Page 115 of Heir of Darkness

“You don’t have a choice. You killed the don,” Finn screamed. “None of us get a choice in anything anymore.”

“You were coming here to do it as well,” she said. “I know you were. I just beat you to it.”

“What changed?” Luna asked, shaking her head.

“I won’t go my entire life without seeing my children or my grandchildren,” Eleanora said. “I’ve suffered enough, don’t you think?”

For most of Luna’s life, her mother had remained emotionless, numb. She did whatever her husband asked of her, choosing him over her own children. It drove Luna wild, making her wish she had some family on her side for once.

Now she did.

Finn turned to Luna this time. “Take her upstairs and get her cleaned up. Pack her some clothes. I’ll find her documents, arrange a flight for her.”

Luna nodded, grabbing her mother’s hand smothered in her father’s blood. She pulled her along and up the stairs to the bathroom, forcing her out of the stained dress. She turned on the water, instructing her to scrub every inch of blood off her.

Luna made her way into the closet, grabbing a duffle and filling it with the essentials. She threw in some of the important jewelry, leaving all of the fancy dresses her mother used to wear.

Luna helped her mother out of the shower, getting her dried off and dressed.

She stopped for a moment to stare at her, seeing someone so broken. She wanted to cry out for the woman her mother once was, but it was no use. She would never be that person again and maybe that was a good thing.

This way she could start fresh. Find out who she was when she wasn't married or in the life of crime. She could get the new beginning women in their world only dreamed of.

Luna realized that while she needed her revenge, her mother deserved it far more than she did. She never had the support to make it out the way she did. She had taken it into her own hands.

They both deserved fresh starts.

A part of her still felt bitter, wishing the woman in front of her had done more in their lives, but Luna would never get those years back. She could either let it hang on her shoulders like a burden for the rest of her life, or she could move on from it.

“Look at the woman you have become,” Eleanora whispered, pushing back a piece of Luna’s hair. “You look just like me.”

“I’ve been told that a lot.”

She grabbed Luna’s hand, looking at the two rings on her left hand. “You got married?”

“I did,” she said, pulling her hand back. “I’m sorry you couldn’t have been there.”

“I don’t want to miss any more events,” Eleanora said, holding her hands together. “Please.”

“We’ll see what the future looks like,” she told her. It was difficult to promise anything. Maybe once everything was done and settled, she could consider what that would look like in her life.

“Don’t ever settle for less.” Eleanora shook her head, her eyes glazing over. “Whatever you do, never settle for the abuse, for the hurt, for everything you don’t deserve.”

Luna didn’t expect the first sob that escaped her mother’s mouth, or the second, but by the third she wrapped her arms around her, holding her the way she wished she had been held her whole life. They cried together, mother and daughter, the only two people that would ever truly understand what the other had been through in their life.

“Thank you,” Eleanora whispered, wiping her eyes and pulling away from Luna.

“For what?”

Her mother gave her a small smile. “You know what.”

With that, Luna led her down the stairs, finding Finn waiting. He looked up from his phone, holding a passport in his hand. “I put you on a flight on the jet. You’re going to Munich for now. Once everything is settled, we’ll consider you coming back,” Finn told her. “This is the safest option for you.”

Eleanora nodded. “I understand.”

“Grab anything else you need,” he said. “You won’t be returning to this house.”

“I have everything I need,” she said, holding tightly to the handle of her duffle bag.

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