Page 106 of The Diávolos: Part Two
“Maybe not, but I’ll be damned if I don’t try,” I snap as I stand and take a lurching step forward.
With a flash of my knife, the blade finds its mark in his throat, and the room falls into silence, save for Peter’s choked gurgles.
My father’s shaky breath is cut off, his lifeless body slumping in his chair.
I step back, trembling, staring at his figure. The room suddenly seems colder. The weight of what I’ve just done presses down on my shoulders, a burden I’ll never shake. Relief, guilt, and sorrow churn within me, leaving an indelible mark on my soul.
I’ve extinguished the darkness, but I might have just created a shadow of myself in doing so.
When I walk out of the room, bloodied knife in hand, covered in splashes of crimson, Evan and Gianis don’t even flinch. My childhood friend holds my stare for a moment before he picks up his phone and dials a number. Evander takes the weapon from my hand and kisses me, hugging me close to his body even though I’m soiled. He leads me out of the warehouse, carefully puts me in the back of his car and takes me home, where he undresses me and scrubs my entire body clean of any remnants of my father.
The aftermath is a hazy cloud.
The line between victim and perpetrator blurs, and I grapple with the harsh reality that I’ve become a ruthless monster.
But within the burden, there's a strange weightlessness. My steps echo with a newfound lightness, released from the chains that once tethered me to uncertainty.
I paved my own justice, and it has set me free.
PART IV
30
ANGELICA
“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.”
–Khalil Gibran
A few weeks later
Agust of air flies out of my mouth when Eldora squeezes the ties on the back of my strapless wedding dress.
“Oo theé mou, Eldora!” I yelp.
“What have you been eating?” she asks, her Greek accent out in full force. “I told you to stop eating all that cheesecake before the wedding.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s not my fault,” I argue. “Evander knows I have a sweet tooth.”
Ever since the night he caught me eating cereal, he’s made sure Helen kept the kitchen stocked with all my favorite foods, including cheesecake andloukoumades.
“He’s trying to fatten you up so no other man looks at you,” Eldora complains, pulling on the strings once again.
“That’s so old school, Eldora. No one thinks like that anymore,” I say, breathless. I know she means no harm by her comments, and that I haven’t actually gained much weight. I’m just a little fuller in the bust and hips, and Evan doesn’t seem to mind that one bit.
“Well, your husband is crazy.” She’s got a point.
I can’t believe the day is finally here. And although it has all happened so fast, it still feels surreal.
I stare into the mirror, clad in the ivory lace gown that hugs my curves in all the right places, and I can't help but marvel at the stark contrast between this moment and the one from weeks ago. The first time I walked down the aisle, it felt like a script I was reading from a role I had to play.
But today is different. It’s about love, joy, and the genuine desire to build a future together.
A soft smile plays on my lips as I remember the forced smiles and hollow laughter from my first wedding and how much has changed since then. That was a union based on fulfilling our goal rather than celebrating a connection between two souls. The memories of that day were tainted with a sense of obligation and compromise.
Today, I’mproperlygetting married to Evander Vasilakis, my father’s enemy, and my ex-stalker. My father is probably rolling around in his grave.
Every time I blink, I see myself covered in splotches of Peter’s blood.
