Page 39

Blood is Thicker Than Water.

“ I ’m so sorry, Nera,” Dante says as he sits on the other end of the long dining table, avoiding eye contact. There’s no question what he did was despicable, but the true guilt rests with my father. I understand why he did it.

I recognise it all.

Being amongst it for the past few months, I see why this world is not meant for those who fold too easily. It was a contingency. Sometimes it’s necessary to swap one evil for another to get by, and that’s what my father did, thinking the evil he was swapping to was the lesser of the two. As I saw it, if I were to continue hating my father for making the decisions he did, I’d spend my entire life in misery.

I don’t want that.

I want something better for myself and for my family.

“I know why you did it.”

His bloodshot eyes meet mine as he twists the rings on his fingers out of habit.

“You thought it was the only way out.”

“I should have––”

“No, it’s done now. I just want to move on,” I plead.

Rafael tightens his hand on mine beside me, letting me know it’s okay to leave if that’s what I want.

“I just need to know one thing…” I shift my gaze to the glass on the table, unable to look him in the eyes, afraid of what his answer will be. “When did you find out?”

It’s the question that’s been playing on my mind since I watched Frances pull a diamond from the place my kidney should have been.

My healthy kidney .

“I found out when Papà died. No one else knew but me.”

I thought I had endured just about enough betrayal and hurt within the last few weeks but as it turns out, there was more to come.

“And you didn’t say anything, ” I whisper, choking back the tears. “You’re my brother .”

His knuckles blanch when I look up, his face contorting with anguish. “If I could do it differently, Nera, I fucking would. Sorry is not enough.”

“No, it isn’t.”

The silence lingers like a fucking plague, cementing the memories into the walls.

“I’ll leave––”

“No.” Standing, I make my way to his side to place my hand on his shoulder. “Our family has been separated for too long.” His soft sobs echo through the dining room as he gently covers my hand with his.

It takes a lot more to be a good person than a shitty one. As much as my heart hurts right now, I just know it would be a lot worse if I were to watch my brother leave Falcon’s Keep.

“This is our home.”

He stands and pulls me into him, the familiar spice of his perfume like a comfort blanket. The memories of us hanging around the bonfire we used to light just before Christmas, huddled up together, playing rummy, run through my mind. My mouth twitches in a smile as I wrap my arms around him.

“I want you to promise me something.”

“Anything.” He rests his chin on my head.

“Promise me our family will always be together for the holidays. I know I can’t stop you from leaving Falcon’s Keep, but I want everyone to be here for important events.”

His deep chuckle vibrates through me and I look up at him.

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

“And promise me you’ll take Mamma to a better place. Off this island and get her the proper care she needs.”

I want our mother to live the rest of her life the way she was supposed to. Surrounded by her friends she once had back on the main island. Cared for and loved.

“But…”

“The more she’s exposed to Falcon’s Keep, the more she’ll remember the things that haunt us all at night.” I know when she remembers, it’s never the good moments. It’s always the ones that send her into a spiral. The further she was from here, the better it’d be for her.

He takes a moment before he answers me. “Done.”

“And Dante,” I pause, his arms still around me. “Make sure you seek your own happiness too.”

RAFAEL — ONE MONTH LATER

For the first time, this foreign emotion creeps into my soul. It’s been so long since I’ve shaken hands with it that I hardly remember what it’s like. The sweat, the jitters, everything from the excitement to the euphoria, it’s unsettling.

I was so terrified Nera would see me through the lens I view myself, that I never stopped to think about what it would be like to at least try to see myself through her eyes. As I stare at myself in the mirror, dressed in a tuxedo, I see a man worthy of love.

Not the love most people would come across in their lives, no.

The dark and twisted love that only lives in our world.

When you settle for a level of love you believe you deserve based on what you’ve done or who you are, you close yourself off to the possibility of experiencing the true definition of it.

It’s endless.

It doesn’t care what you’ve done in your past or what you’ll do in your future.

There’s no judgement.

What matters is that you do it with your whole fucking soul.

“It’s done. They have the package.” Nino turns the page of his book and steals a look at me in the mirror. “I just hope this plan works the way you want it to.”

