Chapter 84

Tyler's POV

"Are you nervous about meeting your family?" Victoria asked, her voice breaking the tense silence in the car.

I rolled my eyes and turned to look out the window, ignoring her completely. We'd been sitting in this car for the past hour, following Nathan's instructions to wait near the Sullivan estate. The proximity to the place where everything would soon unfold made my skin crawl.

I couldn't stand Victoria. Every minute spent with her was excruciating, and I wished this whole thing would just end so I could never see her face again. The fact that I couldn't strangle her with my bare hands was adding to my stress.

"Your silence is so predictable," Victoria sighed dramatically.

"What do you want me to say?" I finally snapped, turning to face her. "You tried to kill my twin sister and my niece. What could we possibly have to talk about?"

Victoria's face contorted as if I'd physically slapped her. "I saved your life," she said, indignant. "If it wasn't for me—"

"If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be in this mess," I cut her off. "Don't you feel embarrassed? Walking into that house knowing that nobody, not even your own father, wants you there?"

She flinched at my words, but I couldn't stop myself.

"I will never forgive you," I said, my voice low and filled with contempt. "And when this is all over, stay away from my sister and niece."

I watched as my words pierced through her like daggers, her facade crumbling slightly before she quickly composed herself. Good. Let her feel some of the pain she'd caused.

The phone rang, and Victoria wiped away a tear before answering. I rolled my eyes at her theatrical display of emotion.

"Yes, we're still waiting," she said, her voice suddenly steady. "He's right here."

She handed me the phone. "It's Nathan."

"Tyler," Nathan's voice was direct and businesslike as always. "I need you to cooperate, regardless of how you feel about Victoria."

I clenched my jaw. "Fine."

"I need something else from you," he continued. "Try to work with Victoria until this is over."

I balled my free hand into a fist, considering just how far I was willing to go for this plan. I took a deep breath, reminding myself that my feelings weren't the priority right now.

"Yes, okay, I understand."

"Good." Nathan sounded relieved. "You're different from Lily. You actually listen."

The comment stung, but I understood what he meant. Lily was headstrong, determined to protect everyone around her no matter the cost. It was both her greatest strength and her greatest weakness.

\---

We walked in awkward silence to meet Nathan at the gate. The tension between Victoria and me was palpable, but I forced myself to stay focused on what mattered.

"They're with me," Nathan told the guards as we approached.

As we walked up the long driveway, Nathan observed all the cars parked there. "My father followed my instructions," he said with the barest hint of satisfaction.

Then he turned to me, his expression grave. "In a few hours, Lily will surrender herself."

My stomach knotted at his words, but I nodded stiffly.

"Michael and a friend will take care of her until the time is right," he assured me.

"I understand," I replied, trying to sound confident despite the anxiety gnawing at me.

"I won't tell anyone that I saved Joseph and Christopher's lives," Nathan said quietly. "It would complicate things."

"Isn't that putting Lily in danger?" I asked, unable to keep the worry from my voice.

Nathan's eyes narrowed slightly. "I know what I'm doing."

"I trust your judgment," I said, though uncertainty lingered. "But couldn't I just go directly to—"

"No," Nathan cut me off sharply. "Antonio sees you as the appetizer and Lily as the main course. You're not the one he truly wants."

Victoria chimed in, "Handing over Lily will prevent anyone from getting killed."

I shot her a sarcastic look. "Yeah, you would know all about that, wouldn't you?"

Nathan stepped between us. "Everything will be over in seven hours."

"What about Joseph?" I asked, needing to know where he stood in all this.

"He's playing his part," Nathan explained. "He's pretending to be loyal to his father while actually helping us."

Despite everything, I believed Joseph would do the right thing. He'd shown real remorse for his father's actions, and genuine concern for Lily.

\---

"Everyone's looking at me like I'm a criminal," Victoria whispered as we walked through the grand entrance hall of the Sullivan mansion.

The judgmental glares from the staff and family members following us were impossible to miss. I couldn't blame them.

Nathan led us to his father's office but stopped before entering. "Wait here," he instructed, leaving Victoria and me standing awkwardly in the hallway.

