Page 100 of Sin and Deception

“Good luck, Theo,” Nyx replied. “I’m so happy for you. You’re lucky to have each other.”

“I’m the lucky one,” I said, then turned away and walked back toward the house to continue searching for Xander, leaving the crowd behind as the music from the nearby speakers boomed.

The Angelos estate was stunning today. The sunlight dancing through the trees brought pure joy to my heart. It was a beautiful day to make our union official. I smiled as I wondered how Nerine was feeling at that moment. Was she filled with nerves? Was she laughing with her sisters and mother? Was she having second thoughts?

No, there were no second thoughts with Nerine. She made a decision and jumped in headfirst.

As I walked through the garden at the back of the house, I looked back at the crowd of people. They appeared joyful and relaxed. Despite the day's festivities, there was also an underlying tranquility.

It felt like even our guests knew this was the right choice. I took a deep breath and paused, looking up at the large cypress tree where Nerine, Xander, and I shared our first kiss. We had rushed there to escape her father's constant watch and his guards, breathless, our hearts racing. We had no idea our lives would lead us here at that moment. We were young and naive, lacking a clear vision for the future. All we understood was the need to embrace the emotions pulsing through us and to stay close together.

Today, on our wedding day, that tree stood tall and sturdy. Much like our unwavering resolve to embrace the bond that united the three of us, the tree remained steadfast.

I closed my eyes, savoring the moment as a wave of thoughts flooded my mind, wanting to imprint this day in my memory forever.

I remembered the sensation of Nerine’s lips on mine for the first time, feeling a profound surge of joy and love echo within me as I revisited that memory. She has always been my guiding light, while Xander represented the shadows. I truly need both of them in my life.

“Thank you," I whispered a prayer to the universe for my good fortune.

The tree danced in the breeze, as beautiful as ever.

"I’ll never take this for granted,” I vowed.

Warmed by love and smiling gently, I resumed my search but immediately froze at the sound of Xander’s muffled shouts.

Epilogue – Chapter Three

XANDER

“I’m waiting,” I taunted Gusto.

Rage and fear twisted his features, but his ego wouldn’t allow him to back down. “I’ll do it. Don’t think I won’t.”

As I was about to reply, I spotted a shadow in the bedroom's open doorway. I instantly recognized it was Theo before even seeing him.

In a blur of movement, Theo raced up behind Gusto and glided his blade across Gusto’s neck.

Gusto’s eyes grew wide as blood streamed from his wound. He let the gun slip from his hand while clutching his neck. Then, as effortlessly as he had entered uninvited, he collapsed onto the floor that accursed Aetos blood, responsible for so much suffering, now spilling onto the polished parquet.

It was a beautiful fucking sight watching Gusto strugglefor his life at our feet. He deserved every second of the pain coursing through him.

“Thank you for that,” I said to Theo as he stared at me in disbelief.

“What the hell is this?” he asked. “You didn’t answer, so I came to find you. That’s when I heard you yelling.”

“Yeah, that was my plan.” I shrugged. "Either that or dying at Gusto’s hand on our wedding day.”

“Like you'd ever let that happen,” he chuckled. “But thank the universe, it didn’t. Now we have to explain why Gusto is lying on the floor in our extra bedroom.”

“Not really.”

“No?”

“Gusto fucked himself. He found someone who could hack into our security system, turning off our cameras and sneaking in as a caterer to gain access. I’ll handle the security issue later. Additionally, he came here secretly without informing any of his allies or men. We can use his precautions to our advantage. All we need to do is get rid of the body. Gusto will become another missing asshole in the world. And, of course, we know fucking nothing because we were here at a wedding, surrounded by more than enough witnesses.”

“Do we tell Nerine?” Theo asked.

“I want to shield her from this. However, we agreed that there would be no more secrets.”

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