The elevator doors slid shut as Mick stepped inside, and Rhyle watched him disappear behind the metallic panels. For a moment, Rhyle stood still, eyes lingering on the spot where Mick had just been, before turning back to his office, his expression unreadable.
As Mick made his way home, anxiety twisted inside him. His exam was only hours away, and he hadn't studied properly for it. His head was still pounding from the night before, and the dizziness from the hangover hadn’t fully faded. When he finally stepped into his room, a wave of exhaustion threatened to pull him under. But Mick didn’t allow himself to collapse on the bed. Instead, he dragged himself to the desk, determined to cram as much studying as he could before the exam.
The clock ticked closer to midnight, but Mick’s condition worsened. His eyelids drooped, his mind foggy. Despite his best efforts, the fatigue overwhelmed him. Without even realizing it, he slumped over his notes, falling into a restless sleep at his desk.
---
The next morning, Mick rushed to university, already running late. His headache persisted, and his body ached with fever. When he finally arrived, his friend pulled him aside, breaking the news.
“They’re doing a practical exam too,” his friend whispered.
Mick's heart dropped into his stomach. He hadn’t studied nearly enough, and now a practical exam loomed over him like a dark cloud. Panic settled in as he realized just how unprepared he was. Worse yet, the effects of the hangover and his rising fever hadn’t gone away, making it hard to focus on anything.
As the exam started, Mick did his best to push through. His hands were trembling, but he managed to answer a few questions, trying to focus on each step. The examiner walked through the rows of students, watching each one carefully. At first, Mick thought he was managing it well enough, but the dizziness came creeping back. His vision began to blur, and a wave of nausea hit him hard.
Mick clenched his jaw, trying to suppress the feeling, but it was too much. His hands trembled violently, and he felt like he was going to vomit. His breath came in ragged gasps, and before he knew it, he was bolting from the exam room. He couldn’t take it anymore. He hadn’t even finished the exam.
---
By the time Mick reached the university office, he was trembling—not just from sickness, but from fear. He knew what would come next.
His father arrived not long after. Mr. Williams stormed into the office with a fury that made the guidance members visibly uneasy. They gathered around, exchanging serious glances. Mick sat on a chair, his body tense, and his heart pounded in his chest as the officials explained to his father that Mick had failed the exam.
Mr. Williams’ icy gaze never left his son. His presence was suffocating, the anger radiating off him like heat. Mick couldn't look at him. He knew he was in for it now.
Finally, Mick dropped to his knees, his voice trembling as he begged. “Please… I can take the exam again. I won’t fail. Just give me another chance.”
The officials exchanged looks, but their decision was final. They shook their heads, rejecting Mick’s desperate pleas. His world felt like it was crashing down. He knew he had no way out.
As the officials left, Mr. Williams turned to his son, his expression unreadable. “Meet me at home. In my study,” he ordered coldly before walking away, his footsteps echoing in the hall.
---
Mick didn’t want to go home. He dreaded the confrontation, but he had no other choice. When he entered the house, his only hope was to make it to his room unnoticed. However, a maid intercepted him.
“Your father is waiting for you in the study.”
Mick’s heart sank further. With hesitant steps, he made his way to the study, the darkness inside suffocating. The lights were dimmed, casting long shadows across the room. Mr. Williams stood by the desk, his back to Mick, waiting.
“Welcome home, my dear son,” his father’s voice was calm, but it was laced with a bitter edge of disappointment.
Mick stayed silent, his eyes fixed on the floor. He knew what was coming.
“You never fail to disappoint me, do you?” Mr. Williams said, his smile dark and dangerous.
Mick braced himself, but the slap still caught him off guard. It was so hard that he was knocked to the floor. His vision blurred with tears, but before he could react, another slap came. He fell again, the sting spreading through his cheek. His father's words were venomous, filled with disgust.
“I’ve had enough of your failures.”
Mr. Williams moved to a drawer and pulled out a rod. Mick’s breath hitched, and he scrambled backward, knowing what was about to happen. “Please… please don’t…”
But his father didn’t listen. He never did. Mick’s pleas fell on deaf ears as the rod came down on him. The strikes were relentless. Pain spread through his body, each hit worse than the last. His father’s anger poured out with every blow. The abuse went on for what felt like hours, until Mick could hardly move, bruised and broken, lying on the floor.
---
His father finally left, leaving Mick alone in the dark room, his body aching. The injuries were severe, though his father had been careful to avoid his face—after all, no one could know about this, but his lips were bleeding from harsh slaps.
As Mick lay on the cold floor, tears spilled silently from his eyes. He wanted to disappear, to escape this life. But there was no way out. Not yet.
---
After leaving Mick bruised and broken on the floor, Mr. Williams stormed out of the study. Before heading out of the house, he coldly ordered the servants, "No one is to give Mick any food. If you disobey, you're fired."
The scene shifted to Rhyle, sitting in his office with an odd feeling of guilt gnawing at him. He hadn’t expected Mick to fail his exam after everything. A part of him hoped the boy would have passed, despite how things had played out. Rhyle leaned back in his chair, feeling conflicted. He decided to give Mick some space for the time being, not wanting to disturb him. Yet, he found himself missing Mick’s presence. The quietness bothered him more than he expected.
---
The next morning, Mick was still lying on the cold floor in the study, too weak to move. His body ached, and his mind was weighed down with sadness. The door creaked open, and his father's assistant entered the room, his voice soft but firm.
"Mr. Mick, wake up. It's morning already."
Mick stirred, his body protesting with every movement as he sat up slowly. Memories from the previous night flooded back, and his heart sank. Despite the pain, he managed to give the assistant a small, sad smile and whispered a quiet, "Thanks."
Stumbling as he left the study, Mick made his way to his room. He collapsed onto his bed, his eyes landing on a photo frame on the table beside him. It was a picture of him as a child, held in his mother's arms. The sight of it overwhelmed him with emotions he could no longer suppress. He took the frame in his hands, hugging it tightly to his chest as the tears fell freely. The floodgates opened, and he cried, holding on to the one memory that gave him comfort.
Eventually, the exhaustion from his sobbing wore him down, and he fell asleep, still clutching the photo frame. Hours later, a soft knock at the door woke him. Mick rubbed his eyes, dragging himself to answer it. Standing at the door was an older maid, one of the longest-serving members of the household. In her hands was a tray of food.
Mick’s eyes widened. "Grandma, you know Dad strictly warned everyone not to give me food, right? Why are you risking everything?"
The maid stepped inside, placing the tray on the table. She gave him a tender smile and replied, "Master, you call me 'grandma' and still expect me to do nothing for you? You're like my own grandson, and I don’t care about the job. So, don’t worry—just eat, child."
Mick hesitated, his eyes welling up with gratitude, but the maid gently coaxed him to sit and eat. Despite his reluctance, he couldn't refuse her kindness. She made sure he ate, watching over him with care, like a guardian who wouldn’t abandon him, no matter the risks.
---
YOU ARE READING
Broken promises
Romance**Description:** Mick Williams, a boy blessed with both looks and talent, lives under the shadow of his father's disdain. Despite being adore by everyone for his kind heart and gentle nature, he is haunted by the guilt placed upon him by his father...
