Chapter Text
He trudged out of the house, each weary step weighed down by regret. As he dropped all his weight into the driver seat of his car and turned the ignition, he took one last wistful look outside.
The setting sun cast shadows across the street, leaving her house in darkness. The only other light came from a single lamp across the street, and it didn't provide much.
His gray eyes were glassy with the slightest hint of tears. He wanted nothing more than to stay with her and help to raise who was to be her last and youngest son, but they both agreed:
Jeremy could never know who he was.
He'd spent his life in the shadows, fulfilling contracts and accumulating wealth the dirty way and yet still keeping his gloves clean: gruesome yet classy. If her son were to grow up with this man as his father, there would be no doubt that he'd follow in his footsteps. At least with his killer of a dad out of the picture, the boy would have an opportunity to gain a wide spectrum of career options without heavy influence.
Where would he go? As a precaution in his dirty career, he'd spent every waking moment making sure he never made any connections, and always, always severed all communications with each employer. If he was ever hired by the same employer more than once, they never knew it and it was always by chance. Every interaction was made via messenger. He was always aware and alert.
His only real moments of weakness were with her.
His petit chou-fleur.
He'd charmed and broken the hearts of countless women before, but she was the first and only person to whom he ever let himself close enough to really know.
And now, he'd gotten too close.
There was nothing else for him to do other than to turn back to his old life, but at this point, he'd broken the code. He couldn't risk anyone finding him out and coming in revenge for the family he had just helped to create.
The best thing for him to do was to hire himself out as a mercenary. He would need to join a permanent team, a group of men who had never met him before and who would never have any reason to sell him out. He would be able to continue using his specialized skills, while still staying under the radar.
He suddenly realized with an agonizing feeling in his heart that ever being able to see Jeremy at any point in his life was nigh impossible.
He turned silently onto the highway as he was gently enveloped by the dark, abysmal colors of the night.