The door opened, and Adam Parker appeared, his eyes narrowing to slits when he saw his daughter.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, his voice cold enough to freeze water.

"Dad," Victoria said softly, visibly shrinking under his gaze.

Nathan quickly intervened. "She's with me, sir. It's fine."

Adam completely ignored his daughter, focusing his attention on Nathan instead. "This better be important."

They disappeared into the room, leaving Victoria and me alone in the corridor.

Through the sliding glass doors, I could see my brothers. My family. The thought hit me like a physical blow. *They don't even know yet.*

I couldn't help but wonder why Sean hadn't recognized the connection between Lily and me. We had the same eyes. Lily had told me that the Moretti family had recognized her immediately, and I felt a twinge of jealousy at that thought.

\---

After about ten minutes of uncomfortable silence, I finally spoke. "You were right."

Victoria looked surprised. "About what?"

"I am nervous," I admitted, staring at the floor. "They're the same people who handed me over to Antonio when they could have fought for me. They chose not to."

I swallowed hard, voicing the thoughts that had been haunting me. "They gave me up and sent Lily away to protect her. I understand why Lily might have reasons to forgive them, but I don't. I'm only here for her."

Victoria's expression softened. "Trust me, the Donovans are warm people. They'll be embracing you within minutes."

She gave a sad little laugh. "Unlike the cold reception I'm getting from my own family."

I found myself offering her advice despite my hatred. "You're still family... they just need time. What you did was really wrong, so you can't expect them to welcome you back with open arms."

"Maybe you should take your own advice," she suggested tentatively. "Forgive the Donovans?"

I shook my head firmly. "You don't understand. It's different—you were never tortured, degraded—"

"I'm sorry," she whispered, reaching out as if to touch my cheek, but I turned away sharply.

"Don't ever touch me."

\---

Victoria nudged me gently, nodding toward an older man who was staring at me, his hand pressed against his chest. Sean Donovan. My father.

I dropped my gaze, uncomfortable under his scrutiny.

Suddenly, the sliding door was yanked open, and Sean stepped out, his eyes never leaving my face. "Let me look at you," he said, his voice thick with emotion.

Slowly, I raised my head, meeting my father's tear-filled eyes.

My brothers, Kevin and Brian, moved forward. Kevin placed his hand on my shoulder and pulled me into a tight embrace. "Welcome home," he whispered.

Brian joined the hug, and I had no choice but to return it, my arms automatically wrapping around them both.

Maybe Victoria was right after all—they were warm people. But my issue wasn't with my brothers.

They stepped back, allowing Sean to look at me properly. He must have sensed the anger in my eyes because he didn't try to hug me. Instead, he took my hand in his and squeezed it gently.

"So your sister didn't want to keep you all to herself," he said with a sad smile.

\---

"This reunion is beautiful," Nathan interrupted, "but we have about six hours left."

He turned to Victoria. "It might be better if you wait out here."

She nodded understanding. "Yes, I get it. I'll wait right here."

Nathan introduced me to everyone as we entered the meeting room. "This is Tyler Bennett, Lily's twin brother."

First was his father, Richard Sullivan, who gave me a warm smile. "Pleased to meet you."

An older man pushed his way forward—Logan Sullivan, Nathan's grandfather. He squinted at me skeptically. "This one doesn't look like Lily. She's kind, but he looks cold. Doesn't seem too excited to see us either."

I shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

"I meant no offense," Logan clarified. "Lily told us how you helped us."

Logan gestured to the gathering of family members. "You'd better be on this side, because we're not letting any Moretti breathe, right Nathan?"

I clenched my fists as my father spoke, expressing concern only for Lily and not acknowledging what I'd been through. I tried to focus on the discussion about strategy instead of my resentment.

"We could send someone to deal with Joseph and Christopher," William suggested.

"No," Nathan insisted. "I'll handle them myself."

As Nathan talked about checking every detail of the plan, my thoughts drifted to Lily and her baby. I wondered if handing her over was truly insane, or if there was some method to Nathan's madness.

I consoled myself with the knowledge that Lily was smart. She would realize this was all part of the plan. She had to.