AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Without warning, she whips her head back and hurls spit in his face and then slowly curls her lips into a poisonous smile.
“I will do the same to your grave. Enjoy your death, you miserable bastard. You’ve earned it.”
When she returns to me, taking note of the surprise on my face, she offers the slightest of nods, and I escort her back down the stairs, returning her to Judge who’s waiting at the bottom. He seems to be hypervigilant this evening, his eyes scanning her face through the mask. Looking for signs of distress. Weakness. Something I can’t quite identify.
We move through the parting crowd together, rejoining the other families at the back. A gong sounds, and the guards take their positions at the gallows. The women all turn their backs, including Mercedes, while the men watch on.
I squeeze my sister’s hand as the guard at the top of the platform makes his preparations, adjusting the noose on Abel’s neck and checking the ropes on his ankles and wrists. He is not offered a bag for his head. Tonight, we will all witness the gruesome sight of his writhing face until nothing is left but his bulging eyes and gaping mouth.
His transgressions are read against him one final time, the names of the dead called out before the guard steps to the side and silence settles over the crowd. There is a restlessness in these final moments as I watch him, and strangely enough, it is my face he seeks in the crowd. His eyes fall on me, face tight, with my final words undoubtedly lingering in his thoughts.
He knows them to be true.
It is the last peaceful thought I have before the guard pulls the lever, and the floor beneath Abel drops out, his body falling through, swinging wildly as he gurgles for a few brief moments. Fleeting panic is the last earthly expression he wears on the mask he called a face. And then slowly, it fades to nothing.
A blank slate.
A man who never was.
“Is it done?” Mercedes whispers over the sound of the creaking rope.
“It is done,” I answer solemnly.
* * *
“Eli?” My voice is gruff, barely audible behind him.
He turns slowly from his pew in the chapel, and I’m not certain how long he’s been here, alone in the darkness. Waiting for the news of his son’s death. The confirmation since he was unable to bear it himself.
Again, it hits me how difficult this must have been for him, and the respect I once had for him shines brighter than it ever did.
“Santiago,” he murmurs, dragging a tremulous hand over his white hair as he rises. “I suppose you have come to deliver the news.”
“No.” I lift my jaw, struggling to get the words out. “I came to tell you… thank you.”
There’s a long moment when we study each other, his eyes shining with tears, and mine with… well, I suppose much of the same.
“I was blinded by my grief,” I confess. “I couldn’t let it go. And I believed the worst in you. For that, I am sorry.”
“You believed what any man would have in your position,” he answers solemnly. “For that, I cannot fault you.”
I dip my head in acknowledgment, and silence settles between us. I’m not certain who takes the first step, but I suspect it is Eli. Slowly, we close the distance between each other, and I extend my hand, an offer of peace. Eli glances at it and shakes his head, pulling me in for a hug instead.
“We are family now,” he says softly. “And I am proud to call you my son, Santiago. You are becoming the man I always knew you would.”
My shoulders relax under his praise, and I swallow, choking back the emotion his words provoke in me.
“Thank you, Eli,” I answer quietly. “Thank you for seeing me even when I couldn’t.”
45
Santiago
When I walk into the nursery, I'm surprised to find Ivy there, rocking a sleeping Elena in her arms. She looks exhausted, and I regret not being here to help her with the feedings tonight.
"What are you still doing up?" I whisper.
She glances up at me, eyes soft and calm. It brings me a relief I didn't know I needed until now. I was not quite certain how she would react when I saw her again. Knowing that I was there to witness her brother's death and that, on some level, it satisfied me beyond measure and gave me the closure I needed. I also hope she understands I know how difficult this is for her, regardless of all he has done.
Our love is a love unlike any other to bear the trials we have. It is the only explanation for what we have overcome.
"I couldn't go to sleep without you." She shifts Elena in her arms, rising to her feet. "Not tonight."
