My father nodded in agreement, then whispered a dark directive, and I pulled the trigger—aiming for the stomach, as my father commanded.
There was no other choice… this was the only choice… my only choice…
I sobbed as my first kill sank in, then another gunshot rang. My father had executed the wife with perfect aim, right between her eyes. She crumpled beside her husband, a dark halo spreading under her head. Tears still clung to her lashes.
“IT’S ALWAYS LIES!” I screamed at him, throat tearing open.
The scent of smoke filled the room. Somewhere deeper in the house, fire had already taken hold.
Viktor grabbed my face. “The world is an unfair place. Look at what you’ve done.”
With that, he left, dragging Darius and Codrin with him. Darius followed without question—the dutiful son, though he kept looking back at me. Codrin fought him—hands tense, jaw clenched—but one tug from Viktor ended the resistance.
Sorin was still alive. Barely. He crawled to his wife, collapsing over her, their blood mixing on the floor. His hand reached for hers, pulling free a small necklace tucked beneath her fingers. I stumbled toward him, a child standing over the remains of a family I helped destroy.
His breath wavered. “Never forget who you are, don’t lose yourself at the hands of your father,” he rasped. “Don’t become him. I don’t blame you. You don’t need forgiveness, Cezar.”
He knew my name.
He pressed the necklace into my palm with the last of his strength, forcing me to take it, and with his final breath, whispered, “For my little red rose.”
Chapter 74
CEZAR
My mind wouldn’t stop spiraling. It kept going between the night I destroyed Adelina’s soul and the night she gave me back my life. She actually did it. What I have wanted to do for so long. He is gone, and no matter what happens now, I am free, but why couldn’t it only have been me who suffered?
Freedom felt like the beginning of losing her.
I was thirsty and hungry and tired and… sad. The thought of losing Adelina hollowed me out.
The door creaked, and Dorin stepped inside. He was a good guy and cared a lot for her. Even though at one point I thought of him as my rival, maybe he could be the one to make her happy.
“You look terrible. No mirrors around though, too bad, I know you like that kind of shit.” He was joking. A rough laugh escaped me, annoyingly accurate.
“Is… she ok?” Holding my head up in this damn pillory was nearly impossible. My knees hurt, and my shoulders were numb. But I wanted to see his face—his eyes always gave away more than his words.
“She will be,” he said, grabbing the bottle of water he brought. “Eventually. Here.”
I did as I was told. Partially because I was thirsty as fuck and partially because I had no fight left in me.
“I didn’t have…” I stopped.Cut the woe-is-me shit.No one gave a fuck if I didn’t have a choice. What a fucking excuse that was. I still pulled the trigger, and now I must endure the consequences of my choices.
Dorin didn’t push. He held up a spoonful of food and waited. “Eat. It’s not good, but it’s something.”
I forced it down. Maybe he still felt guilty about the bullet I took for him. Maybe he didn’t know how to treat me now. Either way, he wasn’t looking at me with resentment.
“How long have you been like this?” he asked.
“Who knows.” I broke into a slight laugh, moving my hands against the wood as much as I could, even though I did know. Down to the hour. “Thanks,” I muttered. “For the food. And water.”
Dorin was fidgeting. Did he know what my ending would be like?
“I’m sorry, Cezar.”
I looked up, unsure which sin he was apologizing for, though I could guess.
“I deserve everything I get.”