“There’s one more thing––”

“It’s done.” He closes the book, placing it on the table beside him. “The fake Fabergé egg has been planted in one of their warehouses and the Luccheses have been tipped off anonymously.”

“And how does Erhan feel about it?” Dante pipes up, blowing a cloud of smoke into the air.

“He’s probably counting the endless cash he’s about to make through Falcon’s Keep instead of inserting himself into a war.” Nicholas flicks my lighter open and the flames spark before he snaps it shut. “I’d say he’s pretty fucking chuffed as he gets to not only keep the De Beers diamond but also have his iron grip over this island.”

“It was the only way.” Straightening my bow tie, I look at myself one last time in the mirror.

“You did what a leader would do,” Ezra says.

“You’re only saying that because he practically gave Frances an unconventional lobotomy, which is probably what you wanted to do to Ray but Aries beat you to it.” Nicholas snickers and Ezra tries his best to hide his smirk.

“Right, before you both take out the ruler and start measuring, get the fuck out. I want all of you to make sure everything goes perfectly today. One of you head to the greenhouse, and as for the rest of you, make yourselves useful and see if Nera needs anything.”

“I haven’t seen you this nervous since…well…ever,” Nicholas pokes again.

“If you say one more word, I don’t care if we’re brothers, I’ll sell your bike for parts.”

“Aw.” He steps toward me and pats me on the shoulder. “Did you just call us brothers ?”

Shrugging off his hand, I roll my eyes, and he chuckles as they all file out the door one by one.

NERA

It’s been tough recovering as I figure out how to run this place. It’s all on me now. My brothers said they’d stay for as long as I needed them to, but eventually, they said they’d move on from Falcon’s Keep. Santi and Nino decided they’d stay until Christmas and then move to the mainland to begin a new life. Although Dante said he’d move, I know in my heart he wants to stay. I just don’t think he’s prepared to watch his adoptive brother marry his younger sister and carry out a life together.

“Are you sure you want to wear this?” Elodie holds up the dress I had ordered, the black lace flowing over the black satin with sheer lace arms. “I mean, it doesn’t exactly scream wedding .”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“Why are you smiling?” she asks as I take the hanger from her.

“Because I don’t want to wear white ever again.”

Shrugging, she enters my wardrobe and tosses out some boxes, a single shoe falling out from each one. I didn’t tell her about everything that happened on the island, but she knows whatever went down wasn’t good. She arrived on Falcon’s Keep two weeks ago to help me plan for the wedding and ever since we were reunited, she basically recounted all of the gossip that began to circulate. From the teachers who were flirting with their students, to the news of Frances’s death.

“So, what are you planning to wear on your feet?” Her voice is muffled behind the wall.

“They’re in a green box.” I raise my voice a touch so she can hear me.

After a minute, she comes out with the box Rafael gifted me, and I’m back in the moment again—innocent, free, and nervous. She places the box on my bed and lifts the lid, her jaw dropping to the floor in an exaggerated expression as she pulls out one of the shoes, the jewels twinkling in the daylight.

“Oh. My. God.” Immediately, she removes her shoes and tries them on. My face hurts from smiling as I watch her parading them in front of my mirror. “They’re stunning, Nera!”

She pauses, admiring them when her face changes.

“I know you said need to know basis …and I don’t ever need to know anything about what happened here, but there is something I have to ask you.” Taking the shoes off, she places them back into the box and closes the lid. “Is this what you want?”

I give her a small smile, admiring the true concern she shares for me. The moment I met her, I knew she and I were going to become close friends. “It’s everything I didn’t know I wanted.”

“Because, you know…if you don’t want this, I’m so ready to google how to operate a ferry.” Elodie grins and I laugh at her absurd suggestion.

“You’d probably kill us before starting the engine.”

She scoffs. “I’ll have you know, I’m an excellent driver.”

“Operating a ferry and driving are not the same.”

She laughs as she reaches for my pillow and throws it at me. “Get dressed! You’re going to be late to your own wedding.”

