Something had to change. 

I knew he never would. He's had every chance to be good. For years, he's tormented everyone around him. He's a tyrant and a bully-the kind that I despise. I stayed silent too long, sitting by while he tore everyone around him apart. But I'm done letting him hurt people. I'm the only one who can end the pain he causes to everyone I love. I've hated him my entire life. 

But then I found out what he did to her.

 And I broke. A part of me died when she told me the secret she'd been keeping inside. The pieces started coming together like a puzzle, revealing the bigger picture. I was in the center of it all. I was responsible for what he did. The guilt is consuming me whole. My hands have to be the ones that end it all. 

I've fought for less my entire life.

 The devil may be off my back, but the demons still linger, holding me in the fire of my past, keeping her just outside my reach. I've always wanted her. I need her. I can't stay away from her, even though she deserves better. Together, we're explosive, but apart, we're a wreck. If I'm going to love her, I have to be a better man than he was. Amends must be made, debts must be paid, and opponents must be beaten.

 The only way to end a fight is to stay in till the opponent taps out. And it's not going to be me.