The temptation of my brother-in-law-Chapter 199 - One Hundred and Ninety-Nine

Chapter One Hundred and Ninety-Nine

Alicia’s POV

The sound of the gunshot echoed through the house.

Final. Permanent. Done.

I felt nothing. No relief. No guilt. Just exhaustion.

Malachi’s arm tightened around me. "Come on. Let’s get you upstairs. You need to rest."

"I need to check on Sophie."

"She’s with your grandmother. Marco’s making sure everyone’s okay."

"The bodies—"

"Will be handled. That’s not your concern."

But it was. This had happened in my grandmother’s house. In the home where my mother grew up. Blood on the floors. Bullet holes in the walls.

All because of me.

"Stop," Malachi said.

"Stop what?"

"Blaming yourself. I can see it on your face. This isn’t your fault."

"Zhao came here for me—"

"Zhao came here because he was obsessed. Because he couldn’t accept that you didn’t want him. That’s on him. Not you."

Signora Moretti appeared in the hallway. "Alicia, cara. Come. Sit. You look pale."

She guided me to the sitting room. Sophie was already there, curled up on the couch. I sat beside her and she immediately leaned into me.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I don’t know. I think so. That was..." She stopped. "Is he really dead?"

"Yes."

"Good." She said it without hesitation. Without guilt. "He was going to keep coming. Keep threatening us. Now he can’t."

My seventeen-year-old sister. Relieved that a man was dead. What kind of life had I dragged her into?

"Don’t," Sophie said, reading my thoughts. "Don’t blame yourself. I’m glad we’re here. Glad we have the Morettis. Glad Malachi is with you. This is better than what we had before."

"Before was safe—"

"Before was Travis beating you and you pretending everything was fine. Before was Dad trying to sell me to pay his debts. Before was us alone with no one to protect us." She sat up. "This? This is family. This is people who fight for us. I’ll take this over before any day."

Signora Moretti brought tea. "Drink. Both of you. It will help."

I took the cup but didn’t drink. Just held it. Let the warmth seep into my hands.

"My daughter stood in this room once," Signora Moretti said quietly. "The night before she ran away. She was terrified. Convinced she was making the wrong choice. But she did it anyway. Chose love over safety. Chose uncertainty over comfort."

"Did she regret it?"

"I don’t know. I never got to ask her. But I saw her once. Years later. In the city. She didn’t see me. But I saw her. She was laughing. Holding your father’s hand. Looking at you in a stroller. And she looked happy. Truly happy."

Tears filled my eyes. "She died because she chose that life. Because we couldn’t afford good medical care."

"She died giving life. That’s different. And she gave you and Sophie ten more years than she would have had if she’d stayed here and married the man we’d chosen. A man who would have killed her eventually. A man who made Zhao Wei look gentle."

I hadn’t known that. Hadn’t known my mother had been running from something worse.

"She never told me."

"She wanted you to remember her as brave. Not as someone running scared. But I’m telling you now so you understand. Your mother wasn’t weak. She was the strongest person I ever knew. And you’re just like her."

Marco walked in. His expression was grim. "It’s handled. Zhao’s body is being taken care of. His men too. The house is being cleaned. By morning, there won’t be any evidence this happened."

"What about his organization?" Malachi asked from the doorway. "His people will look for him."

"Let them look. They won’t find anything. And if they come asking questions, they’ll be told that Zhao Wei made enemies in the wrong place. That he underestimated the Morettis." Marco’s voice was hard. Final. "We protect our family. Always."

Alessandro appeared behind Malachi. "The security upgrades are already being installed. This won’t happen again."

"Thank you," I said. "Both of you. For everything."

"You’re family now," Marco said simply. "This is what family does."

Malachi came to sit beside me. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired. Overwhelmed. Grateful. All of it at once."

"And the baby?"

I put my hand on my stomach. "Fine, I think. No cramping. No pain. Just... tired."

"We should get you to a doctor. Make sure everything’s okay."

"In the morning. Right now I just want to sit here. With Sophie. With all of you."

So we did. Sat together in the sitting room while the Morettis cleaned up the aftermath of violence. While Zhao Wei’s body was removed. While our lives were put back together piece by piece.

Sophie fell asleep against my shoulder. Signora Moretti covered her with a blanket.

"You should sleep too," Malachi said.

"I don’t think I can. Every time I close my eyes I see—"

"I know. But you need to try. For the baby."

He was right. I was exhausted. My body felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.

