Page 132 of All for her Forgiveness

"I don't believe it will happen before our son is born, and to be honest, I'm glad. Kennedy has already told me that she will testify as the Prosecutor's Office requested, and I prefer it to happen when she is no longer pregnant."

"Yes, me too. Let's wait. Besides, the bastard has nowhere to run. You did a good job on his face, by the way."

"Yes, that was a reminder to never forget me."

Hades

CHAPTER SIXTY

Kaiser Kostanidis birth day

Not even thesterile light of the hospital room can diminish the heat that spreads through my chest as I hold Kennedy's hand. Like the warrior she is, she’s just brought our second child into the world.

I wasn't by her side when King was born, but I will never walk away from my family again.

You can't go back in time and make up for what you lost, but you can understand where you went wrong, learn from your mistakes, and never repeat them.

Throughout her pregnancy, I made a point of following her every step.

The guy who never thought about getting married is now almost an expert on babies, and I never failed to enjoy our son's development.

Kaiser's loud cries echo through the hospital walls. He has already told the world he’s here, as intense as his older brother.

Kennedy and I look at each other, emotion pouring from us.

"I love you, wife." I lean down to kiss her mouth and brush her hair away from her sweaty forehead. I don't know how women manage to give birth. They're strong as hell.

"Three Kostanidis men in my life now, Greek. Next time, try to make a girl."

When after a few minutes the doctor brings us our second heir, Kaiser has his eyes open, looking at us intently. Unlike King, he has eyes the color of his mother's. Other than that, it's all me.

"He has a little mark that looks like a map on his butt," the nurse who cleaned him says, and I smile at my wife, who rolls her eyes.

"It's the Kostanidis seal of guarantee. Another arrogant person in the world."

They leave us alone, and I sit on the edge of the bed to watch her breastfeed our boy for the first time. I know that shortly, everyone will arrive, but I want this moment just for us.

"What are you thinking, Hades?" she asks after Kaiser is satisfied.

"Our story could be a novel."

"Yes, we are that couple who had everything go wrong for us, and yet here we are, Mr. Kostanidis."

"You're wrong, woman. We were always destined, and the strength of our love is so great that no evil plot could separate us."

Kennedy

Almost a year later

I can't believe it's finally over. After months of trial, in which we had to come to Massachusetts and watch Ryan's defense lawyers maneuver to try to alleviate the weight of the charges against him—Pam's rape and murder; attempted rape and murder in my case—about fifteen days ago, the jury took just two hours to find him guilty. Today was the day of his sentencing.

Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

At trial, I testified to what I remembered from that day, but today is the moment I've been waiting for. The one where I will give myVictim Impact Statement, the right given to victims or the family of the victim of a crime to speak to the defendant to show how their action caused harm.

I step up to the lectern, the microphone in front of me and a sheet of paper dangling from my shaking hands. I look at my family and friends, who have once again come out in full force to support me.

And finally, I face Pam's killer.

---