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He hunches his shoulder and leans forward, a wry smile on his face. His hand sweeps out to his side, and he bows his head towards me. "I'm a bag full of dying bones, Xander. I'm not the one you need to forgive."
Before I can reply, mother's snappy footsteps fill the room. Another heavier one follows behind her, which I attribute to Enzo before Alec's voice breaks into the furrow.
"I'm sorry, brother."
I swing my head towards him and fist my hands at my side. "Are you really? You have been my brother for years. And yet you have hidden this one thing from me. Do you expect I'll be able to call you brother again?"
He walks forward to settle a hand behind Father's chair, showing his stance. "Yes. Because we did it for your good."
I shove my chair back and bark my words, barely holding back from relieving my anger in a way I know how. I need to get away from these people. "You have no idea what is good for me, Alec. It seems you do not know me as much as you thought."
"And yet, you almost gave up the Famiglia for her. You never would've stayed put with a child in her. And the violence would've trailed you right to them."
Alec looks as though he wishes he could convince me of the truth, a crease between his brows.
I stop and sink back into my chair. He's right. Damn him and the rest of them, Mel included. Being the underboss had been violent. But what has changed now? Why was she here now?
"Then why the hell is she here now? Why the fuck did you bring her back into this if you're so worried about her?" I question my father, slanting my head up at my mother because she's been quiet this entire time, and that's not like her.
She has tears in her eyes that I do not acknowledge. She holds her hand out to me, and I shrink away from it. There is no way in hell that she deserves to be forgiven so easily for this betrayal.
"Because there is no more time. The Russians are getting too strong. They will ruin us, and we need Sedric's power and his men. This is no longer just about us."
So it’s greed. I chuckle with a bland attempt at humor that sounds flat even to my angry ears. "I'm leaving. I do not want any of you coming close for quite a few days. I'm going to talk to Mel."
Father straightens up, as does my mother. "You can't take this out on her."
I glower at him. "She is to be my wife. I will decide how to punish her for this, Father. I think you'll find you've done enough harm already."
I turn away from them and walk away. Out in the hallway, I exhale a deep, chagrined breath. I hate them. I love them. I don't know what to settle on.
I clench my fist and head toward the door, deciding spending the day torturing someone would be a great way to get this anger out of my system.
But I can't, so I decide to head to the gym. One look at Mel and our son will have me up in arms. More than that, this hunger to work through this pain by pounding into her needy body means it would be a terrible idea to be in the same space as that crazy woman.
And I can't be this mad around my son. Never. I'd seen the way it had been with my father. My son would never have to witness that. Not if I had a choice.
A hand lands on my arm and tugs at me. I growl, the words barely legible. "If you put a hand on me again, I'll fucking kill you, Alec, and I won't give two fucks about the fact that you're my brother."
"I know you hate me. But none of this was Mel's fault. She did what she had to do." His voice is soft and certain. Not at all the Alec I know.
And why did all of them keep defending her?
"And what she had to do was declare me a monster and hide my son from me? I never hurt that woman. Not once!" I hiss through tightly clenched lips, my eyes hazy with anger.
Even at my worst, I'd always reserved my best for her. Always. Never once had I come back from a bad day to her with blood on my hands.
I'd always made sure to keep her shielded from the worst of the Famiglia. Always!
"You didn't have to. She saw through the mask that you wore. You knew it was getting worse. Father was asking that you take over. He never would've let you be."
"So it's my fault I don't know my child?" I snap at him, wringing my head around to him so fast I feel a crank in the muscle. "It's my damned fault I've never heard Lucian call me father?"
"No. But..."
I cut a sharp hand through the air to wave him off. "Save it. I'm leaving. Do not follow me."
I walk away from him, striding to the car where Ryder has the door open without question. I slide into the warm leather and close my eyes, press them very tightly closed, and then I relax the entirety of my face.
