Memories of Shadows

[Chance] POV:

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The rain has finally cleared. But the fog remains.

The streets of Forsaken are still wet, glistening in the dim light of the streetlights.I didn't dare go back. Not again.

Instead, I go to the only place where I could really get answers.

Mafia.

The bar door creaks as I push it open.It smells of whiskey, stale smoke, and something familiar.But not warm.Not like home.

Mafia is sitting there-as always.But today he looks different.No longer the boss who ruled over everything.No longer the man who was the dark force in all the stories.

He is... tired.The shadow of his own past weighs more heavily than the weapon he carries.

When he sees me, he just stays seated. His hand closes around the glass, but he doesn't raise it.

"You didn't come here to get a few drinks, Red," he says finally, his voice raspy.

I step closer. Close the door behind me.

"I need answers."

He laughs. Not a real smile. Just a bitter tang that quickly fades.

"You're not the first to say that."

I hesitate. Not because I'm afraid-but because the question on the tip of my tongue takes my breath away.

"You... you know who Chance was, right?"

The room seems to breathe as his eyes narrow. He says nothing, but for a moment it falls silent-eerily silent.

I look at him closely. Try to see through him.It's a look I can't quite interpret.There's something monstrous about it.

"You know the story," he says, his voice as calm as death.

I feel something tighten inside me. My head is pounding.I step closer to the table. "I need to know what happened. Who was he?"

Mafia turns the glass in his hand with the palm of his hand.His fingers are shaking, though he won't admit it. The years have left their mark on him.

"There are some things better left forgotten.""I don't want to hear that you don't know what you did to him.""Oh, I know. Do you understand?" His eyes meet mine. "But that doesn't mean you want to hear it."

"Hear it?""Yes. Because you don't know anything about Chance. Not really."

I can't breathe.The pain shoots through my body, like the cold steel of a knife.But I need to know what happened.I need to know. For me.

"He wasn't just a gambler," Mafioso finally says, his words harsh, as if they were made of shattered glass."Chance... that was more than a name. He had the cards to change the world, Red. But he played with fire, and that... that burned us all."

I feel my throat tighten. The words slap me in the face."But what happened? What did you...?"

Mafioso looks at me as if he can't answer me.The answer he wants to give me is in the same room as the death he'll never forgive me for.

He stands up and then turns to the window. "Sometimes it's better to let things be."

And in that moment, I know.

I'm not just searching for what Chance was.I'm searching for a part of myself I never truly knew.

He turned to me as if he wanted to say more-as if he wanted to finally tell me the whole truth.

But then, almost as if he didn't dare say the words, he turned away again.

"You should leave, Red. You'll never find the answer you're looking for."

I turn around.The door behind me closes with a soft clang.

But one thing remains with me:The realization that I'm not the same as before.Because no matter what happened, I know now that Chance was a part of me-and always will be.

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To be continued...

-----------Ty for the 200 reads