Smoke and Mirrors (Smoke #1)

[ epilogue ]

a/n: Important authors' note at the end of the chapter regarding this story xx

Marcus' POV:

Squinting determinedly at the red squares being held in front of me, I tried to keep my focus on the pace of my boxing routine. It was meant to be another day at Whitten Oval for us boys. Finals were well around the corner and preparing for our big match against Fremantle at the end of the week was something that - according to our coach - we were meant to keep a clear mind about. Trying to keep my technique up, I tried my best to punch in motion the boxing guides that were held up in front of me but after my discussion with Scarlett, I found it hard to concentrate on even the most simplest techniques of football.

I felt numb knowing that I helped make another innocent woman feel hurt, even if it was unintentional. This morning I couldn't eat anything and struggled to even have the desire to speak to anybody; including my teammates. It was clear that things turned out the way they did because of the stupid article written but I still had felt that I was the one who was most to be blamed. It was my job as a boyfriend to stand by Scarlett and try to protect her no matter what it took but instead, I ended up being a complete asshole and treated her as if she was only using me for her job.

Already, I had left several messages for Scarlett and of course, she still hasn't replied to any of them. I had lost count for how many calls I had left her and just knew, she was obviously trying to avoid them. Scarlett was the type of girl who would always have her phone with her and the sheer thought that she was on her phone right now listening to my messages, broke my heart.

Nobody else knew about my conversation with Scarlett, so I had assumed that nobody really had heard about the news of Scarlett's departure. She didn't make it seem as though she had told anyone, although it wasn't exactly my place to ask with everything that had happened so far. I wasn't exactly thrilled about Scarlett's decision, it just wasn't fair on either of us after how much we'd been through the past year. For her to throw it all away was disappointing although I was happy that she was getting the recovery she deserves. With all the stress and terror she had to deal with, she was honestly taking it better than I would have.

The thing that bothered me the most was Michael Talia and the truth behind his relationship with Scarlett. The fact that somebody who I developed a strong respect for since beginning to play for this club had deceived me and the people who I truly cared for angered me completely. It was clear from the start that the two didn't get on well and that was understandable, but when I found how much he actually terrorised the woman I loved - and still love - I honestly wanted to kill him. What kind of person would even think about threatening others, spreading vicious rumours, intentionally manipulating, stating false accusations or even publishing content with the main purpose to defame someone?

The more I thought about the whole things, the more angry I could feel myself becoming. As I began to start punching the boxing guides in front of me, my arms felt as though it could've fallen off any moment with how much force I was packing into the punches.

"Marcus, slow down." The voice from behind the boxing gloves stated as I ignored it and kept on aggressively punching the leather guides in front of me. I noticed they were beginning to lose balance but couldn't help myself, still punching and jabbing my fists sharply against the leather guides.

"Marcus, you're going way too fast. Slow down your punches." The voice warned again before I could feel my arms being tightly gripped. I began to struggle, trying to get my arms out of the grip but found myself becoming tired out as I slowed down and just dropped on knees in an overwhelmed heaped. Letting out frustrated grunts, I covered my face with the boxing gloves on my hands, trying to get my breath back.