CHAPTER FOURTEEN

HADES

I finally made it back to my place, the familiar, grimy streets of the city surrounding me like a suffocating blanket. It was almost 9 PM, and I had spent the past few hours trying to stall my return. But no matter how many detours I took, I always ended up right back here.

I walked along the cracked sidewalk, the night air sharp against my skin. The neighborhood was quiet, the only sound the distant hum of a car engine or the occasional shout from a group of drunk idiots.

When I reached the apartment building, I hesitated for a moment, looking up at the dim lights flickering in the windows. It was always like this. A place where people faded into the walls, ignored and forgotten. I didn’t belong here, but it was the only place that would take me. The only place where I didn’t have to pretend to be someone I wasn’t.

I pushed through the door, my feet heavy on the stairs as I made my way up to the second floor. As soon as I opened the door to our apartment, I heard the familiar sounds of my father yelling. The sickening sound of broken glass hitting the floor followed by the muffled, high-pitched voice of my mother trying to calm him down.

“Goddammit, I told you not to spend that money on his schooling!. That was Twenty thousand Dollars for the year you bitch ” My father’s voice was slurred, loud, and thick with alcohol. “You think that’ll make him something? Make him better than me? Look at us!”

I closed my eyes briefly, breathing in deeply before stepping inside.

The scene was as predictable as it was painful.

My father, drunk and stumbling, was standing over my mother, who was trying to pick up the broken pieces of glass scattered across the floor. My fists clenched involuntarily. This wasn’t the first time. It wasn’t even the hundredth.

“You think you can just buy your son a future?” he spat, his voice filled with venom. “You think I’ll just sit here and watch you throw our money away on that fancy school of his? Who do you think you’re fooling, huh? You think he’ll study and save us from this hellhole ? He’s not even that bright he’s as stupid as his bitch of a mother” he spat

My mother’s voice trembled as she tried to reason with him. “I just wanted to give him a chance—”

“A chance?” My father sneered. “To what? Be a rich kid who thinks he’s too good for the rest of us?”

I couldn’t stand it anymore. Every word he spoke, every insult he hurled at her, made my blood boil. This was the man I was forced to call father. This was the life I was supposed to accept.

I didn’t waste another second. Without a word, I stepped forward, putting myself between my father and my mother.

“Enough,” I said, my voice steady, but full of authority.

He turned toward me, his eyes narrowing in disbelief. “What? You think you can stop me now, boy?”

I stared at him, my gaze unwavering. “Yeah. I do.”

He staggered forward, his breath reeking of whiskey, and tried to push past me. But this time, I didn’t move. I planted myself in his path, looking him dead in the eye.

“You want to take it out on someone?” I growled, fists at my sides. “Then take it out on me. But don’t you dare lay a hand on her.”

For a moment, he just stood there, breathing heavily. Then, with a mix of frustration and fear, he took a step back, his shoulders slumping.

“Don’t talk to me like that, Hades,” he muttered, but I could hear the edge in his voice fading. He was scared of me. Or maybe he was just too drunk to do anything else. Either way, it was enough.

“You’re not worth it,” I said coldly, turning my back on him. “Go sleep it off. I’ll clean up this mess.”

He didn’t respond. He just turned and walked out of the room, stumbling toward his bedroom.

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding and turned to my mother. She was sitting on the floor now, still shaking, wiping her tears away.

“Mom,” I said, kneeling beside her. “Are you okay?”

She didn’t answer right away. She just looked at me, her eyes red and swollen. “I’m sorry, Hades,” she whispered. “I didn’t want you to see that. I didn’t want you to—”

“Don’t apologize,” I interrupted, my voice softening. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

She sniffled, her lips trembling. “I just wanted a better life for you.”

“I know, Mom. I know.” I hugged her tightly, wishing there was more I could do. Wishing I could fix everything. But this? This wasn’t something I could fix with just a few words or a hug.

After a long moment, she pulled away, wiping her eyes. “I’ll clean up the glass,” she said quietly.

“I’ll do it,” I replied, already moving to pick up the pieces of shattered plate on the floor. It wasn’t much, but it was the least I could do. I wasn’t leaving her to clean up after him. Not this time.

As I worked, I heard my father mumbling in his room, the sound of his drunken stupor fading into the background. And for a moment, I felt something like relief. I had taken control for once. Maybe it wasn’t enough to fix anything, but it was a start.

For tonight, that was all I had.