Chapter 148

He grits his teeth, but ignores her. “You don’t have shit,” he growls. “You wouldn’t be here if you did.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” I step closer again. The next time I speak, it’s with a whisper only we can hear. “Because, unlike you, I can show mercy.”

“Mercy?” he sneers. “You—you’d show mercy to me?”

“Yes.” I keep my tone carefully even. “Because you’re still Eli’s father. And I’d rather you drop this quietly than have Yulian drop you to the bottom of the Hudson.”

“What’s your sugar daddy have to do with this?”

“Oh, my. You didn’t hear?” I lean in further. “Prizrak killed his family. Desya Bogdanov, too. What do you think is going to happen when I tell Yulian you’re in bed with the bastards he’s been hunting all his life? That your money is what paid for the bullets that took his parents and sister?”

Brad goes whiter. “No. That’s impossible.” He shakes his head. “My father would never. My father…”

Wow. He really didn’t know, did he?

I don’t feel bad for him for long. If he was in the dark about Baldwin Senior’s allies, it’s because he wanted to be. Because, when it comes to his father, Brad has a blind spot the size of Texas.

“You know he did.”

“Then you’d never tell him.” He’s sweating now, wiping his clammy palms on his pristine white suit pants. “He’d kill me, and you can’t have that. You swore an oath.”

“Maybe so,” I say coldly. “But you threatened my son. So I’ll swear a new one, here and now: Either you drop this suit, or I’ll give him the proof I stole from your laptop.”

“You’re lying.”

“Then why don’t you fucking test me?” I ask. “Because I can tell you one thing: I might be merciful, but my fiancé won’t be. He’ll draw it out. You think you know what real pain is?” I let myself laugh. “Think again. By the time he’s done with you, you’ll wish all you had were cigarette burns to show for it.”

His panicked gaze darts to my scars.

Then fury flashes over his face. The fury of being confronted with his actions, of being made to face consequences. Brad never liked consequences.

He raises his palm. I realize, with a split-second’s delay, he’s going to hit me.

I don’t flinch.

I don’t move.

I wait for the blow with my head held high.

… And it never comes.

Suddenly, Brad’s arms are both wrenched behind his back. Nikita has one, Isaak the other.

“Think this is enough to get the case dismissed, counselor?” Nikita teases.

Isaak plays along, pretending to think. “I’d say this is a countersuit wrapped in a nice little bow.”

“This isn’t over!” Brad splutters as two officers of the court take over to drag him away. “I’ll end you for this! I’ll fucking end you!”

Every spectator looks white as a sheet. Finally, they’re seeing Brad’s true nature—the monster I’ve had to fight for so long.

The second he’s gone, my parents rush to hug me. “Oh, honey,” Mom whispers brokenly.

“If they hadn’t dragged him off, I’d have killed him myself,” Dad mutters.

“There’s no need,” I tell him. “I handled it.”

“Yes, you did.” He looks at me with something close to awe. “I have no idea what you told him, but there’s no way the judge is going to let this case go forward now. Not with everything we’ve seen.”

I don’t tell him that’s not necessarily true. When it comes to children, a parent’s rights to them often come at a cost of their own safety. I’ve lost count of the tiny coffins in our morgue—of the tears I shed for them.

But even if the judge doesn’t drop this, Brad will. He doesn’t care about Eli enough to risk his life to get him. That’s the difference between us.

I pull my parents close. “Thank you,” I say. “For being here for me.”

When we part, I see Ginny waiting anxiously behind them. “Euphie… I’m so sorry. I had no idea he was like that.”

“I told you he was.” It comes out harsher than I’d intended. “I told you everything, Ginny. I begged you to believe me.”

“I know.” Her voice breaks. “I—I’ll recant everything.”

“Thank you,” I say sincerely. “I’d appreciate that.”

Her eyes are wet now. So are mine. “Can you ever forgive me?” she croaks. “For being such a lousy sister?”

No. You’ve gone too far. The words are on my lips, fueled by anger and weeks of sleepless nights. But I don’t speak them. Because I know where the blame rests. And it isn’t all at her feet.

“Only if you can forgive me,” I say.

Her tears start falling. She wraps me in a hug so tight, I’m scared I’ll never breathe again. But maybe that isn’t such a bad way to go.

“We should go inside,” Isaak says, breaking the spell. “The judge wants to see us.”

This time, there’s no fear in me as I walk into the courtroom. Only a strange sort of calm.

I listen as the judge speaks.

I listen as she bangs her gavel, her decision made.

I listen as my side breaks out in cheers.

And I listen as my heart finally—finally—starts beating again.

We won.

49

MIA

“To Mia!”

Glasses clink around the table, the festive atmosphere instantly infectious.

“To Eli,” I correct, laughing. “He’s the one we’re celebrating tonight.”

“We’re celebrating both of you,” Ginny protests. “You both won.”

It warms my heart—to hear her say that. To have my sister back. Maybe I shouldn’t be so quick to forgive her, but fuck it. I’ve had it up to here with pointless grudges. It’s not the past that matters—it’s the future.

I raise my glass. “To family, then.”

“To family,” everyone else echoes.

We clink again. This time, it feels right.

If only Yulian were here, too.

I shake my head and push that thought out of my mind. When I called him to share the news, he was the one who insisted we start celebrating without him. He’ll join later if he can make it, he said. If not, we still have tomorrow night.

Tomorrow. My heart soars at the thought. After this, we’re going to have infinite tomorrows. No more Brad. No more courts.

Just us.

“Mommy, can I have your pepperoni?”

I smile and push my plate Eli’s way. If he asked me for the moon right now, I’d go grab it in a heartbeat. “Knock yourself out, kiddo.”

He happily digs into my slices. I watch him pry off each piece of pepperoni and pop them carelessly into his mouth. Sauce drizzles down his chin and sprays his Bluey t-shirt.

Without thinking, I pull him into a side hug.

“Mommy…?”

“I love you so much.” I kiss his curls and fight off the tears. “To the moon and back, and back, and back.”