“I hate feeling like this,” I admit quietly. “It’s why I drink. The alcohol dulls the pain, and keeps me from slipping any further into a dark hole. It’s the only thing that makes me feel numb to everything lately.”
“But it’s also destroying your life,” he says sharply. “If you keep this up much longer, it’s not just going to ruin you—it’s going to eventually kill you.”
He reaches over the counter, gathering Jake’s dirty dishes and rinses them in the sink before loading them into thedishwasher. I watch him move through the space with ease as his words strike me deep in the chest.
“It’s been three months, Kaden. I’m sorry you’ve taken hit after hit—first with Lucia’s betrayal, then Arianna, and now with Skylar’s engagement. But that doesn’t mean you just give up.This is your chance to start over, to make peace with the past so you can finally focus on a new future. Because whether you believe it or not, Kaden, you still have one.” He speaks with conviction, like he always does when he’s trying to prove a point, and for a few seconds, I almost believe him—almost.
“Don’t waste it by lying passed out drunk on my guest bed, day in and day out,” he continues. “You said you wanted to change for the better, to right all your wrongs. Well, here’s your chance to start fresh.”
“It’s easier said than done, Jase. How does one even know where to begin?”
“Start by getting some professional help—therapy, counselling, support groups, anything. The choice is yours.”
I brace my elbows on the island counter, pressing my fingers to my temples as I turn the decision over in my mind. It isn’t really a difficult choice. I know I need help, desperately, and fast. My life has been spiralling out of control, and every day I feel myself slipping further away. That alone should be enough to make me act. I’ve already let too many people down, myself included.
With a deep breath, I glance back at my concerned friend. Jason is right—he always is. I need to reach out to someone. I need to start making changes. Before it’s too late.
“Okay,” I nod slowly, “I’ll do it. I’ll call someone.”
Jason gives a small nod. “Good,” he says firmly. “It’ll be good for you, you know. You’re a fighter, you always have been. You’ve done this once; you can do it again.” He leans forward, resting his forearms on the counter as his gaze holds mine. “I’ve seen you fight your way through some of the worst moments of your life, and you always managed to bounce back. Even if the battle’s harder this time, I know you’ll get through it. And I’ll be here to make sure you do.”
“Thanks for always believing in me,” I say, my voice full of sincerity. “I’ll do my best.”
“I know you will. You’ve got a little boy who looks up to you.” He nods towards the stairs where Jake disappeared moments ago. “Please don’t let him down. We’re all counting on you to stick around for a long time.”
I offer him a small smile and reach for my now-cold grilled sandwich, my appetite slowly, tentatively returning. “I’ll try. I promise,” I say before taking a generous bite.
I’m tired of being a letdown—of feeling like a complete failure. I don’t want to be that person anymore. It’s brought me nothing but misery and emptiness. I want to do better. I want to make Jason proud and be a good role model for his son.
My best friend has stood by me through everything, even when so many others have walked away, and for good reason. I owe it to him to change, to be a worthy friend and a better person overall.
I know the road ahead won’t be easy,and I’ll likely continue to disappoint some people along the way, but there’s no other option. No other way forward.
And yet, for the first time in months, I feel a small spark of hope—one I thought was long gone—stirring inside me. It’s subtle and fragile, but still very much alive.
Chapter 2
Kaden
It’s barely been two weeks since I returned to work, and I’m already being summoned to the HR office. The moment Martha’s email landed in my inbox this morning, I didn’t have to open it to know what it was about.
My performance lately has been downright sloppy. I’ve shown up late nearly every day, sometimes by an hour, and I managed to screw up the most recent vehicle allocations across several of our Sydney locations, leaving customers waiting for car rentals that either never arrived on time or never showed up at all.
I can’t even offer a valid excuse because the truth is, my mind has simply been elsewhere. And now, as I walk down the long corridor towards Martha’s office, the knots in my stomach tighten with each step, dreading for what’s to come.
I’ve worked for Nova Car Rentals for more than eleven years, climbing the ladder faster than anyone in the company to finally earn the role of Operations Manager. Not once in allthat time have I ever messed up this badly.Even right after my ex-wife left me, I still managed to do a fairly decent job.
But with everything that’s happened since, I keep making mistake after mistake, and I can feel everyone’s patience wearing thin, especially Rick, our CEO, who warned me to get my act together or risk my future with the company.
Today, I have this awful sinking feeling that my time has finally run out.
I knock on Martha’s door and anxiously wait. Not even a minute later, it swings open.
She stands there with the same stern expression that has reduced more than a few employees to tears on their last day. She gestures for me to step inside, and the moment I do, I see Rick seated behind her desk, leaning back in the chair with his arms crossed like some medieval king who’s about to deliver my sentence.
Taking the seat across from him, I hear the door click shut, followed by the sharp tapping of Martha’s heels as she approaches Rick’s side, looking every bit like a united front.
“We’re going to get straight to the point, Kaden. You’ve been called in because your performance lately has fallen way below our expectations and now requires immediate action,” Rick says with authority, folding his hands on the table.
