Chapter 144 YOUR GUILT.
\~~~RAINA.
"Now, show me how together we are exactly as a family!" I snapped back, gesturing wildly at the empty house, the absence of Dad, Talia and the chaos of her confession.
Laughter bubbled up, bitter and hollow, but it died in my throat.
A long silence ensued, heavy and suffocating. The clock on the wall ticked loudly, marking seconds that felt like hours. I could hear my own breathing, ragged and uneven, and the distant hum of traffic outside. Finally, I broke it.
"I don't know if I can forgive you," I said honestly, my voice cracking. "I don't know if I can even look at you and Father the same way. And I don't know how to process this... all of this."
My mother's shoulders slumped, the fire in her eyes dimming as exhaustion and grief took over. She sank back onto the floor, leaning against the couch. "I... I understand," she said quietly, her words barely above a whisper. "I only... I only wanted to make sure you stayed safe. But I see now... it's only caused more pain."
"Stop saying that!" I cried, frustration boiling over. Every time she uttered those words, it felt like an excuse, a way to shift the blame. Safe? From what? From the truth? From the consequences of their actions?
The weight of it pressed on me, crushing. Everything I had known, everything I had trusted, had been built on lies. My childhood memories, family dinners, the holidays, and the way they'd cheered at our graduations now felt tainted, and shadowed by this dark secret.
And yet... I was still standing. Still trying to breathe, and still trying to make sense of it. My hands shook as I wiped at my eyes, but the tears kept coming.
I looked at her, my mother, and for a brief second, I saw the woman I'd known as a child, the one who had held me when I was scared, and loved me in her imperfect way. But that version was gone, replaced by the woman who had killed, lied, and covered for a crime that had shaped my entire life. The duality tore at me, leaving me raw.
"We need to get your father out of there," she said suddenly, her voice gaining a hint of urgency as she pushed herself up. "You need to reason with your husband and..."
"No, no. I shall do no such thing." The words came out firm, surprising even me. After everything, I wouldn't beg Luciano for mercy on their behalf. Not now.
"Raina!" she pleaded, standing fully now, her hands clasped together.
"I am sorry, but I do not care what my husband decides to do with Father!" I shot back, my voice rising. "And as a matter of fact, I will tell him everything that happened here today!"
Her face paled, eyes widening in horror. "You are joking."
"Oh, you wish I am, Mother," I laughed darkly, the sound foreign in my throat. It was a laugh born of pain, of the absurdity of it all.
"You are going to tell him what? That your mother killed his mother and your father helped conceal it?" She stepped closer, her voice dripping with venom. "What does that make you? Ah, you think he will applaud you for telling him?"
"Stop it." I turned away, but she kept going, her words like barbs.
"You think that will make him love you more?" She laughed, a bitter, mocking sound that chilled me.
"Stop it, Mother." My hands clenched, nails digging into my palms.
"You are nothing but the child whose parents murdered his mother. You are nothing more than that." Her eyes bored into mine, cruel and unyielding.
"Stop. It!" I bellowed, my voice shaking the air between us.
"You will never be free from that." She didn't back down, her stance rigid.
"I refuse to share in your guilt and burden," I said, shaking my head and stepping back. The distance felt necessary, like a shield against her toxicity.
"Save your father from that man and we'd discuss this more like a family." Her tone softened slightly, manipulative, pulling at old strings.
“You know what I was wrong about, mother?” I said slowly, wiping my tears with the back of my hand.
She looked at me, waiting.
“You. I always pitied you,” I admitted. “I thought you never had a voice under father. I thought you were weak and I promised myself I would never be like you.”
Her expression changed.
“But it is sad,” I continued. “To see who you truly are.”
She swallowed.
“You are nothing like the woman who raised us,” I said. “No… maybe you always have been. You’ve just been very good at masking it.”
Her lips trembled.
For the first time, she had nothing to say, nothing to defend herself with and nothing to manipulate me with.
With that, I turned on my heel, storming toward the door. The tears I'd held back finally broke free, hot and unrelenting, as I yanked it open. Sobs wracked my body, blurring my vision as I stepped out into the sunlight.
The gate closed behind me with a loud sound and I walked toward the car, my vision blurred from crying.
Gabriel quickly stepped out when he saw my face.
“Ma’am…”
“Drive,” I whispered.
He nodded immediately.
As the car pulled away from the house, I didn’t look back.
I couldn’t.
Because if I did, I might crumble.
And I couldn’t afford to crumble.
Not now, not when everything was about to explode.
And as the house disappeared from view, I finally let myself break.
I covered my mouth and sobbed.
Not for my father, not for my mother.
But for the version of my life that had just died.
And for the man I loved…
Who would soon discover that the woman who killed his mother was mine… and the man who helped cover it up was my father.
And with that thought, I broke completely.