Maybe they were fucking drugging me down here. I’d heard they did that shit to people.
“Foxy?” I called out again. “Is it you?”
“It’s me,” he said, his voice shaking as tears streamed down his cheeks.
I threw myself at him, hugging him tightly and sobbing his name over and over as I clung to him.
He held me back, crying with me.
“How?How?” I cried, pulling away to look at him.
Fuck, he looked like he’d been through hell. His casket had been closed at his funeral on account of his body being burned. His father confirmed his death. There were dental records and all sorts of shit used. Plus, Enzo had seen him dead down here.
None of it made sense to me.
“Foxy, how the fuck are you here? Is this real? Am I dead?” I stared at him, shaking my head. “I’m dead, aren’t I?”
“No, man. You’re alive,” he said gently.
“Then how…?”
I couldn’t believe I was staring at one of my best friends.
“Matteo,” he said sadly. “The coin. It was a tracker. I pushed the button down here. He sent Alessio. I was dying anyway. I wanted to save E. I’d forgotten I even had it. But Matteo followed through. Saved me. E was saved. I-I was dead. I’d made the deal with Matteo that I’d be dead if I pushed the button, but dead to Matteo meant something else.” He wiped at his eyes. “I’m sorry.”
I stared at him. “Y-You left us.”
He nodded, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. “I did. I wanted Rosalie to be safe. Matteo had officially killed me. There was no going back. I wanted to die anyway, and so I did, just not in the way I thought.”
“You left us,” I repeated, continuing to stare at him. “You-You took Rosalie… my-my daughter… you fucking knew all of it and you left us.” I shook my head, the tears still falling. “Why would you do that? To me, Fox? You knew how much I wanted my family. You knew…”
“I know.” His voice cracked. “I knew that, but I also love Rosalie more than anything. All I wanted was to save her from what was happening. It was killing me. I’d failed her so many damn times in the past. It was the one thing I could do for her.”
“So she found out you were alive and you married her the next day before fucking her with Anson and running off in the sunset.” My heart ached.
Fuck. What the fuck.
“With my baby,” I finished. “Y-You stole my entire fucking life! What the fuck sort of friend does that? Huh?”
My anger was taking over now. He’d fooled us all. The ultimate fucking fox indeed.
“That’s why Church told us to fuck off and leave Rosalie alone. He was protecting you too. Fucking assholes!”
“I’m sorry for your pain?—”
“Do you have any fucking idea what this has done to us? Huh? It tore our family apart! We had a funeral! We buried you! We mourned you! We still fucking mourn you and visit your grave. I talk to you when I’m alone because I have missed you so fucking much, but you… You son of a bitch. You were off living my life. With my girl. My daughter.” My jaw trembled as I stared at him, the tears still slipping free. “Foxy, why? Did you never love us?”
“In or out, and out was through a body bag,” he whispered. “You know I loved you guys, but I have always loved Rosalie more.”
“Fucking prick.” I glared at him. “Does Enzo know?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I haven’t told him. I-I told E. He knows.”
I scoffed. “I hope he punched you in the fucking face.”
“He told me I was dead to him,” he said, his voice cracking.
I let out a soft huff of bitter laughter. “He always was smart. He’s right. You are dead. Fucking stay that way. Dick.” I shoved him, and he fell on his ass as I flopped back onto my bed and stared at the ceiling, my tears streaming out silently.
