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“Ethan—”

“Oh, are you going to defend him?” His eyebrow raised “Don’t bother, Mel That’s why I’enius Like hio Waffle boxes fro Every rule, every instruction, every da I looked forward to thefuck up so I could feel like a damn father I was proud the first tiht ‘He is still just a boy’ He was still innocent Still a child My child Then that day at the church with that priest…the day he became Mani di Forbice Remember?”

How could I ever forget that? “He did it to protect us”

He nodded, drinking again before speaking “Of course, we already knew But I’d taught him to kill our eneone All innocence gone So, I sat him down and tried to talk to him like a man Told him to use that blood of mine to think before he acted and to have a plan—because he is Ethan, he listened And he became il burattinaio, the puppet ood he was But it was a double-edged sword The better, the deadlier he becahts People were scared of him by the time he was sixteen No one even kne to have a real conversation with hiine how it feels to know everyone sees you as an inhumane computer erous, they still wanted to talk…you…well, you’re a woman and pretty, so naturally, they underestimated you But Ethan…”

“Was left alone,” I finished for hiently I remembered how many times I’d watched from afar as Ethan stood by himself, or at a distance from the family Even if they were at dinner, he’d barely speak, and the rest of the fa as if he was not there

“Exactly All alone…Until one day, Calliope appears” Again, he drank, and it spilled over the corners of his enius She was not afraid to talk to him She’s not afraid when he was silent In fact, she looks as if she is having the tied so badly she had to become a warrior to survive On top of that, she’s odd, eccentric, quirky, and good with people She makes him look softer People feel free to talk to him when she’s there Who else in the world could do that for hiroaned at his wound “As if she didn’t already have everything in her to make him fall headfirst in love with her, she’s the mother of his child”

“The reason why she’s perfect is that they molded her to be perfect, Liam”

“Exactly,” he laughed, and now the sound of it annoyed rin on his face made me want to put another bullet hole in hi pissed he didn’t see her for what she truly was So, fucking pissed that he’s blinded by her But what the fuck did we expect? She’s perfect for hi hi alone Why the fuck would he want to do that again? He’s human The woure out a way to justify it Because he does not want to lose her So…”

“So, what?”

“You spent all this ti , and it doesn’t fuckingto defend her no matter what”

“Which is why she needs to die!”

“You are not hearing me, Mel” He leaned forward “Our son, Ethan, is not on our side He’s going to defend her with everything we have ever thought and everything he’s learned alone”

I leaned in, as well “Which Is Why I Will Kill Her”

Smash!

He threw the bottle at the wall beside hiet it? You kill her, and he will come to kill you And what am I supposed to do? Let you die?”