Page 218 of Inside the Sun

I tell them about the FBI raid next. That we all decided to run. I glance over at Summer and add, "Summer disarmed Anzo and knocked him out cold. But I won’t go into details about his gift now. If Summer ever wants to talk about it, that’ll be his choice, in his own time." I look over at him again. He’s still got his head bowed, still silent.

Then I mention how Hunter came to get us and gave us his husband’s car. How we chose to come here.

Finally, I take a deep breath and say quietly, "If it’s okay… Ragnar and I would like to stay here for a while. Just until we figure out what’s next. As you can probably guess, college is on hold for now. I’m not ready to go back. I need time. Time to think, time to rest. Sometimes I feel like I should go into retirement." I wince.

Dad nods with understanding. "Of course, honey. Stay as long as you need. After everything you’ve been through, you deserve a decade-long vacation," he says, squeezing my hand. "You’re incredibly strong, son. Just eighteen, and you made it through all that without falling apart."

I just give a small smile. I don’t want to tell him about all those moments where Ididfall apart.

Then Dad gets up, walks around the table, and opens his arms.

The hell is behind me, truly. I hug him tight, overwhelmed with joy.

Because I know I’m finally home. And no matter how far I go, this is where my heart will always return.

And a piece of it will always belong to my dad.

Someday… when we’re ready, when it’s real and settled, I hope I’ll be able to say the same about Ragnar.

RAGNAR

That evening, once all the stories have been told, once the shock has worn off just a little, and the house finally starts to settle, Sun’s dad gets a room ready for Summer.

It’s a beautiful, quiet space tucked up in the attic, with its own little balcony and a perfect view of the lake at the edge of the Nolan property. The kind of place made for someone who just needs peace.

I can feel it right away: Summer’s connecting with Sun’s dad somehow. Like his instincts are telling him this is someone he can trust. And I feel the same. I know Summer’s in good hands here.

Still, Sun’s father insists that Summer should get checked out medically. He wants to call his nephew, and Sun agrees that it’s a good idea.

When Summer’s asked if he’s okay with getting examined, he shakes his head. Sun gently says, "Maybe if they could test your blood, they’d figure out what kind of substance they gave you and maybe even find an antidote…" But Summer shakes his head again, clearly more stressed.

Then something unexpected happens.

Snow gets up and walks over to Sun, who’s still hesitating, unsure if he should try to convince Summer to at least do a bloodtest. Snow puts a hand on Sun’s shoulder and shakes his head as if in a no.

It’s a little strange to me, this silent communication, but I get it. This family has made peace with the fact that Snow is just… different. And they respect that. Sun nods and backs off, and in the end, Summer is left to do whatever he wants.

Admittedly, I have mixed feelings about it, but I have to respect his wishes. He’s had enough people forcing things on him, and he is in a fragile state. But I can feel it, more and more, that this is the right place for him. No one here is going to push him.

Evening brings breaking news: the FBI has captured the man behind the assassination attempt on Blue Lowen: Anzo Ferro.

It’s literallyeverywhere. Social media is exploding, TV coverage is nonstop, and even major podcasts are jumping in. Of course, plenty of people hate Blue and have the nerve to act almost sympathetic toward Anzo, but I try not to let it get to me.

Especially Dante Moll, who’s practically crying crocodile tears on social media about how Ferro was such a huge supporter of BE and how much he supposedly did for the betas' community.

But Anzo’s already in custody, and the evidence against him is overwhelming. The FBI has recordings of him talking to the strike team, revealing every detail of the plan. There’s no way he’s getting out of this.

For now, Rocco remains in power with Ennio backing him up.

I can ask myself a thousand times which brother leaked the evidence that brought Anzo down, and I still can’t decide. They all had their reasons, especially after what Luca told me during our scuffle.

One more question keeps bugging me. Will Rocco try to retaliate? I don’t know. If he does, it won’t be right away.

Right now, he’s in a pretty privileged position, thirty years old and already a mafia capo. According to everything I’ve read, he hasn’t been charged with anything and hasn’t been tied to the assassination attempt. But there’s no denying he’ll need to rebuild the entire structure. A lot of Anzo’s soldiers were arrested too, which means Rocco’s resources are going to be seriously limited for a long time.

After dinner, Sun’s parents wish us a good night. We’re sleeping in Sun’s room tonight. No one questions it, after all, we’re True Mates. This is basically the same as being married, and it is considered such by the government.

Luckily, Sun has a ridiculously huge bed. He says he used to toss and turn so much that he’d fall out of it at night, so eventually his parents gave in and bought him a wider one. It’s definitely coming in handy now.

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