𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧 ♦ 𝐑𝐃𝐑

🇨​🇭​🇦​🇵​🇹​🇪​🇷​ 33

Antonio Hinton P.O.V.

     I awaken the next morning to my ex-wife going absolutely nuts. I couldn't understand why, till I recalled the letter Asher had revived and what he was doing for his family. "I knew he was a no good sack of shit! I knew it!" Rose is yelling down the hall before she's storming into the living room. "What sort of advice did you give that boy huh?! He ran off! Said things was changing! Just like you!" I look her over in confusion before she throws a piece of paper at me. It was a letter from Asher to Selina before I looked up at the woman.

"I didn't give him any advice!"
"You was the last one who saw him! You said he was running off to go be with his friend! Selina is absolutely heartbroken and so are the kids! What are you playing, Antonio?! Huh?!"
"Rose! He fuckin' ran off cause he needed to make a choice, it's all right here in this letter he got!"

I reach down to get the envelope out of my inner jacket pocket from the ground before I hand it over to the woman. She reads it over before she raises her eyebrows. "That boys gonna die! Antonio! Why didn't you stop him?"
"One moment you're callin' me a no good sack of shit and now you're over here tellin' me how the boy's gonna die! What is it?" I question before the woman looks me over for a moment. "Why didn't you stop him? You realize what this means?"
"I do. I know what it means. He wants nothing more than to be here, Rose. But he didn't want Selina to know 'cause she would've tried to stop him. Had he been stopped, he would've cost her life as well. All our lives."
The woman looks more than enough worried about the boy for once. I was worried for him too but I didn't want to be honest about it. "He left his ring ya know. He wants her to find someone who's better for her than him. God, I feel so horrible. I should've never snapped at him like I had." Rose looks like she could cry about it all right now, I know she felt bad about yelling at Asher when Selina got shot when it wasn't all his fault. I come up to her before she looks up at me with those damn green eyes of hers. I swear, Selina got these eyes and even Sadie did too. They were enough to melt anyone's heart. "You didn't mean it. I know you didn't. But you still hurt him... I know he loves her with everything he has. For so long he has. Exactly why he wanted to sacrifice himself for her and those kids. He told me so." I mutter before we look at one another for a moment and then she comes in for an embrace. One that I didn't know I missed as much as I did right now. "You need to talk to your daughter... Please. She's so distraught over this. The kids, they have no idea what's happening for the most part, Ryan's trying to entertain them upstairs. But, they have no clue." I knew that I wasn't the best to Selina after I left. I wanted nothing more than to see my daughter as much as any other father. But I turned my back on her and therefore, it was only right she did the same to me. "I'll see what I can do. All I can say." I mutter before I let the woman go from within my arms.

I took a deep breath as I walked down the hall. I was nervous to speak to my daughter for I knew she might not even want to hear my advice or anything of the sort. This was probably breaking her heart more and more as the minutes ticked by. I had gotten the letter back from Rose so I could show it to Selina. Only hoping she would understand the situation and why her husband chose to do what he did. I knock on the door before entering and I find my daughter sitting on the side of her bed. Eyes focused on the floor before they flicker up for the moment, that hope within them, hoping that her husband was going to walk right through that door.
"So she sent you huh? The man who didn't have it in him to stop my husband from leaving me... Makes sense I guess."
Anytime this girl had some sort of bad words to say to me, it always did hurt my heart more and more. I don't say nothing as I hand her the letter Asher had received. She takes it from me quickly before I watch her anger turn into sadness. The tears from her eyes almost like a slow river. "He didn't leave you by choice, Selina. He left you by sacrifice.... He loved you Selina. He did." I muttered as I'm crouching down in front of her. My eyes focused on her as she's crying more and more. "Selina... Listen to me. I know I ain't been the best man, nor father to you all your life. I've been unfair. I've been a big sack of horse shit at times too, but you're my daughter and I love you. I'm sorry for everything." I swallowed harshly before my daughter looks me over again, her eyes are becoming bloodshot now from the tears. "Daddy, why are you doing this now?"
"Because watching you cry like this is the hardest thing I've ever had to witness..."
"I'm sorry for everything too... I am... I just—- I need him, daddy. I need him." She bends over a little as a sob rocks through her. I watch before I bring my hand up and wipe the tears from her cheeks. "I ain't gonna let you cry no more. Which is why I'm gonna go after that boy. Try to stop him before it's too late." I state to the girl as I stand, I lean down and give her a kiss on the forehead. "You and your momma, meet me in Saint Denis. If he's already been shot, I'm takin' him there for treatment." I open the door before I look back at the girl. "Stay strong, Selina. For that baby." I point to her lower abdomen as I'm quickly making my way down the hall. "Ryan!" I call upstairs before my son comes down a bit. "Watch the kids, make sure they stay outta trouble." I command as he nods to me. "You be careful pa, you know them lawmen don't play around." He adds before I give him a slight nod, then here comes little Arthur. "Grandpa?" He questions and I notice Asher's hat within his grasp. "Can you give this to my, papa? I don't need it right now." If he loses his father, I know this is something Asher would want Arthur to have. Though, I didn't wanna think that way. I take the hat from the younger boy no matter what.
"Of course, Arthur. I'll see to it he gets it." I state to the young boy before I head out the front with my bag in hand. Placing the hat within as I'm coming to get my horse. "Everett, come boy." I motion to the animal as I'm pulling on his reins to get him out of the stable, the rain begins to pour down now, knew it was coming and ain't nothing more fitting than the weather changing as it has. I'm just about to ride off before I look to see my ex-wife coming down the steps with my hat within her hands. "Antonio..." She nearly whispers before she grabs me by my collar of my shirt with her free hand and is quick to kiss me in the rain as if we were in some romantic novel. When she pulls away we just look at one another before a chuckle passes my lips. "You be careful now... Cowboy." She gives me a small smile and hands my hat as I smile right back at her. Placing it upon my head as I climb up upon Everett, with a swift click of the reins and my spurs, we're off like some bats outta hell.
Hopefully, I would be quick enough to save this boy. But there were no promises, I just had to trust that something would be okay in the end, for it usually was.