Page 14 of The Devil's Demise

I hope that wherever they are, they can see us. And I hope it hurts like hell.

* * *

“You guys wanna play some ball?” Enzo asks his brothers, rubbing his palms together. “Two on two?”

“I’ve got Dom.” Dante smirks, slapping his brother on the chest.

“That’s all right.” Matteo looks at Enzo. “We’re younger and faster. We’ll smoke you two.”

“Fuck yeah, we will!” Enzo jumps to his feet.

“Language!” Jade widens her eyes, pivoting around in the patio seat, giving him a stern look from behind her shoulder.

“Sorry, baby,” he whispers, pretending to zipper his mouth.

Swooping down, he cups her nape and kisses her softly against her lips.

“Who needs to get a room now?” Dante teases with a chuckle, getting Enzo to pull away before he punches Dante in the gut.

He keels over with a groan, pretending to be hurt. “I see what you’re trying to do.” He nods as he rights himself. “You’re trying to get rid of your competition. Not gonna work.”

“We’ll see about that.” Enzo scoffs.

Those guys are a competitive bunch.

“Good luck, boys,” I say.

They all wave with smiles, heading for the basketball court on the other end of the yard.

We watch them disappear out of sight, and silence grows between us as we take in our children. Their laughter and yelps drift around us. Some jump on the large trampoline Dante had purchased for the twins on their third birthday, while others are playing on the swing and sandbox.

Janet and Sonia insisted on keeping an eye on them while we get some time to relax. Relaxing isn’t something I’m comfortable with, though. I always feel the need to be on the go, to keep my mind occupied, or else I remember my life before.

“You guys ever think about ... the past?” I’m the first to break with conversation.

“All the time.” Aida sighs, her gaze frozen to mine, a furrow forming between her brows.

“Yeah.” I nod. “Me too.”

Jade picks up a glass of mimosa, sipping slowly before placing it back down on the side table beside her. “When did you all finally realize that it’s okay to breathe again? That it’s finally safe enough?”

I tilt my head at the question, narrowing my eyes as I think about the answer. Raquel and Aida do the same.

“I’ll start,” Jade continues, clearing her throat, her eyes distant. “For me, it was when Enzo adopted Robby. I felt this instant relief, like my life finally made sense. Like those men can’t get us anymore because we’re a real family now.”

Her shoulders climb up from the long inhale she takes.

Aida runs a hand through her long, blonde hair, looking up to the clear blue sky for a moment before her eyes fall to each of us.

“It was when we first got to Corvo Island many months later.” She exhales a heavy sigh. “I felt trapped for so long, in that house, with that man, always wondering, ‘What’s next. When will it all be over? When will I die? When will Matteo?’” She purses her lips in a faint smile. “But that island ... it saved me. It gave me peace. It made me feel protected. I knew no one would get me there. I think that’s why I didn’t want to leave for a while. Until I knew that when I did, no one would hurt me on the other side.”

There’s a collective nod, and Raquel goes next, while I really consider my entire life and when that pivotal point took root.

“I think once I had Carnelia and realized I was nothing like my mother. For so long, I was afraid I’d become like her. That it was in my DNA, whether I liked it or not. But when I had her, and with each growing year, I knew that girl was my whole world and I'd die before I let her feel an ounce of what my mother made me endure.”

When it’s finally my turn, when they all look to me for my answer, I say what I knew all along. That exact moment when that dark cloud overhead drifted away.

“The day the twins were born.” My lips lift at the corners, my eyes going downcast. “Even when the doctor assured me I could have kids after I got shot, I didn’t wanna believe it. Not really. I had this heaviness in my chest. Fear, I think. I held onto it, until they came out of me with a cry so loud, I welcomed it with tears. It was in that moment that I felt okay.” I finally glance up again. “For once in my life, I had something my father couldn’t take from me. And I know he’ll never take anything again. From any of us.”