Hudson went crazy. He used every connection he had, every man under him, every dirty favor. A mafia boss like him, someone who could find anyone in this world… and still, he couldn’t find her.
I watched him break.
He stopped coming home most nights. And when he did, he smelled like alcohol and smoke and something darker. His eyes were always heavy, like he hadn’t slept in days. I wanted to ask if he was okay. I never did. What right did I have?
Then one night, he came back drunk. Really drunk. The kind where he could barely stand straight but still walked like he owned everything.
Before I could even say anything, he grabbed me.
“Hudson…” I tried, my voice shaking.
He didn’t answer.
He pushed me onto the bed like I weighed nothing. My heart was beating so fast I thought it would tear out of my chest. Was this… happening? Did he finally…?
But then his lips crashed onto mine and I froze. It tasted like alcohol. Bitter. Suffocating.
“…Amber…” his voice broke, rough and desperate against my skin. “Why the hell did you leave me, huh? Why’d you run off with that guy? You think I wouldn’t come for you? You don’t trust me that much?”