AllFreeNovel
Share Us
That’s the real punishment.
The sick bastard.
Bitterness fills my mouth. Bile floats into my throat. My future’s turning black and dying in front of me.
All for Dara. All for the baby.
And the sick part? I don’t regret it. Even now, facing my own doom and the pain of all my friends, I wouldn’t make any other decision.
Because this isright.
“Now, Orin, that might be a little… extreme.” Mother speaks for the first time. She puts her hand on Dad’s shoulder as he slowly sinks back into his chair.
“Extreme? The boy’s lucky I’m not killing him on the spot,” he says, making a disgusted face.
“I agree that Finley’s decision here is lacking in judgment, but this situation can be salvaged. What did Robin say when she spoke to you earlier?”
Dad’s jaw works. “She said her father is still amenable to a deal. Assuming Finley is willing to make things right.”
Something in me thaws as I start to understand the dynamic at play.
Robin didn’t call to rat me out—she called to smooth things over.
Only she didn’t realize I hadn’t spoken to my father yet.
She must’ve broken the news on her own, spun it in such a way that it didn’t cause her father to go completely berserk, and even reached out to make sure I didn’t end up with a bullet in my head.
That lovely girl. I remind myself to send her a gift someday when this is over.
Mom says, “Instead of kicking our son out of the family, why don’t we give him and his new wife a chance?” Mom tilts her head and steps forward. “Finley, most of what your father said is more or less correct. You never should have married this girl without our consent, much less broken off an important match we spent months brokering. However, what’s done is done, and if you’re set on being that girl’s husband then I won’t try to pry you away. Lord knows you’re as stubborn as your father.”
“Don’t compare me to the traitor, dear,” Dad murmurs.
Mother smiles, rubbing his back. “What do you say, Finley? Are you willing to do what’s necessary to make this right?”
I glance back at Dara. She’s looking at me through a mask of anxiety.
What would happen if I said no?
If I broke ties with them completely and started over?
I have money saved—substantial money, enough to last us for a very long time if we lived modestly.
We could find other jobs. I could become a normal man, a normal husband. Hell, we might even be able to make each other happy.
But that life isn’t for me.
I won’t turn my back on Genna or on my crew. Too many people rely on me, too many lives are at stake here.
I look back to my mother. “What can I do?”
“Go speak to Robin and her father in the next few days. Apologize, grovel if you have to, and hear what they have to say. Set aside your pride, Finley. I suspect you’ll have more than a few errands to run.”
“And then?” I ask, gesturing back at Dara. “I don’t plan on ending this marriage.”
“If you do all that then we’ll talk,” Dad says firmly. “Assuming our vote goes the way we want it to.”
Mother jabs him with her finger. “If he does all that, we’ll be willing to forgive him, and welcome his wife into the family.”
