Page 46 of The Devil's Demise

Robby sits right down in front of the headstone, while I place the car seat on the ground, joining him. “Hi, Grandma,” he says, and my nose instantly burns, emotions stumbling through my heart—utterly broken yet so full all at the same time. “I have a sister now and her name is Lauralyn. Now we’re both named after you,” he explains, since he’s named after her middle name of Roberta.

Tears slip past the edges of my eyes. She should be here. This isn’t fair. She was too young. There’s so much she’s missing out on.

Her love. Her memory. It’s there, within my children. I hope they grow up to be just as beautiful as their grandmother once was. Because beauty, it’s what grows inside your soul. And nurturing it, feeding it, giving it life, that’s what being human is all about.

* * *

ALMOST TEN YEARS LATER

Balloons flutter in the wind, the laughter of children filling the space in between, all of us gathered in the yard of our home for Lauralyn’s tenth birthday. She invited the entire class and most of them came, plus all her cousins too. It’s a full house, and we have plenty of food to feed an army.

The family is sitting in the large gazebo, Enzo and me sipping on our drinks—Baileys on the rocks for me, a bottle of beer for him. I pass a bowl of pretzels to Chiara, who takes a handful, giving some to Raquel seated beside her.

Kayla and Elsie are here too. Both of them married now, a family of their own. After everything we’ve been through, each of us has carved a piece of the world and made it ours.

“I swear, if both of those boys make it to their eighteenth birthday, I’ll be shocked.” Chiara shakes her head, blowing an exhausted breath, her eyes glued to Gianni and Frankie, throwing each other around.

“Are they wrestling again?” Aida asks on a laugh, her head tucked on Matteo’s shoulder, his arm firmly around her.

“Sure.” Chiara blows an exasperated breath. “If you wanna call it that.”

“It’s okay,” Dom says, throwing an arm around her. “We’ve got good insurance.”

She bites back a laugh.

“So,” Matteo says this time. “Are you all joining us on Corvo Island this summer?”

“Hell yeah,” Enzo answers. “Can’t wait.”

“Hey, Mom. Dad.” I turn to the sound of my son’s voice. Robby is there with his girlfriend, Serena. Who could even imagine that he’s now twenty-one, studying law to work his way up to one day become a judge. He hopes to put away the type of people that once held us prisoners. To say I’m proud of him is an understatement.

I climb to my feet, Enzo too, both of us greeting them, pulling up a chair for each of them, then loading their plates with food that Elena was in charge of preparing.

Elena not only faced her demons and left the center, but she was able to hone her talents in the kitchen, the ones she picked up at Helping Hand, and become a chef. She now has her own restaurant. It’s successful enough that she’s able to open a new location. I’ve been proud of her—the girl I once met, and the woman she is today.

“How’s school, Robby?” Dante asks. “You’re smarter than all of us here. Graduating with honors? I mean, come on.” He tosses a hand in the air. “We’re all proud of you.”

He smiles shyly. “Yeah. Doing what I can.”

Serena looks proudly at him, her blonde hair fluttering around her shoulders. They had met in college, studying criminal justice together. She plans to become a lawyer too, but on the defense side. That should be interesting.

When I see Elena cleaning up, I excuse myself and head to her. “Hey!” I call, and she pivots, removing her gloves and throwing them into the trash.

“Jade, hey, I was just getting ready to head out.”

“This is for you.” I hand her an envelope with a large cash tip. “You did an amazing job. I’m in awe of your talent.”

She looks to me with fondness, her head falling slightly to the side. “It’s all thanks to you, Jade.”

“No way.” I shake my head. “It was all you and—”

“Nah,” she cuts me off with a shake of her head. “If it wasn’t for your love for us girls, for all the nights you spent on the phone with me, giving me encouragement, listening to me when I was ready to give up, I wouldn’t be here.”

My heart swells. “I’m glad I managed to do that.”

“You remember that last time I called you crying, when I called my mom who said she wanted nothing to do with me unless I had money to give her?”

I nod, recalling that exact moment. My God, she was so broken, she could barely keep herself from hyperventilating.

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