"If it weren't for your money or power, nobody would want anything to do with you," I say. "Including him."
Her eyes are twin pools of fire now, blazing right at me.
“You had so much power over Chloe, Briar, and me when we were kids," I say. "I bet it kills you that we have lives of our own now. I bet it hurts so much that you no longer have us wrapped around your finger. And Mother?"
Her jaw is tight as she watches me.
She never resorted to physical violence. It just wasn't her style. But I wouldn't be surprised if she delivered a blow to my face now.
"You're empty inside," I say. "That's the reason you are the way you are. You try to fill it with greed and pride, but there's nothing of substance to your life. Yes, you're beautiful, but you're also vain and unhinged.”
I know there's no going back from this.
She's going to make me pay for all of this. But I've had enough of her trying to dictate what my life should look like.
"Fuck you for everything," I say. "Fuck you for giving us drugs and poisons to control us. Fuck you for using us against each other. Fuck you for putting Briar in a coma. Fuck you for always treating Chloe like trash because she's your stepdaughter. And fuck you for making me believe my entire life that I wasn't good enough."
"It's not my fault you were born oversized and plain," she says. "You get that from your father."
I stare at her in disbelief. There's truly no point in trying to talk to her. But I said everything I wanted to say.
And for the first time, I see her for what she truly is.
"I pity you," I tell her. "You project all of your insecurities onto the people around you, but none of this was ever about us. It's always been about you. You don't think you're enough. You don't think you're worthy of love. Of course, there's also the fact that you're a total nutcase, but?—"
"You little cunt," she says, finally lunging for me.
Before she can touch me, there’s a shift in the air. I hear a faint whistling sound before a red hole appears in my mother’s forehead. Two more follow, just to be safe.
My mother slumps to the floor.
I step back as a pool of blood surrounds her head.
The suite door slams shut. Her accomplice tries to flee. It's the smart move, considering Dante's team has completely surrounded the hotel. Still, he’s a dead man walking.
I glance out the open window. There’s a dark figure on the rooftop of the opposite building.
I look into Dante's eyes.
He's the reason I felt bold enough to face my mother. He's the reason I got all of these feelings off my chest. He gives me wings, letting me become the kind of person I always wanted to be.
I exhale slowly and glance down at my mother.
Her indigo eyes are devoid of any emotion. There's no more haughtiness, no more cruelty. She's gone.
It doesn't give me any joy to see her lifeless body on the floor.
But I'm not sad about it either.
A moment later, Dante enters the suite. He holds me close to his chest. I can hear his heart beating wildly in his rib cage, mirroring mine. When we're skin to skin like this, it feels like our hearts are twins—beating as one, existing as one.
"I was so scared," I say.
"You did such a good job, Grace," he says, cupping the back of my head. "And I would have never let her hurt you."
"I wasn't worried about myself," I say. "I was worried that she would somehow take me away. I was worried that she would keep us apart."
"It's all over now," he says, stroking my hair as I sob on his shoulder. "Nothing and nobody will ever try to hurt you ever again."
