AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There’s an eerie silence hanging over the area, as if nature was holding its breath. I take a deep breath in and stare at the tangled branches high over our heads. Eden stands beside me, her hand trembling in mine.
“We separated here.” Zakhar stops beside the unassuming tree stump. It doesn’t look like it should be anyone’s final memorial, but this is where Aria fell. “They’ve cut down the tree.”
Eden sniffles, and I pull her close, trying to offer whatever comfort I can. She reaches her hand out and her father takes it. Respectfully, we stand in the clearing and share our grief. Eden has lived through enough pain, and I feel responsible for a part of what she’s endured. My love for her is real, but it’s tainted with a touch of guilt. The sound of approaching footsteps intrudes on our reflections.
“Zakhar, Eden, Nikolai,” a familiar voice calls out. Vito Genovesi walks toward the clearing, and beside him, Mercy holds a small bouquet. Her gaze remains on the ground until she sees Eden, and the two women hug each other tight.
“Vito, Mercy,” Zakhar says. “Thank you for coming.”
Vito motions to me, and we step away. “Nikolai, about the truce,” he glances around. “Christian will continue to honor it. But he’s expecting a wedding.”
I nod. “There will be a wedding in the spring.”
Vito tilts his brow. “I don’t mean just any wedding.”
I chuckle. “My wedding to Eden will happen this spring. When are you coming by to see the baby?”
Vito smiles. “Is that an invitation?” He pats my shoulder when I nod. “Then I’ll stop by. If you need diapers, I have a source. I’ll give you the number. Kids are expensive.”
I look over at Eden, her eyes shining with tears, knowing that she’s responsible for this. I think about the countless times I’ve dreamt of revenge against the Lanzzare. But today, we’re sharingour pain, not our hate. I never thought peace would happen or that I’d call a Lanzzare my friend or relative. But If I can learn to forgive, others can.
“Peace.” Vito extends his hand to me, and I take it, sealing our pact with a firm shake.
Eden kneels down with a small trowel and starts to dig a small hole in the frozen ground. After several minutes, the hole is barely bigger than a dent in the earth. Zakhar kneels beside her to help, and soon, I’m beside them, digging at the cold, unfeeling earth.
The hole is deep enough to place something in it, though it is not very wide. Eden reaches into her pocket and pulls out her mother’s pearls and a small lock of Ally’s hair tied with pink ribbon. For a moment, she freezes, and I wonder what thoughts are running through her head.
Is she thinking about the endless precious moments she never shared with her mother?
First steps? First words? The first tears from a scraped knee? The kisses to make it all better? Bedtime stories? The first day of school? One missed graduation after another? The first fight between a teenager and her mother? The image of a wedding—never realized?
Every moment stolen from Aria and Eden, but not from Eden and Ally.
Never from Eden and Ally.
Not while I’m around. Not while I still breathe.
“I love you, Mom,” Eden finally says quietly. She presses each item to her lips and closes her eyes tightly before placing them inthe box again. Her hands tremble as she places the box into the earth. “Goodbye.”
Mercy kneels on the ground, helping Eden cover the hole before covering it with the flowers.
“Your mother would be proud of you, Eden.” Zakhar stands, holding tightly onto his emotions.
Eden stands to hug her father. “Thank you, Daddy, for everything.”
“Let’s go,” Vito says, checking his phone. “We can still make it for happy hour and the best burgers in Manhattan.” He pats me on the shoulder. “And we have plenty of advice to give you on raising daughters—the ones who listen and the ones who don’t.”
“I can hear you, Dad.” Mercy trudges behind us to the SUVs.
Vito wraps his arm around her shoulder and kisses her forehead, grinning. “It’s better when they listen, even if they don’t want to.”
57
EDEN
SPRING
The scentof blooming lilacs fills the air as I stand on the terrace at the Barinov Estate. Their home is the perfect backdrop for me and Nikolai to exchange our vows. Spring has arrived, and with it, a sense of rebirth. The rose garden is in bloom with lavender and pink roses that scent the misty air as I hurry across the lawn and enter an opulent ballroom.
