Chapter 135: 34| Death-2

"His muse," she finished for me. "You killed him?" she asked. "Do you remember how he was caught?" I asked. She paused in confusion for a second before shaking her head. "It was Ethan," I mumbled. "He was a kid, just like us. Isaiah left him home alone after telling him never to go into the basement, and Ethan did just that. He must have seen you. That wasn't the first time he snuck down there. I'm sure the first time he did is what we saw on camera today. But that day… I don't know if he did it intentionally, but after seeing me in the closet, he ran off, leaving the door open." "How could I not remember any of this?" "You were six years old, Anastasia. I'm sure you've blocked out most of your time down there. Memories fade with time, no matter how horrible and dark." I scanned her face briefly. "I got out," I mumbled, "when I ran upstairs, the cops were already there." "You think Ethan called the cops on his father?" "I think he could have," I breathed out. "Over the years, I spent all my time tracking Isaiah down. I kept tabs on him, following him to every prison and psychiatric hospital he was ever sent to. A year ago, he was finally granted visitors in person without supervision." "That's when you killed him?" she asked. "I was an FBI agent, no questions were asked when I went to see him." "How did you do it?" "With a knife." I met her gaze. "I did what he did to my parents. It was simple in my mind, Anastasia. I didn't care about the consequences." "Did Marshall know?" "No. He says if I told him, he would have been able to protect me when the authorities got involved and suspected me, but we both know how Marshall is. He wouldn't break the rules for anybody." "He would have for you, Dante," she said. "The past year… where the hell were you?" "Here and there," I mumbled, "I stayed in the city. They would have found me if I had traveled anywhere, one way or another. I stayed with friends sometimes." She paused for a beat, skepticism in her eyes. "You have friends?" I couldn't help but laugh softly. "A few," I faced her. "I crashed at Tristan's for a while, at one point, even at Kai's. Kai introduced me to one of his friends, who finally helped me rent out a place while still keeping it under wraps." "Who?" "Nathan Davenport." The quizzical look on her face told me she didn't recognize him. "He likes to stay in the shadows and doesn't socialize much either. You must have seen him at some events but can't remember." She breathed and then asked me in confusion, "And Ethan? You never found him over the years?" "No," I answered honestly, "I tried tracking him down, but I didn't know his name, and searching for Isaiah's son didn't get me very far. He didn't have any other family to begin with. I assumed he must have entered the system and found a new family somewhere. I never fucking thought he would come back for revenge. If that's what this is." "You think he's out for us? Blames us for his father's death?" "It's all I can come up with right now." Dropping my elbows on my knees, I tipped my head forward, tugging at my hair. "God, I never once doubted my decisions or actions in the past, but I'm wondering if I made a mistake, Anastasia." I closed my eyes tightly. "It was all I could turn to after watching what Isaiah did to my parents, after what he did to me. If I had known it would bring Ethan back to us, to you, I never would have done it. There are punishments worse than death. What if I made a mistake? What if all this is my fault?" I groaned quietly, shaking my head slowly. "Dante," she sighed. I felt her rise off the bed, and then she was kneeling on the ground before me, easing my arms back down. "This is not your fault," she said sternly, "you did it for yourself, you did it for your parents." Pushing higher up on her knees, she inched closer to me. It wasn't until she wiped her thumb across the dampness on my cheek that I realized a few stray tears had betrayed my composure. "Isaiah Morales deserved worse," she said. "You're right, there are punishments worse than death, but we lived through them, Dante, when we didn't deserve to. We've lost everything to that man, to that monster. Our families. Your parents, my sister. It doesn't matter what happens in the future, it doesn't matter what Ethan or anybody else thinks. This isn't your fault, do you hear me?" "But Ana-" "You're the reason I don't have to live in fear of that man anymore. You're the reason I'm probably still here and alive. Don't start doubting yourself now." She paused for a second. "It really isn't a good look on you." I let out a breath, tugging her hands away as she wiped another tear off my face. "Dante," she persisted, shrugging my hands off and taking my face in her hands. Her eyes held mine for a minute. "I can't stand the thought of you hating me if something were to happen to you because of me now, Anastasia," I admitted. "I could never hate you," she replied. "Anastasia…" "Dante, I love you. So, believe me when I say I could never hate you." I blinked once. Twice. Sighing, she leaned in even closer. "I love you," she repeated in a whisper. "I-" She never got a chance to tell me for the third time because, hearing those words come out of her mouth, I couldn't stop myself from kissing her. Tilting her chin up, my touch nothing but a whisper, I pressed my lips to hers, silencing the rest of her words. Her lips were slow and soft against mine. This kiss was unlike any of the others we'd ever shared. Maybe it was the fact that she told me she fucking loved me. She pulled back for a second, meeting my eyes with concern swirling in them. "Say it again," I demanded. She blinked. "I love you." "Again," I breathed, pulling her to her feet. "I love you," she chuckled softly, staring down at me. "Fuck, again, Anastasia." Grabbing the backs of her thighs, I tugged her into my lap with her legs on either side of me so she straddled me. Smiling, she rested her arms around my shoulders, and when her lips brushed against mine, she whispered again, "I love you." Running her fingers through my hair slowly, she asked, "Do you love me?" "Of course I do," I said, "I love you." "Again," she teased. "I love you," I chuckled, tugging her closer. Dodging me, she leaned further back. "One more time," she laughed, throwing her head back to avoid the kiss, resulting in my lips landing on her neck. Placing a hand on the small of her back, I lifted her back up. Our breaths hitched simultaneously as our lips brushed. "I love you," I said quietly before kissing her senseless. . . . . . Chapter 34