Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
brISTOL
“So, Rhys gave you the ugly details, huh?” I ask, trying to break the ice right off the bat so there isn’t any awkwardness.
I’ve thought about meeting this woman, the one who raised Rhys into such a sweet, incredible man, the one who survived such terrible abuse at the hands of her husband and saw the other side of it.
Rhys holds her in such high regard; I loved her from afar, just from his words and stories.
Never did I imagine this would be the circumstances we meet in, but here we are.
“He did. I hate that you’ve been through any type of pain, Bristol. No one deserves it, especially not from someone who has vowed to love, protect, honor, and care for you.”
“How did you move on from it, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I figured Rhys would also share with you. I don’t know if anyone can fully move on from it completely.
But changing my mindset helped. I don’t like the word victim.
Personally, I prefer survivor. The abuse was something that happened to me, and it was no fault of my own.
I got away from him, so why would I continue to let him have control over my life now that I’m free?
I have a word that I live by, it’s intention.
I wake up every morning with the intention to live life to the fullest, to feel the sun on my skin, to give my loved ones all the love I can.
I am intentional about my time, my worth, my ability, my tasks, and who I give access to me.
By doing that, I have nothing to complain about.
I’m walking and breathing, and it’s proof that I survived. ”
“You’ll be able to move on, too. It doesn’t matter if it’s one time or a hundred; abuse is abuse, and it does take time to heal from it.
Some people are never able to fully let it go, and that’s okay, too.
Everyone handles what they’ve been through differently.
Therapy helped, support groups helped—it’s where I met the love of my life. ”
“I’m so glad you found that. You deserve it.”
“Looks like you found it in my son.”
I blush, my face flaming with heat.
“Rhys said his dad was also the vice president of the same club? How do you handle knowing what Rhys does? I love him. I think I fell in love with him the moment I saw him. But I’m scared.
I’ve never been around any type of violence until my ex put his hands on me.
Rhys is so gentle, so tender and sweet, I can’t imagine him . . . hurting others.”
“This is a hard one, and I can’t answer it for you because everyone has to make their own decisions about what they’re okay with.
But I will tell you, from experience, that there are very, very bad men out there.
And the justice system, the majority of them, are a bunch of shmucks.
The club doesn’t go looking for trouble, Bristol, but if it comes knocking, they handle it the way they know how.
And sweetie, that’s not waiting for the police. ”
I think about that, trying to find a logical reason that I can defend and understand in my head.
I just hate violence so much. I keep telling myself that fact, but the thought keeps circling, turning over and over in my mind.
I’ve never believed you could solve anything with violence or fighting, and the thought of causing anyone or anything harm makes my stomach tighten in knots.
But then there are moments like this, when standing still and doing nothing could mean letting someone get hurt.
I keep trying to reason through it, to frame it as a necessity rather than a cruelty, while acknowledging that that reality doesn’t make me broken or lack empathy.
But I’m struggling to accept it all, struggling to imagine Rhys crossing that line.
That my big, sweet, gentle giant is capable of ending someone’s life.
“I can see your brain working overtime, you don’t need to justify it for him.
Rhys, hell, all the Heathens have made their peace with their actions the day they took the oath.
You don’t need to pray for his soul; you don’t need to worry.
They do what they do, and you have to trust that it will always be in the name of protecting the innocent, in the name of justice.
They’re just balancing the tides. If you love him, then do it without condition, trust him with everything you’ve got, you’re going to be okay. ”
Balancing the tides. Hell’s Heathens, here on Earth to send the evil back where it belongs. The more I think about that, the more I’m okay with it. It’s just a different type of justice.