Bet my Life (EDITING!!) #BOOK1

Zachary - Savage Love

A lost boy meets an equally lost girl. But can they find their way back to each other, is the real question.

Zachary was the apple of his parent's eyes, that was till his dad passed away. Their mom remarried a seemingly nice guy. Everything seemed fine, till he showed them his true colours. 3 months in, he turned into an abusive drunk. The first time he hit their mother, a skinny 5-year-old Zach grabbed baby Ellie and hid inside his closet. Ellie cried the whole night, but he managed to protect them both. The next morning, when they came out of hiding, they saw their mother's bruised body lying on the floor.

That day, Zach vowed to never let his mother take the hits. A brave boy, who always knew exactly what to say to their step-father to provoke him enough to turn his attention from their mother to him. He didn't mind. If it meant that his mom and Ellie would be safe. He never cried, just stood there, taking it all in. When they grew up, Zach took the role of being their protector more seriously. He tried to get their mother to leave that bastard, but it was of no use.

Once, when he was 12, he was on his way back home from Nate's, when he got held up. When he made it back home late, he realised that he had failed in his job as his sister's protector. He walked in on his step-father hitting Ellie. Unable to control the rage flowing through him, he pounced on him and beat him up until he broke his nose. The only thing that made him stop was his mother's hysterical cries. Angry at his mother for supporting this monster over her kids, he grabbed his sister and went to the Twins' house.

He stayed there, not saying anything to anyone, till the situation settled. He was aware of the relationship his sister shared with Oliver but didn't say anything, giving them their space. He knew that she needed someone like him. Someone who would protect and love her.

Things were good for a while, till the day he turned 16. He, along with Ellie, went back home, to convince their mom to leave him. Things turned ugly when their step-father showed up and started hitting all three of them. Their mom tried to fight back, to protect her kids, but he was much stronger than they were and almost killed them. The police arrived at the right time and managed to get them to the hospital.

The siblings survived with multiple injuries, but their mom was in a critical state. The good news through this was that the bastard was finally in jail. The one thing he didn't anticipate was the effect it had on his sister. A few months later, Ellie tried to kill herself. Torn between having to take care of his very sick mother, and depressed sister, his aunt volunteered to take her in and give her the best care possible. With a heavy heart, he agreed.

Till he went to college, his main aim was to help his mother build herself up. And though it took a lot of efforts, tears and patience, he managed to do it. Mrs Hudson found herself back, and took over her late husband's business, making it more successful than it had ever been.

He helped his mother find her way back, but this boy was more lost than ever. That was until an equally lost girl bumped into him. Isabella Martin, the one good thing that ever happened to him.

She saved him, without even realising it. This girl had his heart from the very first time they danced together, and that's when he knew that she was the one he was going to spend the rest of his life with.