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Prologue

Current Day

"I have been out there Harry I see what happens!" She shouted trying to convince me to stay.

"You don't understand, you will never understand!" I shot back with sweat forming on my forehead from the stress weighted on me.

"No Harry I don't understand your right! Your putting yourself at risk for something that's not even worth it!" I hated seeing Desiree cry but there was nothing I could do or say to comfort her fears.

"I'm trying to give Gabby a better life!" I argued with Desiree who would never understand the weight that sat on my shoulders. Gabrielle deserved more then what I was giving her, if I did this our lives could change.

"She can't have a better life if her dad is dead!" I could see how badly Desiree wanted me to drop all of this but I was too set in my ways. "You will get hurt out there!" She shouted again with tears in her eyes.

"I've gotta make ends meet." I told her with my voice raised from the anxiety racing through me.

"And what's going to happen when you get hurt out there and she has no one?!" She pointed in the direction of the room where Gabrielle slept soundly.

"Daddy?" The small voice of Gabby sounded amid the argument between Desiree and I.

"Go back to bed bug." I  The turned my view to see her rubbing her eyes with one hand and holding her teddy bear's arm in the other.

"Daddy I'm scared." She spoke softly as she toddled over to me, getting down to her level I picked her up and felt her arms wrap around my neck.

"It's okay bug, everything's going to be okay." I rubbed small circles on her back as she laid in my chest.

"No Harry everything is not going to be okay. Your giving up that for the sake of winning?" Desiree gestured to Gabby who was locked around me.

"I gotta go now bug, promise me you will be good for Dez." I bent down to let her go but she kept her grip on me around my neck.

"No daddy! Don't leave me!" She stomped her feet on the ground as I unlaced her fingers from my neck. "No daddy!" She cried with tears brimming her eye lids.

"I hope you know what your doing." Desiree said looking defeated from the argument she tried to make in her favor.

"Daddy!" Gabby drew out the word when she reached out for me in Dez's arms. Shutting the door behind me all of this hurt but this was the only way I could fix things. The only way I could give Gabrielle what she deserved, I made a mistake in the past and I now need to make up for it.

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3 Years Earlier...

The TV flashed pictures and images of football stars as my eye lids began falling just as I would open them again. Sleep nagged at me as I laid on the cheap couch that had brought me some comfort in the past months. Letting myself drift off into a sleep with the TV as white noise in the background, everything was interrupted by a loud knock at the door.

Eyes popping open I sat up turning myself to look at the door. I never trusted people around here at night, I lived on the trashy side of town which brought in all kinds of untrustworthy people from all corners of the state. Again another pound was made at the door as I then stood up glancing at the small green glowing numbers on the microwave, 3:25AM. Weary I approached the door looking into the peep hole looking out to see who was responsible for the loud knocking at such an early hour in the morning. Focusing my sight I saw someone begin to run only leaving me with the sight of a girl with blonde hair flying behind her as she disappeared from my view.