Chapter 45 A Drunk Husband.

Richard’s POV

The house was a wreck. Or maybe it was just me. I couldn't tell anymore. My head was spinning, my vision blurred, and the stench of whiskey hung in the air, mingling with the stale odor of neglect.

Empty bottles littered the floor, remnants of countless nights spent drowning in alcohol, hoping to numb the pain that clawed at my chest.

I staggered across the living room, the world tilting with every step.

My legs felt like they were made of lead, each movement heavy and unsteady. I reached for the bottle on the coffee table, my hand trembling as I lifted it to my lips.

The burn of the whiskey as it slid down my throat was the only thing that felt real anymore, the only thing that reminded me I was still alive.

How long had it been? Weeks? Months? Time had lost all meaning. Every day bled into the next, a relentless cycle of emptiness and despair. I’d done everything—called in every favor, dug into every dark corner of the underworld I knew, even begged for help f