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A snarl ripped from my throat. “Which is?
Romeo blanched. “I don’t know, but I can guess.”
“Tell me.”
He glowered. “First, take your knife off my neck.”
The knife in my hand felt like the only truth in a sea of lies. I wrestled with the urge to split him open. My brother was an idiot with women, but he didn’t deserve to die for it. I lifted the blade and stepped back. Enough so he could stand and brush himself off.
Romeo straightened, his eyes narrowing. “I usually sweeten deals for big clients like Travis with extra perks. So I offered him a night with Elise.”
I let out a hiss.
“One night turned into three…four. And pretty soon, he stumbled into Afterlife every weekend. After he married Becky, he was still fucking Elise. Then you took her for yourself, and she became off-limits. He called me and bitched about it. I suggested he fuck his wife and hung up on him. I never saw him at Afterlife after that.”
“Becky killed Elise?”
Romeo nodded. “Seems that way.”
So Violet’s only friend in the city was a backstabbing murderer.“Why? To get revenge on her husband? Why’d she wait four years to do anything about his affair?”
“She didn’t find out he was a cheating scumbag until this year. She strikes me as the type that’d ignore the signs until they smacked her in the face. Who knows, he might’ve been seeing Elise recently. Becky finds out. Gets pissed. Hires someone to kill Elise. Then uses me to cover up her husband’s death.”
“Why’d she go after Violet?”
“I don’t know.”
My heart pounded. “I need to warn Violet.”
He grimaced. “Did she say where she was going?”
The note flickered into my head. I sprinted into my son’s bedroom and grabbed the balled piece of paper. Romeo jogged inside, flicking the switch. Light fell over looping blue ink.
Achille,
Since coming into our lives, you’ve been our protector. But, as much as I want to deny it, the darkness in your life is casting shadows over what should be our brightest moments. I’ve seen the risks you take because of who you are. And it’s made me realize that I can’t let Jack grow up in the crossfire of a war he never chose.
I love you so much, but the thought of his laughter being silenced forever is more than I can stand. I want him to grow up where his biggest worry is what game to play next, not if he’s safe in his own home.
This isn’t a goodbye to us. I’m putting Jack first. He can’t stay in Boston. I’m begging you, please don’t search for us. You once told me you’d do anything for Jack. I’m holding you to that promise.
I’ll always love you. You’ve given me so much, a family, a home, and a love that outshines the darkest nights. You are the love of my life, Achille, and leaving you is tearing me up.
I’m taking Jack to a place where he can be as free as he deserves to be.
Yours always,
Violet
The letter trembled in my hand.
She loved me. She wasn’t turning her back on me, and Elise hadn’t died because someone wanted street cred. The tragedy in my son’s life had nothing to do with me.
An immense weight lifted from my chest. It caved in as I reread the letter. I mistook her leaving for abandonment, not seeing it as a sacrifice for Jack.
You are the love of my life.
Romeo eyed me. “Does it say where she’s going?”
