Giovanni was one petty bastard, but apparently, so was Bruce Bellerose.
The pieces were starting to fit together. “My father said he spent years trying to take down Giovanni, piece by piece. He faked an entire life with me and my mom all as part of his revenge plot.”
Fiorella nodded. “Yes, after many years I admitted the truth to him, and he started trying to win me back. But I’d had Angelo by then, and I couldn’t risk him. Not even for Bruce.”
“What happened the night of the fire? Why did he lose what remained of his humanity then specifically?” Grayson asked, a question he’d clearly pondered over more than once.
She wore a look of pain. “Giovanni seduced your mom, Billie. They were having an affair, and Bruce found out. It was the last straw. I tried to talk him out of his plan, but he was a crazed man. From then on, he was Wilson. I’d never feared for myself around him before, but that night… what was left of my Bruce died. I went abroad the next day and have only returned when forced.”
I honestly had no idea what to say. Not a fucking clue. I just stared at her and hated that she looked so much like my Angel. But there was a vast difference. She chose to run and hide, to take extended vacations while leaving her son to suffer at Giovanni’s hands. Angelo would cut his own hands off before abandoning his loved ones.
“Get the fuck out of my house,” I breathed, barely containing my anger. “You will find no peace or forgiveness here because your weakness cost all of us so much.” I was being overly harsh, I could hear it in my every word, but I couldn’t stop myself. She knew… all along, she knew about my dad. The suffering that she could have saved us all, had she spoken up sooner…
She didn’t flinch. She didn’t seem to care. Standing, she smoothed down her skirt. “All I needed to do was tell my side of the story. I don’t care about your forgiveness.”
“You never even apologized.” I pointed out.
She hadn’t. It had been an explanation, plain and simple. A way to relieve her own mental burden, but with very little accountability for her role in it all. Sure, she’d never asked to be kidnapped and have her life stolen like that, but fuck, if she didn’t at least attempt to stab Giovanni while he slept, I’d never have an ounce of respect for her.
Logically, I knew I was holding an abused woman accountable for her own shitty situation and that wasn’t fair. But I was so enraged I was shaking. Maybe one day when I cooled down, I could apologize. Today wasn’t that day.
Once she was gone, I collapsed on the couch, and Grayson lifted me once more into his lap. “You okay, Prickles?”
I just shook my head. “Not even remotely.”
It felt like my mind was fracturing, a cracking pane of glass that continued to shatter as her story stirred in my mind. Thankfully, the door opened a few seconds later, and when Jace and Angelo entered the room, I took one look at them and burst into tears.
Jace hadn’t been kidding about the therapy thing. I would be camping out at Dr. Candace’s office until she could see me.
No fucking excuses.
Fiorella Ricci taught me one thing with her weak bullshit attempt at an explanation. It was time to wipe the slate clear and move forward from this.
As my boys surrounded me, I knew that unlike her, I had everything to live for now, and I planned on doing just that.
epilogue part one
BILLIE
EIGHT MONTHS LATER.
“Billie Bellerose,” Dr. Candace said with a broad smile. “I’ve been waiting all morning to see you.”
The doc had taken to using my full name when we started our session, mimicking the media’s overuse ofBillie Bellerosefor the past eight months. Theboys of Bellerosehad been trending across all social media platforms for months, fueled by the marketing genius of Brenda, who remained the boys’ publicist.
“Can I just start our last session by saying how proud I am of you, Billie,” she continued. “The woman who sits before me today would barely recognize the woman who sat on my couch a little over a year ago.”
My smile was genuine because the doc was right. So much had changed over the past year that I wasn’t remotely the same person. It was bittersweet to know that this would be my last session with Dr. Candace for a long time. The boys and I were about to set out on a worldwide tour for our new indie label, Bellerose Music,starting tonight in Madison Square Garden. Our plane was leaving in two hours, so this was my last chance for therapy and closure.
Not that I hadn’t spent the last eight months ensuring that I could have the clean slate I’d always wanted.
“Let’s just sum up the last eight months, Billie,” Dr Candace said with her gentle smile, “so you can truly see how far you’ve come. I know we’ve covered all of this many times, but this is the moment you acknowledge your hard work and growth and enjoy the bright future you’ve fought so hard for.”
“I can hardly believe it,” I said with a sigh. “I’ve never known as much happiness as I do today, with all the dark clouds that had been hanging over us finally gone.”
She just smiled, waiting patiently for me to continue. Dr. Candace had a real skill in knowing when someone needed her help to get words out and when they just needed an extra second to rearrange their thoughts.
“Okay, let’s start with Rhett,” I said, thinking of my sweet knight. “His family is dealt with, once and for all. Townsend Community is no longer, and the town of Townsend is now the number one refuge in America for women escaping abusive relationships. His kind heart somehow managed to turn a depraved, misogynistic, brainwashed cult into something truly good.
