His Green Eyes

Episode 2

AIDEN's POV

"Take yourself home and give me the car, David. I need some time alone today."

“Marco, the boss would never allow it. If anything happens to you, he’d kill me.”

I just laughed, maybe because deep down, I longed for someone to defy me. Even if I fought someone with my bare fists until sunrise, I doubted it would ease the tension gnawing at me. Nothing could quiet the unrest within. Normally, I wasn’t the type to be overwhelmed by feelings, but this wedding had ruined everything. Why had I even bothered to come and watch?

Perhaps, on some level, I just wanted to prove to myself that there was no place for me in this world.

“Nothing's going to happen to me, as if you don’t already know that. Now do as I say before I lose my temper. If you push me, I’ll take it out on you,” I commanded, my voice as cold as ice.

Everyone trembled at Marco’s word, unlike Aiden. Aiden... there was nothing left of him inside me, I was sure of it. I wanted to erase even the memories of him, to let them dissolve into the black tar my life had become. Deep down, I knew there was no saving me from this.

When David pulled over in the middle of downtown, I shot him a puzzled look.

“Why are we stopping here?”

“There’s no point in dragging it out by driving all the way home. This is closer to where you need to be, Marco.”

“Fine, just make sure no one knows where we are tonight,” I muttered as I slipped out through the back door.

“Don’t worry, Marco. I still value my life,” David replied with his signature grin.

“Don’t grin at me. Now get lost, out of my sight,” I said, grabbing the keys and sliding into the driver’s seat. As soon as I hit the gas, a curse escaped my lips.

“Da*n it, I forgot to ask for the address.” I muttered under my breath just as my phone buzzed in my pocket. David had sent me the address.

After driving for a while, I found myself in a rundown neighborhood that looked like it hadn’t seen care in years. I’d climbed quite a steep hill to get there. I cursed myself for not swapping cars earlier—my own car had certainly drawn some attention. What the hell was wrong with me? I was acting like a rookie, leaving myself wide open for mistakes.

I parked the car in front of what I assumed was the right house based on the address. Even in the darkness, the house looked strange—dilapidated and barely standing. Sighing, I stepped out of the car, feeling off. Everything about today was strange. So strange, in fact, that for the first time, I felt like I might end up on the receiving end of a beating instead of the one handing it out. My mind was a mess, tangled with thoughts I couldn’t make sense of.

Entering the front yard required little effort. The rusted iron gate creaked open with just a push. In the corner of the yard, there was a large, low wooden table—almost like an old-fashioned dining table. My eyes drifted toward it, drawn to the breathtaking view behind it. For such a shabby house, the view was unbelievable. I supposed it was because we were perched up so high.

For a moment, I forgot why I had come. All I wanted to do was sit at that table and take in the stunning view, letting the world fall away.

What the he*l was happening to me?

“Snap out of it, for God’s sake!” I muttered under my breath, scolding myself for getting distracted by the view.

Just as I was about to head toward the door, I noticed one of the bedroom windows facing my direction.

“Leo, you have school tomorrow. Why are you still awake at this hour?” A young woman’s voice carried through the night.

“I can’t sleep without you, Rosie,” the small boy mumbled in response, sounding no older than five or six.

“If you don’t get up in the morning, Grandma’s going to scold you good,” the girl warned, pacing back and forth in the room. Her long, dark brown hair cascaded nearly to her waist. She was dressed in a pair of worn gray sweatpants and an old, faded T-shirt. With a sigh, she sat down on the edge of the makeshift bed and patted the mattress beside her.

I froze. I didn’t move, didn’t breathe. I just stood there, rooted to the spot, watching them. Like a statue, I couldn’t tear myself away from the scene unfolding in front of me.

I sat down on the old wooden table in the yard, watching through the window as the girl told the boy a story until he fell asleep. Eventually, she curled up beside him and drifted off as well.

As dawn began to break, I sat there, unmoving, watching the way the night sky first turned a strange shade of indigo, then slowly gave way to hues of pink and orange. It was mesmerizing. I had no idea how long I’d been sitting there.

I hadn't checked my phone for hours, so I finally pulled it out of my pocket. David had sent me the amount I was supposed to collect from the owners of this rundown house. A bitter smile tugged at my lips. None of the people I roughed up for money were ever rich; they were all drowning in debt. But today, I couldn’t bring myself to do anything. I just sat there, staring out at the horizon, letting time pass me by.

“They’ve paid it all,” I texted David, not entirely sure why I was doing it.

That wedding had rattled me. It had reduced me to this—weak, vulnerable. I could almost hear Aiden's voice echoing from that bottomless pit he had crawled into. Part of me hoped he'd stay down there forever, never to emerge again.

I was just about to stand when I heard the door creak open. The girl from the window was walking toward me, still wearing those worn-out sweats. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her dark brown eyes seemed almost lost in the depth of their own shadows, cold and unyielding—strangely familiar.

“Give me two more weeks,” she said, her voice as icy as her stare. “I’ve started a new job. I’ll pay the next installment.”

She didn’t look afraid of me, which was rare. Usually, even grown men trembled in my presence.

“There’s no debt,” I replied, turning to leave without waiting for her response. But she stepped in front of me, blocking my way.

“What do you mean, ‘no debt’? Are you messing with me? You waited all night to collect.”

A smirk played on my lips.

“I wasn’t waiting for the money,” I said, glancing past her. “I was just watching the view.”

“I don’t like favors without a price,” she said, locking her eyes with mine—fearless, emotionless. “You must want something in return for all that money. I’ll keep paying, and you can come back in two weeks.”

Staring into her eyes was like looking into a mirror.

Without saying a word, I continued walking, got into my car, and shut the door behind me. I needed to shake off this ridiculous mood, get back to my real world. The world where everything and everyone was knee-deep in filth, including me.