staring at nothing and I could see he was trying not to cry again.

"Tell us what happened," I said gently.

So he told us everything. About planning the proposal, buying the ring, and making reservations at Sarah's favorite restaurant. About the Dynasty guys showing up and the fight in the parking lot. About Sarah's face when she saw him covered in blood.

"She said she loves me but she can't live like this," Braydon said. "She said she doesn't want to spend her life being scared that someone's going to come after me."

"Did you tell her you're getting out?" Gyran asked.

"Yeah. But she said it doesn't matter because the past always catches up. And she's right. I've been trying to leave this life for months but it keeps pulling me back in."

I sat down next to him and put my hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry Braydon."

"I had the ring in my pocket the whole time. I was going to ask her to marry me and instead she broke up with me."

His voice cracked on the last word and then he started crying for real. Big ugly sobs that shook his whole body. I pulled him into a hug and let him cry on my shoulder while Gyran watched with a sad expression on his face.

"I really loved her Evelyn," Braydon said between sobs. "I've never felt this way about anyone."

"I know. I know you did."

"What am I supposed to do now?"

I didn't have an answer for that. What do you do when the person you love can't accept your life? When do they see the violence and danger and decide it's too much?

"Maybe she just needs time," I said. "Maybe once she calms down she'll realize that you're worth it."

"You think so?"

I wanted to say yes. I wanted to tell him that everything would be okay and that Sarah would come back. But I'd seen this happen before. People who couldn't handle the mafia life. People who tried to make it work but eventually walked away.

"If it's meant to be she'll come back," I said finally.

Braydon pulled away from me and wiped his eyes. "But you don't think she will."

"I don't know. Some people can't handle this life no matter how much they love you."

"That's not fair."

"No it's not."

Gyran sat on Braydon's other side. "You did everything right man. You tried to get out. You got a legitimate job. You stepped back from the dangerous stuff. If she can't see that then maybe she's not the right person for you."

"She is the right person. I know she is."

"Then give her time. Let her think about it. Don't push her."

Braydon nodded but I could tell he didn't believe it would help. He looked broken in a way I'd never seen before. My brother, who was always so strong and confident, was completely destroyed by a broken heart.

We stayed up with him until the sun came up. He talked about Sarah and all the things he loved about her. He showed us the ring which was beautiful and simple. He cried some more, drank coffee, and eventually fell asleep on our couch.

I covered him with a blanket and went upstairs with Gyran. We got back in bed but I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about Braydon and Sarah and how unfair it all was.

"Do you think she'll come back?" I asked Gyran.

"I don't know. Maybe."

"But you don't think so either."

"No. I don't."

We lay there in silence and I felt grateful that Gyran and I had each other. That we were both part of this world so we understood the dangers. But I also felt sad for Braydon because not everyone was that lucky.