Neither man said a word as mum turned her back on Caretaker and walked toward me. “I love you,” she said, reaching for my hand. “It’s finally over.”
I gripped it tight, hoping that she was truly free from those demons that have haunted her for so long. “I love you more.”
She gave a small, trembling smile. “I love you most.”
Epilogue Part 1
Ryder
One Year Later
Ofcourseshe was late to her own show.
It wouldn’t be Violet if she was on time.
“Stop fidgeting. You look like you’re in withdrawal,” Roman mused, standing beside me at the bar with, I shit you not, a glass of milk.
Seriously, he was a badass Bratva heir, and he was drinking a glass of milk rather than the expensive fucking whiskey I’d just bought him. What the fuck was up with this guy?
“Shut up,” I muttered, trying to drown out the block of ice forming in my stomach. The burn of the whiskey didn’t help. If anything, it made it worse. “She’s here.”
I’m pretty sure my heart skipped a beat when she appeared in that soft purple dress, a smudge of paint streaked across her brow. Greta was fussing over her, muttering as she tried to rub it off with her thumb. Violet’s hair had been braided neatly down her back, shorter than before but still long enough to wrap around my fist.
“You’re fucking whipped,” Roman chuckled, but I ignored him because Violet turned and met my gaze from across the room.
She looked like chaos wrapped in sunlight.
And I had never seen anything more perfect.
Shame I wanted to snarl like a caveman when her mum stole her attention. Greta and I will never be close, but I could admit she was trying for Violet’s sake. She was still crazy, but now it was themedicatedkind of crazy. Not the full-blown, foaming-at-the-mouth variety.
But I didn’t need to give in to my darker instincts, because Violet looked atme.
She even stepped in my direction, but then her friends swarmed her with congratulations, pulling her into hugs and boring conversations.
It was her first solo exhibition, her moment, and she deserved every bit of praise flooding her way even if I wanted to steal her all for myself.
But I didn’t, because I was beinggood.
Instead, I stood there, watching her glow under the lights and attention, and all I could think was how fucking proud I was of her. And at the same time, I was pretty sure I was going to be sick.
“You’re being dramatic. Do you really think she’ll say no?” Roman said, his shoulder knocking into mine.
Anxiety.
I, Ryder Finn, master thief extraordinaire, had anxiety.
“Remind me why I invited you again?” I groaned, downing the rest of my drink while Bug glared at me from across the room. I gave her a little wave.
“You didn’t invite me, Violet did,” the traitor said, facing me with a smirk. “We’re friends.”
“I’m going to shoot you.”
He scoffed. “You can’t. Your depth perception is fucked.”
I whacked him in the shoulder, which earned me another glare from Bug.
Seriously, after all this time, you’d think she’d have warmed up to me. But no. Apparentlybetraying her best friendis, like, a lifelong offence and she’ll ‘never forgive me’. Talk about dramatic.
