88: Home
KILLIAN
Rafael nodded, a tender look in his eyes. "Rue has always been smaller than her age. I made Arabella tell me the truth."
My angel's eyes welled up with tears, and she moved to my side, burying her face against my chest as she let out a sob.
"Yes. She's not his. She's yours, Killian. When Arabella planted that seed..." she sobbed.
"You doubted."
She nodded, and I wrapped my arms around her, stroking her hair as relief flooded my heart.
Rue was mine. I knew it. I had felt it. In every part of me.
"I don't care about the lies," I whispered, pressing a kiss to Sera's forehead. "I care about you. And her. My family."
Matteo was sobbing quietly now, his shoulders shaking.
Rafael finally stepped closer to him.
"I loved you, Mat," he said. "You were my big brother. My hero. But you let your pride blind you. You hurt the one person who would've taken a bullet for you."
"I—I didn't know what I was doing—"
"You do now," Rafael cut in. "And you'll spend the rest of your life trying to make it right. If you get that chance."
Rafael turned and walked out. I stared at Matteo for one more second. Then I followed, leaving with Sera, who slipped her hand into mine. She didn't have to say a word.
But I said it anyway.
"Let's go home."
....
The soft chime of the doorbell cut through the silence.
Sera sat forward instantly, her hands clenched in her lap. Her eyes had been locked on that door for the past ten minutes.
I rose from the couch, and Rafael crossed the room silently, opening the front door.
And there they were.
Sofia stepped in first, her expression gentle but watchful. Then a small figure peeked from behind her legs, curly hair bouncing, big blue eyes wide with curiosity.
Rue.
"Is he here?" she asked, clutching a stuffed rabbit in one hand.
When she spotted me, her face lit up.
"Daddy!" she squealed, breaking into a run.
I dropped to one knee just in time to catch her.
"My princess," I breathed, my arms locking around her small frame. It felt as though every piece of my broken soul had found its way home.
I pulled her close, burying my face in her curls. She smelled like lavender and the faintest trace of Sofia's perfume. My jaw clenched as I imagined how many nights she'd cried out for me and I wasn't there.
Never again.
"I missed you so much, Daddy," she whispered into my neck. "Aunt Sof said you were busy. I was scared you didn't want to see me."
My entire body went rigid.
I pulled back just enough to look into her eyes.
"That's not true, my princess," I said softly, brushing a strand of hair from her forehead. "I always want to see you."
Rue tilted her head, her brows furrowing the way Sera's did when she was confused. "But Arabella said she was my mummy. And Aunt Sera—" she turned suddenly, spotting Sera just a few steps behind me. "You're here too!"
Sera let out a small sob as Rue beamed at her. "Aunt Sera! I missed you lots!"
Rue held her arms open to her, and Sera didn't hesitate. She sank to the floor beside me and wrapped Rue into her arms, holding her as if she might disappear.
Rue pulled back just slightly and blinked up at her.
"But... you're not really my aunt, are you?"
Sera froze.
Rue looked between us. "Because... one time I told you I wished you were my mummy, remember? And you cried a little and hugged me, but you didn't say anything. I thought maybe you didn't want to."
Sera's mouth trembled. "Oh, baby. I wanted to say yes. I wanted to say it so badly."
Rue's voice got quieter. "Are you my mummy?"
Sera's eyes met mine for just a second, and I nodded.
"Yes," Sera whispered, her voice thick. "Yes, my love. I am."
Rue blinked, her lips parting slightly. "Really?"
Tears spilled freely from Sera's eyes. "Really."
Rue processed it with the kind of silence only a smart child could hold. Then she whispered, "That makes more sense. Your hugs are the best."
Sera let out a tearful laugh, and I pulled both of them into my arms, wrapping them tightly.
I couldn't speak. Not for a long moment. My throat was locked. My chest felt like it might split from the sheer weight of love and fury and everything in between.
My family was right here in my arms.
Rue nestled closer, her voice soft. "I didn't like Arabella much. She never looked happy when I laughed. But you do. You both do."
I swallowed the lump in my throat. "That's because we love you, my princess."