I always wanted a small wedding. There’s just something about an intimate setting with your nearest and dearest that makes a wedding mean that much more. Is it necessary?

Absolutely not.

I would be happy with the love we have for each other. Having Rafael with me on Falcon’s Keep and getting a chance to live our lives together would be more than I could ever ask for, but it’s what he wants.

You will be my wife.

His words echo in my head as I slip into my dress, pulling the silk and lace over my hips. Elodie zips the back for me and I take a deep breath to steady my nerves. I take the rollers out of my hair one by one with Elodie’s help when Darcy walks in.

“Are you not ready yet?” She purses her lips, unimpressed. “They’re already at the greenhouse, waiting.”

“She’ll be there when she’s ready,” Elodie huffs, handing me the crimson dahlia bouquet. “Are you ready?” She aims her question at me as I watch my reflection.

“Let’s do it.”

Everything happens so quickly, from putting on my shoes to heading to the greenhouse, that I hope I haven’t forgotten anything. I did my own makeup, so now I’m wondering if I’ve put mascara on. Elodie senses my nerves and does an excellent job at calming me, like she always has.

“Hey, do you remember that drunk man by the Dunkin Donuts?”

I do my best to ignore everything else around me as I stand outside the greenhouse, the doors covered with black cloth to keep the groom from seeing the bride.

“Yeah,” I snort at the memory of Elodie tripping over her laces and spilling her hot chocolate everywhere.

“He was such a dick.”

“At least he made us laugh.”

“You look stunning,” Elodie says as she holds my hands in hers. She stops, the comfortable silence now falling in between us. “I’m so happy for you, Nera.”

She kisses me and places my hand in another’s. By the chunky rings against my fingers and the smell of spice, I know it’s Dante. Elodie slips through the door without opening it fully, shielding me from everyone else.

“You don’t have to do this.”

“ Papà would want me to,” he responds. “Plus, I might not get another chance to see Rafael in tears.”

I huff a laugh, secretly hoping he does shed a tear or two.

The doors open and immediately, his gunmetal eyes clash with mine, sending a rush down my spine as I step down the makeshift aisle toward him, the greenery surrounding us. Rafael never let me worry about the smaller details. After proposing by the beach, he said he wanted to take care of everything and all I had to do was say yes.

Nino stands beside Rafael with Santi next to him as Dante and I reach the end of the aisle. Placing my hand in Rafael’s, Dante takes his place alongside my brothers.

As I look up at Rafael, the unshed tears remain in place, his emotions causing mine to war within me.

“You’re so beautiful it fucking hurts,” he whispers as he places a chaste kiss on my cheek.

I feel my cheeks heat at his words when Nino clears his throat.

“You’re officiating?” I ask Nino and he nods, smiling. “Does that mean we can skip the boring stuff?”

The greenhouse fills with soft laughter.

“Well, we all know you’ve come here willingly, so I don’t see why not.” Nino reaches into his jacket and a green box with a white ribbon emerges. He opens it and hands it to Rafael.

I catch a glimpse of the emerald in a high-setting ring and I fight with my memories. I was so sure I had lost it that day at the beach. My mother was so angry with me, but Dante said he searched for it from dawn to dusk for five days and found it sitting on a rock by the cove. Ever since then, it had been placed in the safe.

“Nera, I don’t want to live another second without calling you my wife. I want you to be a part of me as much as Falcon’s Keep is a part of you. I vow that I will never leave this place. I will never leave you until I take my dying breath.”

He places my mother’s ring on my finger, the weight of it almost as heavy as Falcon’s Keep.

“I don’t ever want to know a life without you.”

A piece of cool metal slides into my hand and I realise he purchased his own ring. Guiding it onto his finger, I take in his weathered hands, the scars protruding from his skin, and I mark it into my mind.

I never want to forget.

“I now pronounce you––”

Rafael takes me roughly, slamming his mouth onto mine, dipping me, and carrying me further into the kiss as he enters my mouth with his tongue.

“Husband and wife.”

Cheers and applause resound off the glass walls and surround me as we pull away from our kiss.

“Finally.” His deep chuckle is like my favourite song.

And I’ll never get sick of hearing it.