A Wrong Side

Introduction

Today started out damn near perfect for Andrew Riley. He won his most recent case, made a decent amount of money and was about to come home to the love of his life. A woman he plans to marry. Ericka Johnson. He had met her nearly four and a half years ago at a pub in Irlend and hit it off almost instantly. They dated for a while but as he lived in America, the first year was long distance and mostly made of being penpals. Eventually she just moved to America to be with him. He absolutely adored her, a flare of affection blossomed in his chest. A quirky grin settled upon his lips as he ruffled his dirty blond hair and straightened his coat. He thought nothing could ruin his mood, but he was wrong. As soon as he neared his house he felt uneasy, like something was off. Trying to push his anxiety away he retreated into his warm home and sighed in relief as his body slowly warmed up enough for him to remove his coat. Finally at ease, he calmed down and made his way around the house to find his lover. Laughter bounced around the walls and down the hallway leading towards their bedroom.
"No I don't think Andrew knows." Ericka's voice rang out loud and clear.
"Babe if he knows about us...it would break him." A heavy, and distinctively familiar voice echoed back. Andrew peered inside his bedroom to see his lover and his brother laying nearly naked. He could smell the cigars and booze and his blood ran cold.
"What the hell is this?" Andrew barged into the small but comfortable bedroom. Shock echoed on the face of both his lover and the only family that ever mattered to him.
"Babe I can explain." Ericka gasped out, finally over her surprise. She didnt even have the audacity to cover herself as his brother, Mark, had. Her eyes didn't match the guilty tint as his brother had. She gazed at him with uncaring and unashamed eyes. Andrew gaped at her empty blue-green eyes he had adored. He stared at her kiss swollen red lips and the bite marks reaching down to her collarbone. He took in her sex tousled light blond shoulder length hair. His heart broke into a million pieces as she smirked at him. She didn't love him. She didn't care about him the way he cared about her. She didn't even look guilty about breaking his heart. She looked...heartless.
His vision blurred as his eyes began to water but he refused to let her see. He know his voice and hands shook as he told his brother to get the hell out of his house before he murders him. He couldn't look at Mark without feeling a wave of pure anger hit him. He had never been good with anger.
He had never been good with love either.
Ericka yawned as if she was bored and gave Mark a wide smile showing off her straight pearly whites as he rushed out of the room barely covering his junk with his clothes.
This was not the woman he fell in love with.
"Are you just going to fucking stand there gaping or are you going to hand me my clothes so I could get dressed." Ericka all but sang.
Andrew struggled to keep his breathing steady and counted his fingers repeatedly. He had never been good with his temper. With a shaky breath, he stalked out of his room trying to keep calm as anxiety and anger gnawed at him. His heart broke and he stormed out of his house not even bothering to get a coat. The cold air stung as he walked through the thin layer of snow. He couldn't face Ericka. Not now. He tried to ground himself. He started stating facts.
It was 1924.
He was a lawyer.
He was twenty six years old, born October 7th 1918.
His mother was Cheryl Riley and his soon to be step father was Nick Jones.
Andrew took in a sharp breath as a guy in an expensive car yelled at him as he drove past. The cold seeping into his thick button up and lose tie. Andrew stopped and tried grounding himself again only this time because anger was quickly replacing his anxiety. God forbid that happening because he knows he can't handle anger well.
Ericka clearly didn't love him.
His brother was fake.

He had no one.

Before Ericka, Andrew was practically a shadow of a man.
He loved her like he loved no other.
She made him feel alive. Took away the hallow and helped him build up to be a stronger man. She had shaped him up quite nicely. He hadn't drunk as much in a long time. He stopped throwing himself into his work to the point he would damn near exhaust himself. He finally gained weight and the bags under his eyes had finally cleared up after his lover entered his life. Andrew drew a cigarette out of his pants pocket and quickly lit it taking a deep drag. He knew he wouldn't be the same. A deep list begun to form. A lust he was familiar with. One he hadn't felt since he met Ericka. A lust that had started to form at a young age due to his abusive father.

One he knew never went away. Not even long after the bastard passed.

A craving he had distracted with large amounts of booze and cheap cigarettes and lousy sex.

Although it never fully went away the only thoughts that helped where thoughts of his future with Ericka.

He should have known that the lust would never go away. He was a fool to get attached to the doe-eyed blond demon he had fallen for.

But could you really blame him? He had never known proper love until he met her. Never knew family until he met her. It was like...she made him a better person.

His cigarette burned out and with a flick into the snow he lit another one short after.
The hallow empty feeling he was so accustomed too began to fill his being. The only emotion he could feel other than empty was the raw anger and pain coursing through his veins. He swore he'd never end up like his father but right now? He wanted to hurt someone. He couldn't understand how he could feel so much and so empty at the same time.
A voice whispered in the back of his mind that he was always destined to be alone. To be a monster. He knew he was unstable but he just wanted a strong drink. So he made his way to the nearest bar with the intentions to bury himself in a bottle and vowed to never love again.

After a few drinks Andrew still felt empty, hallow yet so angry. So broken. So he did the only sensible thing. He drunk as much as he could without feeling nauseous.

Only difference made was the tipsy lopsided feeling that added onto the hallow. The anger barely faded as he slurred about and onto the nearly vacant street. He tried to remember where his house was but he had no want to go home. Hell he didn't feel like being in Ohio. His vision blurred as he struggled to walk straight. His slicked back hair now messy and unkempt. Andrew took note of the dark and vacant street as he walked lazily through the snow unbothered by the cold.

In his drunken haze he didn't notice a worried Mark dart up to him. As soon as he took in Marks bloodshot green eyes. Much like his own. Anger flared in his chest. He took in the hickies his lover gave him. So he did the first thing he could think of and swung. Mark was always scrawny whereas Andrew had thrown himself into working out to get rid of the hurt and try to push the hate away. He grew up in a rich family home but he knew very well that money can't make up for a broken home. Andrew threw punch after punch as he pushed Mark into the snow. Hate. Anger. Pain. Took over in his drunken messy state as he beat his brother until he was unconscious. "Stop!" A high pitched voice screamed at Andrew as he felt two strong hands pull him back and he fell limp. He watched as Ericka sobbed over his unconscious but breathing brother. He just let the strong arms carry him back as he his eyes grew heavy and he passed out. Completely unaware of the beast he had awoken through physical violence. He caved in.