Her eyes widened a little as she looked up at me. "Can I stay here? Always?"
I kissed her forehead. "Always."
Sofia cleared her throat gently, and we all looked up.
"I'll give you some time," she said, brushing a tear from her cheek. "I've got some things in Rue's bag. Clothes, her bunny, and her nightlight. You'll want to put that up before bed."
Sera nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Sof."
She smiled, but I caught the steel in her gaze when she looked at me.
"Take care of them, Killian. Both of them."
"Of course," I responded, a new determination setting my heart alight.
After she left, we stayed on the floor for a while. Rue eventually climbed onto the couch and started babbling about everything she wanted to do now that she was "finally home." And I couldn't be more ecstatic.
....
The house had gone quiet.
It was the kind of sacred silence that only came when a child was finally asleep and peace had decided to settle, if only for a little while.
Rue had insisted I read her a story, even though I could barely sit upright without wincing. She curled up against me, her small fingers curled in my shirt. Her lashes fluttered shut halfway through my second sentence. I'd watched her sleep for a long time before Sera finally scooped her up and whispered, "Let's get you to bed, little love."
Now the lights were dim. The soft sound of the night drifted through the open balcony door. The air smelled faintly of lavender. And Sera was kneeling in front of me, her brows furrowed in as she gently unwrapped the gauze from around my torso.
I hissed slightly as she peeled it away. "You'd think I got chewed by a tiger."
"You might as well have," she murmured. "You were strapped down, drugged, and whipped, Killian. You shouldn't even be moving."
She dipped a cloth in warm water and wiped the blood from the edges of the wound. Her touch was careful but firm.
She wasn't scared of what I looked like now. Not of the scars. Not of the bruises. Not of me.
But then, her fingers suddenly went still.
And without a word, she leaned forward and pressed a kiss right to the jagged scar across my ribs.
I froze.
She kissed another. And then another. Her lips ghosted across my wounds as though she was reclaiming me. She was subtly stitching me back together with nothing but her presence.
"I don't care how many scars they leave on you. I don't care how dark this world gets. You'll always have me, Killian. I'll always be your wife. The woman who loves you. And Rue's mother."
My throat burned.
She looked up, her brown eyes glistening. "You gave me everything when I thought I had nothing. You fought for Rue when I didn't know how. You believed in us, even when I was too scared to."
I couldn't speak.
So I cupped her face and kissed her slowly.
When we broke apart, I rested my forehead against hers. "You make me feel human again, Sera."
She smiled, her gaze tender. "You are human, Killian. You just never had someone to protect that part of you."
We sat like that for a moment, breathing in the quiet, wrapped in each other. The world outside could burn, and I wouldn't care. Not if I had this.
Just then my phone buzzed on the table.
Sera pulled away slowly as I reached for it. It was Rafael who was calling. So I answered right away.
"Raf," I said.
"Hey," he answered, his tone light. "Just wanted to check in. Wanted to make sure Rue got in alright."
"She did. She's asleep now. You should've seen her, man."
Rafael chuckled softly. "She called me earlier. Told me she was going to marry me when she turns twelve."
I snorted. "Good luck with that.”
He laughed.
But suddenly... his voice dropped and became slightly breathless.
"Killian."
I sat up straighter, a feeling of foreboding settling on me.
"What is it?" I asked, already feeling the tension coil in my gut.
"I—I think I'm being followed."
"What?" My voice went sharp. "Where are you?"
"Two blocks from the west side. I was heading to my place, but I noticed a black SUV that's been in my rearview for the last ten minutes. I took a few turns. But so did they."
I was already on my feet.
Sera looked up from the gauze, alarmed.
"Raf, stay calm. Is your piece loaded?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I've got it. But Killian..." His voice was lower now and urgent. "This doesn't feel random."
"What do you see now?"
The line cracked.
“I just turned onto—"
There was a loud bang followed by the sound of screeching metal and tires.
"RAFAEL!" I barked into the phone.
There was no response.
I lowered the phone slowly.
Sera rose behind me, her face pale. "Killian...?"
I didn't answer because every instinct in my body screamed the same thing.
Something was very, very wrong.