Chapter 9 - THE SUNRISE GARDEN
Silas didn't shoot Liam.
Instead, he nodded to Marco, who grabbed Liam by the collar and dragged him toward the exit. "Turn him over to the police," Silas ordered. "Anonymously. Give them the evidence of his brake-line tampering and his connection to the Morettis. Let him rot in a cell for the rest of his life. Death is too easy for him."
Liam screamed my name as he was dragged away, but I didn't look back. I picked Leo up in my arms. He was heavy, but the adrenaline rushing through my veins made him feel light as a feather.
Silas stood before me, his face battered, his white shirt ruined, his hand clearly broken. But when he looked at Leo, his dark eyes softened completely.
"Are you okay, little man?" Silas asked gently.
Leo sniffled, burying his face in my shoulder. "Are you the monster?"
Silas smiled sadly. "Sometimes. But not to you. Never to you."
He reached out with his good hand and touched my arm. "Let's go home."
The drive back to the mansion was a blur. The storm had broken, the heavy rain giving way to a soft, misty dawn. When we pulled through the iron gates, the estate felt different. The oppressive, cold weight that Maren had brought into the house was gone.
We walked through the front doors. Sophie was waiting at the bottom of the grand staircase, still clutching her teddy bear. When she saw Silas, she dropped the bear and ran.
Silas dropped to his knees, ignoring his broken hand, and caught her. He buried his face in her hair, closing his eyes as a single tear escaped and tracked through the dirt on his cheek.
"I'm here, baby. Daddy's here," he whispered.
Sophie looked over his shoulder and saw me holding Leo. She untangled herself from Silas and walked over to us.
"Is this your boy?" Sophie asked softly.
I set Leo down gently. "Yes, sweetie. This is Leo."
Sophie reached into her pocket and pulled out the small photograph that had been hidden under the music box. She held it out to Leo. "My mommy said you were my guardian angel. Thank you for coming."
Leo looked at the picture, then at Sophie. He didn't fully understand, but he smiled. "You're welcome."
The tension that had gripped my chest for four years finally, miraculously, shattered. We were safe. Maren was dead. The Morettis were crippled by Marco's retaliation strikes that were already happening across the city. The ghost of Liam was locked away forever.
Later that afternoon, after a doctor had set Silas’s hand and patched up Marco, the house settled into a peaceful quiet.
I found Silas standing in the backyard, looking at Elena’s rose garden. The sun was shining, making the white petals gleam like pearls.
"I called the gardeners this morning," Silas said without turning around as I approached. "I told them to cancel the patio project."
"Sophie will be very happy," I said softly, standing beside him.
Silas turned to look at me. The harsh lines of his face were relaxed. He looked younger, lighter. "I also called your landlord. I bought your apartment building. You don't owe any rent. And Leo's tuition is paid for the next ten years."
I gasped, looking up at him. "Silas, you didn't have to do that. I can't accept—"
"You saved my daughter," Silas interrupted gently, stepping closer. "You stood in front of a bomb for your son. You are the bravest woman I have ever met, Hannah Brooks. I owe you a debt I can never repay. But I would like to try."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, velvet box. He opened it.
Inside was Elena’s silver butterfly brooch. The one with the bent wing.
"I took it off Maren," he said softly. "It belongs to Sophie. But she asked me to give it to you."
Tears pricked my eyes. "Why?"
"Because she said you're the one who keeps the monsters away," Silas whispered. He pinned the brooch to my collar, his fingers lingering against my neck. His touch sent a shiver down my spine.
"I don't want you to be my maid anymore, Hannah," he said, looking deeply into my eyes.
May you like
"What do you want me to be?" I breathed.
Silas smiled, a genuine, breathtaking smile. "Stay. And let's find out."
