“Agreed.” I stride forward and rip the tape from his mouth, grabbing a handful of his hair and yanking his head back. “You’re lucky your fate is in Sloane’s hands. If it were up to me, you’d suffer the same fate as that old prick.”
“Your whore swallowed my cum. Think of that next time you fuck that pretty mouth.” A knife is in my hand and pressed against his neck before I’ve even processed the motion.
“No, Cristian!” Sloane shouts. “He’s baiting you.”
“Should’ve fucked that tight pussy and virgin ass when I had the chance,” Alvaro adds, and I dig the knife into his neck, drawing blood, the same time Sloane shoots him in the crotch.
The guy roars, over and over, his entire body convulsing as blood pumps from the hole where his dick used to be.
“I could torture you for days. Make you feel some of the torment I felt, my mother felt, but I don’t need that. I get to live, and you don’t. I will be the bigger person and extinguish your miserable existence in a merciful kill, but I don’t forgive you. I will never forgive you.” Sloane puts the muzzle into his mouth. “Move away, Cristian.”
I walk over to Caleb, and we watch my girl exact her revenge.
“Burn in hell, Alvaro.” Sloane pulls the trigger, and the back of his skull shatters, splattering the wall with brain matter.
Her hand shakes as she stares at him with a look of shock on her face. I gently pull her away and take the gun. “Baby.”
Her eyes lift to mine, and a myriad of differing emotions flicker in her eyes. The enormity of what she’s done isn’t lost on me. This took balls, and my baby has them in spades. But it’s clear she’s in shock, and I need to take control. “You did good, beautiful, but let me kill this other asshole for you.”
Slowly, she nods, and I keep a tight hold of her trembling body as I aim the gun and fire. A clean hole appears between the fucker’s eyes as his head falls back, and his vacant stare points to the ceiling.
“It’s over.” Placing my gun down, I crush her to me, wishing I could absorb all her pain and make everything better. Sloane sinks into my embrace, and her entire body shakes as I hug her. She was so brave, but the hardest part of the journey lies ahead of us as we come to terms with everything that’s happened. I hold her until she stops shaking and releases me.
She looks more composed when she asks, “Now what?”
“Now, baby.” I link our fingers. “We wipe the slate clean and start over.” Caleb holds the door open as we walk out into the hallway. “It won’t be easy, but we will conquer every challenge together. Today is day one of the rest of our lives.”
EPILOGUE
SLOANE – ONE YEAR LATER
“Happy, Mrs. DiPietro?” Cristian asks, twirling us around the dance floor as our guests surround us, clapping enthusiastically with the odd wolf whistle and catcall mixed in.
“The happiest, dear husband.” The biggest smile spreads over my face. “That will never get old!”
Cristian grins, tightening his arm a little around my waist. “It feels like I’ve waited an eternity to call you my wife.”
“The road has been rocky, but it’s worth it to reach this point, this day. Imagining this kept me going during some of the darkest times, never believing it would happen, but I guess sometimes dreams do come true.”
Cristian kisses me to whoops and hollers from our friends, and I’m bursting with happiness and pride. Couples join us on the dance floor, but I barely notice because I’m too busy smooching my man. “I love you, and I love our life,” he says, sharing my joy.
As one, we turn and look at Elio and Yasmine dancing in a circle with Beatrice and Sabina. We sway in time to the music as we smile at our family. Cristian’s mother and sister have helped us a lot this past year, and I’m grateful. Things haven’t been smooth sailing. I had a lot of repressed emotions I needed to deal with, and Cristian and I had several issues to work through in our relationship. But we spent time in therapy and prioritized open communication and giving one another space when needed, and we built a stronger bond on an even deeper level.
He’s my rock. My best friend. My lover. My biggest champion and supporter. My partner in life until I draw my last breath. No matter what life has in store, I know I can handle it with Cristian by my side.
I’m continuing therapy because I still struggle with guilt over Mom. Visiting her grave was emotional on a whole other level. Walking through my childhood home and sharing stories with Cristian and the kids was nostalgic, heartwarming, and painful all at the same time. I hate how her life was cut short, but I want to honor the sacrifice she made by living my best life. Not a day goes by when I don’t think about her, and I know I will always feel her loss deeply.
She’d be thrilled I found a wonderful man who loves me openly and passionately, and I have an incredible family I adore and friends who mean the world to me, but I don’t know if I’ll ever be entirely free of blame. I guess I’m still a work in progress, but with Cristian’s support, hopefully, I can find a way to overcome the remaining hurdles I must face.
For now, I’m focusing on the good things in my life, and today is a day to celebrate and look to the future.
Three months ago, we decided to adopt Yasmine. She’s the little girlLa Cosa Nostrarescued from the cartel. At ten, she’s much smaller than her half-brother in part due to the neglect she suffered during some of her formative years. Although medically there is nothing wrong with her vocal cords, Yasmine is nonverbal except when she wakes from one of her regular nightmares, and her screaming confirms her lungs are in working order, and it’s trauma that stops her from speaking.
PTSD is no picnic, and Yasmine’s only surviving relative—hergrand-mère, an older woman who lives in a tiny town in northern France—was ill-equipped to give Yasmine the specialist care and attention she needs. When the opportunity arose, we didn’t hesitate to adopt her. Fiero and Valentina would’ve taken her in if we hadn’t, but they already have their hands full with four little ones at home. There was zero hesitation for Cristian or me. Yasmine belongs with us, and we haven’t regretted our decision even on very difficult days.
Elio is the most amazing big brother. There are only five months separating them, but in lots of ways, Yasmine seems so much younger. Elio is incredibly protective, and they formed a bond straightaway. Where one is, the other is almost surely to be found. Yasmine often shies away from touch, but she readily hugs her brother, and her obvious joy in his company is plain to see. We’re hoping in time, with more specialist therapy and unconditional love, Yasmine will be able to overcome the trauma and learn to find more joy in the world.
“I’ve never seen our son look as emotional as he did walking you up the aisle.” Cristian’s eyes grow suspiciously glassy.
