BROKEN VOWS

Chapter Sixteen. It takes courage. Part 1

Rainbow's POV.

As I rounded the corner to the car park, my gaze instinctively drifted back to Hunter. His pacing had grown more agitated, his feet moving with a restless energy that betrayed his turmoil. The shadows under his eyes told a story of sleepless nights, and his entire demeanor seemed weighed down by the burdens of his thoughts.

I felt a pang of solidarity, wondering if he, too, had spent the night lost in a maze of anxiety. Perhaps our worries were different, but the fact that he seemed just as unsettled as I was brought me a strange sense of comfort. It was a small consolation, but it was something – I wasn't alone in my unease.

As Hunter halted in front of his house, his eyes locking onto mine, my brief sense of relief dissipated. His face was a map of exhaustion, etched with deep lines and sunken eyes that seemed to hold a thousand unspoken worries.

"Hey there, stranger! Are you okay? You don't look so good," I asked, my concern genuine as he opened the passenger door and slid into the car.

He let out a deep sigh, his shoulders sagging under the weight of his fatigue. "Hey... good morning," he groaned, his voice laced with a rough edge. He rubbed his face as if trying to scrub away the exhaustion. "I feel exactly how I look," he admitted, his eyes drifting shut for a moment, before snapping back open to regard me with a weary gaze.

"You didn't sleep at all, did you?" I asked, already sensing the answer. Hunter's silent confirmation came in the form of a slow, weary headshake, his hand still rubbing the fatigue from his face.

A nagging voice in the back of my mind whispered doubts, refusing to be silenced. Was Hunter having second thoughts about this trip? The possibility unsettled me. This journey was a monumental step for him – his first visit to his sister's grave, a chance to finally pay his respects.

My heart ached, thinking about the cruel hand fate had dealt him. Incarcerated at the time of her passing, Hunter had been denied the chance to say goodbye, to mourn the loss of his only sister and closest friend. The weight of that loss still lingered, a palpable ache that I could sense, even as I sat beside him.

"If you're worried about this whole thing, I suggest you shouldn't. Because you're doing the right thing," I offered, trying to inject some reassurance into my words.

But Hunter's response was a vehement shake of his head. His voice cracked with anguish as he spoke. "How can I not worry? How can I just show up at her grave, pay my respects, and pretend like she died in peace? I abandoned her when she needed me most, Bow. I remember the desperation in her eyes when she begged me not to leave. You didn't see it. You weren't there. But I was. I left her. And now...now I'm haunted by that decision. I'm such a coward"

His hands flew up to cover his face as if trying to shield himself from the pain of his memories. His body shuddered, wracked with sobs, as the weight of his guilt and regret threatened to consume him.

"Hey, don't you dare call yourself a coward!" I exclaimed, my voice rising in a passionate defense. "You don't get to put yourself down like this, Hunter. You made a mistake, yes, but you've paid for it in ways you'll never forget. And yet, you're still punishing yourself, reliving that guilt every waking moment. But you're not responsible for your sister's death!" I emphasized, my words tumbling out in a heartfelt plea.

I hadn't meant to shout, but the pain of seeing Hunter torment himself over something that wasn't his fault was almost too much to bear. My heart ached, witnessing the anguish etched on his face, the weight of his regret crushing him.

"It's not your fault, Hunter," I repeated, my voice softer now, but no less urgent. "Your sister wouldn't want you to carry this burden. She'd want you to heal, to move forward, to live."