Page 63 of Cherished Union

That’s something I learned this evening. After we fucked and I fed my wife, she told me about how much Annemarie had helped her through it all. That when it was time to see the baby, my sister-in-law stepped out of the room, not wanting to take that moment from Addie and me. She didn’t even hear the heartbeat, again saying that I should listen first. She also bought my wife that teddy bear she’s currently sleeping with.

I owe my sister-in-law. She was there when my wife needed someone and was afraid of my reaction.

“Congratulations,” Da says with a shit-eating grin. “Wait until your ma finds out. She’ll be over the moon.”

“You won’t be the one to tell her, Da,” Hayes says with a smile. “Hay and Addie will, or they can join mine and Anna’s game of wondering when Ma will realize she’s pregnant.”

I laugh at the childish game he and his wife are playing, something I know Hayes insisted on her doing. He thinks no one will say anything until she’s showing properly, not wanting to offend anyone.

Da’s sharp intake of breath, tells us that he’s realized Annemarie is pregnant also. Something I thought he already knew–maybe he did and wasn’t waiting on confirmation. “You little shit,” he grumbles, but there’s no heat in his words. “How is she?”

Hayes nods, a proud smile on his face. “She’s good, Da. I was wondering why she had a pep in her step today, but I get it now. She’s happy that she and Ade are going through it together.”

Da chuckles. “I hope they’re both girls.” He grins. “Imagine those two growing up together.”

I shake my head. “I’ll kill anyone who even tries to get near my daughter.”

Hayes scrubs his hand down his face. “Fuck, Da,” he grunts. “I’ve two girls already, one of whom is boy crazy. I do not need to have another.”

We arrive at the Gallo house, and I grin when I see there are no guards here. Rocco pulled his men from the house. Some have gone on to guard his and Jade’s house, mixing with the Gallagher soldiers that are there too. Some of the men are guarding Rocco’s underbosses' houses, and some have been promoted to captains. He’s also stopped the security payments, so there’s no food, no alarm. Nothing.

Aldo and Natalia are alone, so no one will know about what’s going to go down.

The three of us exit the car and enter the house. It’s almost three in the morning and the house is quiet. There’s a light coming from the office, and I know Aldo’s in there.

The fucker has a gun in his hand as we enter the office. “Knew you’d be here sooner or later,” the cunt snarls. “That bitch has been the bane of my existence since the two of you got engaged.”

“No, I just showed you that you’ll not hurt her. The only one in the wrong here, Aldo, is you.”

“My power—gone. My men—gone. My family—gone. I’m a no one. Everything I worked hard to build is all fucking gone all because my fucking children didn’t know how the fuck to behave.”

“No,” my da hisses. “You’re the reason you’re in this predicament, Aldo. You’re the reason as to why everything has gone to fucking shit. You fucked up, and it’s time you paid the price.”

“Paid the price for what? My family is my business, Liam, best remember that,” he sneers at my da.

My da shakes his head. “You once were a man I called a dear friend. What the hell happened to you?”

“What people didn’t know, never hurt them. That bitch had to open her mouth and fucking tell that asshole what happened.”

Oh, he’s a fucking prick. “She didn’t tell me. Your son witnessed you beating your daughter and put an end to it. Don’t worry, Aldo, you’ll be out of all their lives tonight.”

He raises his gun. “I’ll be damned if I die at your hands.” I reach for my own but it’s too late. The cunt turns his gun and points it at his head, pulling the trigger. The bullet fires from the barrel and into his temple. Brain matter and blood spray the room, and I grit my teeth.

He was always a coward. Always a fucking bastard. Even in death he was a cunt.

CHAPTER24

ADELINA

“You okay, Ade?” Anna asks me, worry lacing her words.

I nod. “Yeah, I’ll be glad when this day is over.”

I didn’t think I’d be upset when I learned my father had died, not after the pain and suffering he caused not only me, but also my brother and sister. I thought that when I found out about his death, I’d feel happy, relieved, and grateful. But I don’t. Instead, I feel bereft. That I’ve lost something. I understand the feeling. He wasn’t always an evil man. I have some great memories with him, and that’s what I’ve lost. The man who made me giggle as he swung me around while he laughed. The man who hugged me when the boys wouldn’t let me play with them and told me that I was his princess.

The night my father died, I felt Hayden leaving our bed and returning hours later. I knew something had gone down and I didn’t ask. I just turned into his body and fell back to sleep. It wasn’t until morning that I learned of my father’s death. Hayden didn’t hide what happened. He also didn’t hide his displeasure at my father taking the revenge from his hands and killing himself.

A loud wail fills the air, and I don’t turn. I already know what it is, and I can’t bring myself to care about the pain my mother is currently feeling.

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