Page 72 of Sins and Salvation

We climb the stairs in silence, Siobhan following behind. At the top, she catches Declan's arm.

"Think about what I've said. The offer stands."

He pulls away without answering, taking my hand as we walk out of the lodge into the gray afternoon. The guards watch us go.

In the car, Declan sits without starting the engine, staring through the windshield at nothing.

"Do you believe her?" I ask quietly.

He rubs his face with both hands. "I don't know. Siobhan's always been manipulative, but..."

"But?"

"Some of it fits. The timing of Dad's death. Cormac's reaction when I came back to Dublin. He wasn’t expecting me, to actually come."

I turn in my seat to face him. "Does it matter? If Cormac killed your father, if he manipulated you—does it change what we do now?"

"It changes everything if I can't trust my own brother."

"You never fully trusted him anyway."

A small smile touches his lips. "True."

"So, what now?"

He starts the engine. "Now we get our son and get the hell out of here."

No revenge plot. No choosing sides in this twisted family feud. Just us, our son, a clean break.

"Where will we go?" I ask.

"Anywhere. Everywhere. As far from Dublin as we can get." He takes my hand. "I meant what I said to Conor about Disney World. Or anywhere else he wants."

"What about your brothers? Your life here?"

"My life is with you and Conor now." His grip tightens on mine. "I won't make the same mistake twice."

I want to believe him. God, I want to believe that we can drive away from this nightmare and never look back. But experience teaches hard lessons.

"The Donovan’s won't just let you disappear."

"Let me worry about that."

"No." I pull my hand away. "That's not how this works. We're in this together now. Whatever comes, whatever you decide, we do it together."

He looks at me like he can't believe what he's hearing. "After everything I've put you through, you're still willing to stand with me?"

"Not with you. For us. For Conor." I touch his face. "For our family."

He kisses me hard, his hand in my hair. The kiss is raw, full of everything we can't say.

"I love you," he says against my lips. "I never stopped loving you."

"I know." I rest my forehead against his. "I never stopped either. Not really."

We drive back toward the coast, toward Sarah's cottage, toward Conor. Our future is uncertain but at least we have one.

Whatever Siobhan and Cormac do next, whatever secrets lie buried in the Donovan past, one thing is clear, my future belongs with Declan and our son. And I'll fight anyone who tries to take that from us—even the demons that haunt Declan's heart.

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