Chapter 5 - The Unbroken Promise
The silence in the cabin grew suffocating, broken only by the distant hoot of an owl and the creak of settling timber. Jax walked slowly toward the stone fireplace, his heavy boots thudding against the floorboards, and knelt down to inspect the cold hearth. He didn't look at her when he spoke, his voice dropping to a low, rough murmur. ""Your mother was a good woman, a lot tougher than she let on,"" he said, his fingers tracing the rough edge of a stone. ""I didn't break her heart, kid. I saved it from breaking completely."" The girl stepped forward, her scuffed sneakers clicking against the wood. ""Then why did you leave? Why did my mom spend every night staring at an old picture of you two, crying when she thought I was asleep?"" Jax turned his head slowly, his dark, tattooed arm resting on his knee, a flicker of raw pain crossing his rugged face—emotions he had spent decades burying beneath leather, ink, and miles of empty highway. Before he could answer, the beam of a flashlight suddenly swept across the broken front window, cutting through the darkness outside and freezing them both in place.
