Love never fails

16| My brothers story

Chapter 107: Echoes of the Past

Welcome back to my story. Today, I want to take you on a journey through a part of my past that has shaped me in more ways than I ever realized. It's a story about family, about pain, about how the past never really leaves us, but instead, becomes a part of who we are. This is the story of my brother Eddie, his complicated friendship with Preston, and how the fights between my parents when I was younger left a lasting impact on us all.

Chapter 108: My Parents' Relationship

Growing up, my house was never the peaceful sanctuary I wished it could be. My parents fought constantly, their voices rising in anger, often late into the night. It was never about one thing—they fought about everything. Money, jobs, parenting... it seemed like every conversation could turn into a battle.

As the youngest in the family, I was too young to understand why they were always at each other's throats, but I could feel the tension. It was like a heavy blanket that suffocated the happiness in our home. My brother Eddie, who was just a teenager at the time, did his best to shield me and my other brothers from the worst of it. He would distract us with games, take us out for ice cream, or just let us play in the park until things at home calmed down.

Eddie became more than just a big brother to me—he was my protector, the one who made sure I didn't have to hear the worst of the shouting or see the look of despair on our mom's face. But while he was protecting us, who was protecting him?

Chapter 109:Eddie's Teenage Years

Eddie was sixteen, and at school, he was considered one of the popular kids. All the girls seemed to have a crush on him, and even though I was just five at the time, I remember thinking how cool my big brother was. He was kind and funny, the type of guy who could make anyone smile, even when they didn't want to.

But as much as Eddie had going for him, there was a darkness that started creeping into his life when he met Preston. Preston was the new guy at school, the classic bad boy with a troubled past. He was the kind of guy who didn't care about rules or the consequences of breaking them. And Eddie, already dealing with the chaos at home, was drawn to Preston's carefree, rebellious attitude.

Before Preston, Eddie was always responsible. He was the kind of brother who made sure we all had breakfast before school, who helped with homework, who stayed up late comforting me when I was scared. But after he started hanging out with Preston, things changed. He started staying out late, getting into trouble, and, worst of all, he stopped caring about the things that used to matter to him.

chapter 110: The Car Accident

One night, after hanging out with Preston and drinking way too much, Eddie made the biggest mistake of his life. He got behind the wheel of a car. He thought he could handle it, thought he could drive home without any problems. But he was wrong.

As he was driving, a car came out of nowhere, crashing into him with a force that shattered the night. The impact was so severe that the car Eddie was driving was completely totaled. The other car, driven by a young couple, was crushed beyond recognition. Eddie was knocked unconscious, and when he woke up, he found himself in the hospital with a broken arm, a concussion, and the overwhelming guilt of knowing that the people in the other car didn't make it.

The accident was a turning point for Eddie. It was like he woke up not just from the crash, but from the person he had become. He realized that the path he was on, the one Preston had led him down, was destroying his life. And it wasn't just his life—he had taken the lives of others, and that was something he could never forgive himself for.

Chapter 111: The Aftermath and Redemption

After the accident, Eddie was a changed person. He broke off his friendship with Preston, who had been nothing but a bad influence. He reconnected with his old best friend, Joshua, who had always been there for him. He also started spending more time with us, his family, trying to make up for the time he had lost.