Page 45 of It Shouldn't Be You
Cora and Lily stand on either side of me, each fighting back tears as we cling to each other with white-knuckled grips. Behind me, Logan and Alex offer their silent strength, grounding me in the midst of this overwhelming loss.
Cole Finlay truly embodied what it meant to be part of this family. He was strong, fearless, and unapologetically cocky, a combination that either had people rolling their eyes or swatting him upside the head. Things won’t be the same without him, and judging by the sheer number of men with tears in their eyes, it’s clear he’ll be missed by everyone who knew him.
“We are gathered here today to lay to rest one of our own,” Jonathan begins, his voice steady, though his hard gaze reveals the storm raging beneath. “Cole Thomas Finlay—beloved brother, protector, and son to many. He will be missed every day, and his memory will live on. We will get our justice, our revenge. He has not died in vain, and we will not let it be in vain.”
“To Cole!” Alex shouts, his voice cutting through the sombre air. The crowd echoes his words in unison, the collective cry carrying the weight of their grief. Silence follows, heavy and profound, as Liam steps forward.
“I’m a man of few words,” Liam says, his voice thick with emotion. “But if anyone deserves them, it’s my baby brother. When our parents died, I swore to protect him, and I let him down. But mark my words: I will get my revenge. Your murderer might be dead, but this doesn’t end with him. From this moment forward, every move I make is for you, Cole. Everything. I love you, brother.” His voice breaks on the last word, and with his head bowed, he steps back, trading places with Aidan.
“Cole was everything good in this life,” Aidan begins, his voice firm but laced with pain. “Everyone who knew him loved him. He begged us to let him join as soon as he was old enough, and he wasted no time climbing the ranks. Now I wonder if I shouldn’t have fought harder to send him to college, to let him live a bit first. But I can’t change the past. What I can do is live for him. I love you, baby brother.”
With trembling hands, Aidan removes his father’s watch, the one Cole always wanted, and places it gently on the coffin. “You always begged me for this, and I was too selfish to give it to you. It’s yours now. Rest easy, brother.”
As he steps back, the crowd bows their heads, following the minister in prayer. The words blur in my mind, overwhelmed by the ache of loss and the finality of the moment.
Turning to follow Jonathan, I tug Cora and Lily along, giving the brothers their privacy with the coffin. But I nearly slam into Jonathan’s back when he stops abruptly.
“What’s going—” I start, but my words falter when Cora gasps in shock, and Jonathan chokes out a single, incredulous word: “Helen?”
Leaning around the wall of Jonathan’s broad frame, I freeze, my own gasp catching in my throat.
At the edge of the cemetery stands a woman who looks like she’s been on the run for months. Her clothes are torn, her face bruised, and her arms streaked with dried blood. She looks battered but unmistakably alive.
Helen Montgomery.
In the flesh.
Risen from the dead.
What the actual fuck?
Chapter 38
After twenty-three years of separation and six years of believing her dead, my cold dead heart never thought it would be reunited with my Helen. There’s no way someone like me would end up in the same place as her. My blood-soaked soul would never be granted access to the same place as hers.
Twenty-two years ago, we made the best decision we could for Cora’s safety and I wouldn’t change that, as much as it ripped us apart.
When I turn to leave Cole’s funeral with the weight of his death on my shoulders, at first, I think I’m hallucinating. It wouldn’t be the first time her ghost is haunting me. I never dared to hope Helen could be alive. To hope is to be disappointed. But at Cora’s sharp gasp, I know I’m not the only one seeing her here.
She’s a shadow of the woman I once knew, a pale imitation of her former self. But there’s no mistaking it—it’s her. As I move closer, the bruises on her skin and the haunted look in her eyes come into sharp focus. My chest tightens with rage and sorrow,and in that moment, I make a silent vow: I will do whatever it takes to erase that expression from her face and destroy the parasites who dared to harm her.
Pulling her and Cora into my arms at the same time feels like coming home, a grounding moment amidst the chaos. I’ll slay every demon that haunts her.
Whatever it takes to help her heal from the hell she’s endured, I’ll do it. If it means I get to keep her this time, nothing will stand in my way.
Chapter 39
“Please. Can someone explain to me what’s going on. Why is Abigail the only other person who looks as shocked as I am about this?” Cora pleads with whoever will listen.
After Helen’s sudden reappearance, Logan and Alex ushered me to the rental car with promises to explain once we got to the penthouse. But from the moment Cora, Helen, and Jonathan joined us, no one’s said a word. Jonathan fell into an armchair, bracing his forearms on his knees, but other than that, all he’s done is kept his gaze on Helen, who other than clutching Cora’s hand so tightly her knuckles are white, hasn’t said a word or taken her eyes off Jonathan.
Logan and Alex sit on either side of me, resolutely not making eye contact and I can’t help but agree with Cora. The fact we’re the only two who seem genuinely shocked doesn’t add up. So much for not keeping secrets. At that moment, the lift chimes open and Owen comes rushing in, explaining that his parents are looking after April as he takes a seat on Cora’s other side.
“If someone doesn’t start talking, I’m going to start shooting.” Six pairs of eyes fly to me as I unholster my gun and twirl it between my fingers. Part of my never wanting to be caught off guard again has been making sure I’m armed at all times, whether that be a gun or a knife or something else.
“Hey now, no need for that. Hand me the gun, before you hurt someone.” Alex holds his hands up like he’s trying to soothe a feral animal as I swing my gaze around to him. Logan plucks the gun from my grasp while my attention’s diverted.
Sitting back with a huff, I cross my arms and glare at a spot on the wall. Spoilsports.
