Page 122 of Ricochet
“You didn’t think I would find out? I always find out. Always. I loved you so much, so goddamn much, but you never wanted to set me free. You were just like him, my father.”
“Phee,” he coughed. “Please.”
“I would’ve changed myself for you. I would’ve abandoned this world, and for what? For a lying piece of shit who couldn’t keep his dick in his pants. I would have forgiven you everything, but this, destroying my sister… My sister, Kieran! I could never forgive you. For chaining me up like an animal without an opportunity to explain myself—”
His breathing became labored, and the dark of his eyes I used to love so much, was slowly fading away.
“Look at me.” I took his chin in my hands. “Look at the devil when you’re dying. I want to be the last thing you’ll see.” I kissed him one more time, my lips coated in his blood. “I want you to know who killed you.”
“Love.” A hand dropped on my shoulder, pulling me back into reality. I turned from my past and looked at Storm. “We need to leave. Now.”
“Right.”
I took one last look at the person who once upon a time meant everything to me. A person who destroyed me, destroyed my life and took away everything good and bright I ever had.
“I will see you in Hell, darling.” I pulled myself up. His hand shot up, grasping at mine. I knew he couldn’t hurt me anymore, at least not physically, but that look, that smile he once again plastered on his face. That bloody, sinister smile, it could open another wound, another can of worms.
“You finally did it, baby girl.” I frowned at him. “Your darkness finally swallowed us whole.”
“Ophelia!” Storm yelled from the other side of the room, waiting with Atlas.
“I’ll see you on the other side. Hell will be a beautiful place for the two of us.”
I shook his hand off of me, and started running toward Storm. My heart was screaming at me, but we both knew this had to be done. This part of my past had to die, and even if it meant an eternal war, I had to do it. I destroyed us both, but he pulled the trigger.
“What about the other two?” Storm asked as soon as I reached him. “Atlas could easily take them out.”
“No,” I started. “They weren’t the target. Their brother was.”
“Are you sure?”
I wasn’t, but Cillian and Tristan didn’t have a target on their heads. Kieran had to die for more reasons than one. In any other situation I would have eliminated all the targets, but these two… These two were already broken enough and the destruction they would bring to themselves was already enough.
“Yeah, I am sure.”
Just as we started walking out of the church, a voice boomed through the air.
“Ophelia!” I turned around only to see Tristan kneeling over his brother’s body, and Cillian facing me. “I will find you, and I will kill you.”
His words were poison, an eternal damnation, holding a promise of retribution. I smiled at him, stopping completely.
“I am counting on it.”
It was done.
It was finally done.
I was going to be free. My part was done, and I hoped as hell thattheywould keep their word. I just killed him. I killed my past.
But I thought I would be happier. He cheated on me, raped Maya, and threw me to the wolves, never trusting in me. Why did my chest hurt? Why did my eyes keep watering when I brought justice? I killed the traitor. He deserved this. He deserved even worse, but I didn’t have enough time to torture him how I wanted.
I didn’t have enough time to show him what real pain felt like, because what he thought was painful, was nothing to me. At least, not anymore.
But I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream, and I didn’t know if I was happy or sad.
Was I ecstatic? Was this how it felt?
Because I didn’t feel good. I felt empty, drained. I was so tired, so, so tired, and I just wanted to sleep for days on end, but I didn’t have time for that.
