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"Hello, Emily"

He spoke firmly, and for all the coldness in his voice, I could have been a co on my bed, fully dressed with his arms rested on his knees He looked beaten up and tired, but more importantly, he was stone cold sober

"WHY AREN’T YOU IN BED?" I asked him, stunned

"Because you’re not with me," he replied I was tired, defeated, and mostly sad as I planted myself dejectedly down next to him He looked alht, and everything was fine Then less than an hour after you one What the fuck did she do this tied to scrape together crumbled in the face of his pain, and the tears ran uninhibited down ht that what I’d left behind was the worst thing that could ever happen toto destroy everything that you’ve worked for if I don’t end this now"

He still looked miserable, but as he clenched and unclenched his fists he was eerily calht now?" I sniffed

"Because, sunshine, I’ to be patient while I find out why you think you’re leaving onna happen"

"You are the most stubborn, obstinate man that I’ve ever met," I huffed, but he didn’t even raise a sht to know," he asked, quietly

I took a deep breath and conte down on Sylvia, but O’Connell was right He had a right to knoould do right by hi that wasn’t true The hts that you do means more time that you’ll spend away froree You’llthemselves at you, and even if you don’t cheat onme that eventually you’ll feel like you need to choose between fighting and me Either I’ll lose you, or I’ll end your career before it starts That and knowing that Frank is looking for ot up and paced, before leaning over ht it would break His jaw locked tight, and I have never seen such pure, restrained rage in allit, but if he let go of whatever trigger he was holding onto, I had a feeling that he would lay waste to soave up and started pounding on the wall until his knuckles bled I didn’t kno to make him stop, but I couldn’t watch anymore I threw htly as I could He was so powerful that I doubted that he could even feel ainst his neck and kissed hiently

"Stop, baby I’ to hurt yourself"

He stopped punching, but he was still angry, and I sa ," hethat ood about s I’ve ever had, so it’s pretty ingenious of her to use one to take away the other"

"She didn’t want you throwing away your career fordidn’t She found out there were sponsors at the fight, and she got a whiff of money You threatened her income, and she did what she does best"

I didn’t knohat to say Regardless of her motives, her point was still effective

"Are you sure it’s just about the money? O’Connell, anyone can tell a mile off how fucked up and insecure I a way, but to be honest, I wouldn’t want anyone like ainst his heart, and I restedout, and I could feel that the fight had gone out of hiht now, I need to hold you, and this is a conversation you need to get coreement, and he must have felt me because he turned around and used his thumb to wipe away the tears under razed and bloody, but he didn’t seem to notice

"Wash away your tears, baby I’ll one fro me tea The pair of us couldn’t ht of the conversation ere about to have exhaustedO’Connell’s advice, I grabbed a quick shohile he pottered about The blistering hot water soothed ratefully accepted the hot cup of tea he gave ed beside hi about?" I asked hied into your pjs It makes it harder for you to run from me"

He took a deep breath and really seemed to contemplate what he was about to say

"I’obshyte, has told you about , and I’ve told you a bit about hoas The things I went through are things that I never want ht-year-old should have to wake up and clean voet the to eat? The times when she would stay clean and sober becarier it made me to have to live like that I mean, she was the parent and I was the child, but it’s like the relationship was reversed By the ti and pissed off most of the tiet sober, she’d proood parent this time around You know, actually be there for ot me this second-hand coa loved it When I came home from school two months later, she’d pawned it then voht with the ry, and I wanted to hit her so badly, but she was still my ma, you know? She was a shite parent, but she was the only one that I had, and when she was sober, she acted like she loved me so much So, I dealt with hts with anyone who crossed htroith each other, and after a supreave e, and for the first time, I had a bit of focus I’m pretty sure that I’d be in a very dark place now if it wasn’t for Danny The first ti, probably because she woke up alone in a pool of her own puke, she asked around until she foundhuht, I was supposed to be sparring with Mac, and I literally beat the crap out of hi for teeks, and I think that’s when he understood why I am the way I a and learned to reade If I lose it when Danny isn’t around, and I’ve been drinking, then it isn’t pretty Then I met you, and I can see from a mile away how different you are, we all can It’s like you’re the caliveswith this shite, youbetter to look forward to Making it as a professional boxer isn’t the only thing I want out of life Don’t get , it would be cool if it happens, but I want more than that I want a home and a family I want to know that if I lose or if it’s been a crappy day that I’ home to someone who loves me, no matter what I want a reason thatmore than what I have noant you, sunshine The rest of the shite just doesn’t matter"