Page 21 of Behind the Mask

Why did it hurt knowing she was in pain and I wasn't able to save her?

The bag faded away and all I could see was red. My heart was constricting within my chest, and my breathing was ragged and heavy. The thoughts continued to play in my mind.She could have told me; I would have taken care of her. Three weeks. She was pregnant for three weeks before she was raped. That was more than enough time to tell me.

"Kade man, take it easy." I heard Mason in the background, but I ignored him.

I kept hitting and punching until my hands bled. I was angry, I was beyond hurt. I handled it wrong, sure, but didn't I have some right to be upset? Even with the amount of anger I had inside, my love for her was undeniable.

A hand landed down on my back and without thinking I turned around and thrusted my fist into their face. "Dude, what the fuck? That shit hurts!"

I blinked several times and zoned in on Mason who was on the floor holding his nose and groaning in pain. I ran a hand roughly through my hair and sighed.Fuck.

Bending down, I held a hand out for him to grab as he got up and glared at me. "I know you have issues Kade, but you need to sort them the fuck out before you kill someone. You better bring that shit into the ring tonight. I'm putting all bets on you."

He kept his glare and left the gym without another word. My hands gripped my hair as I tried to slow my breathing to a steady pace. I was ashamed of myself. I was getting back to that point where nothing mattered except for the anger I had within me. And I'd never forget the secret I'd kept from Olivia because if she truly knew the darkness that I had harbored inside she would never want me.

"Alright man, you've got this. Kick that son of a bitch's ass." I nodded as I placed the mouth guard into my mouth.

Ryder was standing in the middle of the ring smirking at me. He had been a dick at school all week. Every time he came into the locker room, he threatened Olivia.

"I bet that pussy of hers is nice and wet! Oh, what I wouldn't take to have her legs wrapped around me. What's the matter, Kade? Can't handle the thought of her with someone else? Too bad I'm going to kick your ass on Saturday night. She won't want anything to do with you if you lose."

It had been brewing in my mind all week. As we went to spring practices, I threw the ball a little harder hoping to wipe that smug look off his face. The thought of the asshole touching her, made me sick. He was a rough son of a bitch, one that beat up women while he fucked them. I didn't want him anywhere near her.

Mason wrapped my hands as I kept my steady gaze on Ryder. He was going around the ring pumping his fists in the air as if he had already won. He was a cocky son of a bitch.

"Stay focused, Kade. Let him get his hits in. Let him get tired out, then go in for the kill."

I nodded and got up, hearing screams left and right. People were screaming my name; others were screaming Ryder's. We met in the center of the ring. Ryder's blue eyes were full of pride as his long brown hair was slicked with sweat.

I was the underdog. The one who wasn't supposed to win against a professional fighter. The ref blew the whistle as we started circling around each other. I listened to Mason and let Ryder get in swing after swing, hit after hit. The crowd was roaring for him to win. "Finish him! Finish the prick, Ryder!"

I tuned them out and listened to the sounds of my ragged breathing. He grabbed hold of my neck as he punched my stomach, trying to finish me off. Three… two… one. Using every ounce of strength I had, I elbowed him hard in the stomach.

As he took a few steps back, I moved forward once again, hitting him in the face. The crowd went silent as blood spewed from his nose.

"You son of a..." The words were lost on the tip of his tongue as I took another swing and punched him in the gut making him groan and fall to the ground. I slammed his head down and punched him. Purple bruises covered his face as he tried to get me to stop. The ref tried to get me to stop, hell, even Mason did.

But I was lost in the darkness that consumed me. I punched him until he was no longer breathing.

That night, I had become the ultimate fighter and a killer. I was known everywhere as a threat. It turned out Ryder had an underlying heart condition that no one knew about, so I wasn't charged. But, I still paid greatly for my sins that night.

I knew walking back into the ring after all these years was a bad idea. I knew there would be consequences. But when it came to the woman I loved, I would do anything for her. And now after royally screwing up again, I had to prove it to her. I wouldn't give up on us. I would fight for her and her forgiveness.

Chapter Seventeen

Olivia

I was bound to Axel. We had been through more than a lot of couples ever would. I loved him and I broke him. He left me in a sobbing heap on the cold floor, naked and broken, even more than I had thought was possible.

Last night, he left me irrevocably broken, and now I was left to pick up the shattered pieces of my broken heart. After all these years of betrayal and deceit, there was no going back for us. He was gone, this time for good. He would never forgive me.

"Liv, you okay?" My eyes wandered away from the older couple sitting on the park bench that gazed lovingly into each other's eyes. Lindsey's lips were dipped in a frown.

I shrugged. I pulled the jacket closer to keep the cold away. It seemed that nothing could keep the ice from invading my heart.

Lindsey and I had been looking around for a studio all morning, and unfortunately, I haven't found one to my liking yet. There were a ton of older buildings that needed to be renovated, but I didn't have the money for that. I needed something that was already well managed so that I could focus on everything else.

Lindsey regarded me before turning to the cashier to pay for our warm drinks. Instead of getting coffee, I had gotten hot chocolate, hoping the sweet warmth of the drink would warm my frozen heart.

---