Page 123 of Begin Again

“She thought she could control everything,” Mo says quietly, her gaze fixed on the retreating figures. “But in the end, she couldn’t even control herself.”

I nod, my jaw tight as I stare after the woman who raised me. “I think she truly did love Gabriel, but she destroyed him. For what?”

Selene places a hand on his shoulder, her touch grounding. “For herself. She never loved anyone as much as she loved her secrets.”

The three of us stand there in the cemetery, the weight of the day pressing down on us. Aubrey is gone, but the scars she left behind will linger.

“She’s done now,” I say, my voice steady. “It’s over.”

For the first time, it feels like the truth.

The sound of footsteps crunching against the gravel draws our attention. A figure emerges from the shadows between the trees, his broad shoulders silhouetted against the bright sunlight.

Bennett.

His presence is different tonight. There’s always been an edge to him, a sharpness honed by years of chasing ghosts and uncovering the things people would rather keep buried. But this—this is different. His fury is quiet, controlled, and lethal.

He doesn’t glance at us. His gaze is locked on Aubrey.

Her face goes pale the moment she sees him.

“You,” she growls, facing contorting.

Bennett doesn’t stop until he’s standing right beside the stretcher. His voice is low, and dangerous when he speaks. “You thought you could erase me, didn’t you?”

Aubrey’s lips part, but no words come out.

“Didn’t expect to see me here, did you?” His voice sharpens, cutting through the stillness of the cemetery like a blade. “You gave me up the second I was born—tossed me aside like trash—and then you killed my uncle to keep it quiet. Did you think no one would ever find out?”

She glares at him, feigning innocence, “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Bennett lets out a bitter laugh, one that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. “Oh, you don’t? Let me jog your memory, then.” He takes a step closer, towering over her. “I was looking into my family when I came across a DNA match on one of those genealogy sites. A match that led me to my uncle. He reached out to me—wanted to meet, to talk. But funny thing, Aubrey…he died the same day he sent me that message.”

Her face tightens, but she doesn’t respond.

“And then I started digging,” Bennett continues, his voice relentless. “Found out he wasn’t the only one who met an untimely end.”

Aubrey’s expression flickers, the mask slipping just enough to reveal a glimmer of guilt—or maybe frustration at being caught.

“You murdered them all to protect your lies,” Bennett says, his voice cracking with emotion. “You took my father from me before I ever had the chance to know him. You killed my uncle when he tried to reconnect with me. And Gabriel…” He shakes his head, his anger giving way to raw heartbreak. “He deserved so much better than you.”

Aubrey’s composure crumbles under his words. “You don’t understand,” she says, her voice shaking. “I didn’t mean for any of it to happen—”

“Don’t,” Bennett snaps, his voice cutting through her excuses like a whip. “Don’t you dare try to justify it. You didn’t ‘mean’ for it to happen? You didn’t ‘mean’ to poison my father? You didn’t ‘mean’ to kill Gabriel? Stop pretending you’re the victim in all this.”

Tears spill down her cheeks, but there’s a calculated edge to them, almost hollow.

Bennett inhales sharply, steadying himself. Then, his voice drops to a dangerous whisper. “Where is my sibling?”

Aubrey blinks, her breath hitching. “What?”

“My twin.” Bennett’s words are clipped, and measured, each one laced with barely contained rage. “The one you confessed to me having?”

Aubrey’s lips curl into a warped expression—dark, twisted, and triumphant. Her last victory.

“You’ll never find them,” she whispers.

Bennett goes still.