"What the hell happened to your face, Ryder?"
"A work...? what do you mean?"
"C'mon, Hazel! Let's talk about the elephant in the room... you've known I'm a criminal, even if I never said that out loud, there's no way you don't know about that..."
"I--" Hazel went silent, she had her suspicious but nothing was really confirmed... or maybe she didn't really want to know.
Since she went silent, he continued, "why did you think I became friends with Kareem? YOUR drug dealer?"
"I don't know, Ryder! I just... it's not fair to our children to be around someone like you."
That hurt him more than he cared to admit and the reason why he probably never actually talked about his job before, he knew this would happen. He got closer to her and held her hand, "Hazz, it's me. You know me."
Her heart was breaking and she couldn't make a sound.
"Please, Hazz? I'm the same guy that has been with you all those years."
He closed their distance waiting to see if she would push him away and when he realized she wouldn't, he kissed her. She was very confused in that moment, but that was the man she has been in love since she was 16.
"I love you, Hazel. I don't want to lose you."
"I don't want to lose you either, but I'm scared."
"Just look at me and I'll never treat you different from all these years we've been together."
Hazel sighed and nodded, "but promise you'll never fight again."
He lowered his face, he knew he couldn't promise that, not in the career he was in. "I can't promise you that, babe."
"At least not in front of our children… Derek told me he saw dad fighting."
"Fuck! I'm sorry. This won't happen again."
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