"Will you stay with me?"

"Always."

He helped me upstairs. Helped me change into pajamas. Tucked me into bed like I was a child.

Then he climbed in beside me. Pulled me close.

"It’s really over," I whispered.

"Yes."

"What happens now?"

"Now we figure out what comes next. Together."

"I want to stay here. In Italy. At least for a while. Is that okay?"

"Whatever you want. I can work from anywhere."

"What about the family business? Your father? The trial?"

"Maurice can handle most of it. What he can’t handle, I’ll deal with remotely. But I meant what I said earlier. I’m stepping back. Focusing on you. On our baby. On building something that doesn’t involve violence and death."

"Can you really do that? Walk away?"

"I can try. For you, I can try."

I turned to face him. "I love you. I know I’ve said it before. But I need you to really hear it. I love you. Even knowing what you are. What you’ve done. What you’re capable of. I love you anyway."

His hand came up to cup my face. "I don’t deserve you."

"Probably not. But you’re stuck with me now."

"Thank God for that."

He kissed me. Soft. Gentle. Like I was something precious.

And for the first time in my life, I felt it. Felt precious. Felt loved. Felt safe.

"Sleep," he said. "I’ll be here when you wake up."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

I closed my eyes. Let exhaustion take me.

And I slept. Deeply. Dreamlessly.

When I woke, sunlight streamed through the windows. Malachi was still beside me, watching me with those dark eyes.

"Morning," he said.

"Morning. How long have you been awake?"

"A while. I was watching you sleep."

"That’s not creepy at all."

He smiled. "You looked peaceful. I didn’t want to disturb you."

I stretched. Felt surprisingly good considering everything that had happened. "What time is it?"

"Almost ten. Sophie’s been up for hours. Your grandmother has made enough food to feed an army."

"Of course she has."

We went downstairs. The house looked normal. No blood. No bullet holes. No evidence that last night had happened at all.

The Morettis were efficient.

Sophie sat at the kitchen table with Alessandro. They were looking at something on a laptop.

"What’s that?" I asked.

"College applications," Sophie said. "Alessandro’s helping me look at schools in Italy. If we’re staying, I might as well finish high school here. Maybe go to university here too."

"You want to stay?"

"Yeah. I like it here. I like having family. I like feeling safe." She looked at me. "Is that okay?"

"Of course it’s okay. I want you to be happy."

"Good. Because I already told Nonna I’m staying and she’s already planning my room."

Signora Moretti appeared with plates of food. "Sit. Eat. You need to keep your strength up. Both of you."

We sat. We ate. We talked about normal things. School. Weather. Plans for the day.

It felt surreal. Like last night had been a nightmare I’d woken up from.

But the slight soreness in my muscles told me it had been real. The way Alessandro carefully didn’t look at the repainted wall told me it had been real.

We’d survived. That’s what mattered.

After breakfast, Malachi took me to see a doctor. A private doctor who made house calls. No questions asked.

She examined me. Did an ultrasound. Checked everything.

"The baby is fine," she said. "Strong heartbeat. Developing normally. No signs of stress."

Relief flooded through me.

"However," the doctor continued, "you need to avoid stress. Get plenty of rest. Eat regularly. No more dramatic events if you can help it."

"I’ll do my best."

"See that you do. This baby needs a calm environment to grow."

After she left, Malachi pulled me close. "Hear that? No more dramatic events."

"I’ll try."

"No. You’ll succeed. Because I’m making sure of it."

"You can’t control everything."

"Watch me."

My phone rang. Unknown number. I almost didn’t answer.

But something made me pick up.

"Hello?"

"Alicia." A woman’s voice. Familiar. "It’s Emily."

My blood ran cold. "What do you want?"

"To say goodbye. I’m leaving. Going somewhere far away. Starting over. But I wanted you to know... I’m glad he chose you. I’m glad you both survived. And I hope you’ll be happy."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I need someone to know that I’m not just Ghost anymore. I’m not just revenge and anger. I’m trying to be Emily again. Whoever that is."

"I hope you find out."

"Me too. Take care of that baby. And take care of Malachi. He needs you more than he’ll ever admit."

"I will."

"Goodbye, Alicia."

The line went dead.

I stared at my phone.

"What was that?" Malachi asked.

"Emily. Saying goodbye. She’s leaving. Starting over somewhere."

"Do you believe her?"

"Yes. I think she’s tired. Tired of being angry. Tired of fighting. She wants peace."

"I hope she finds it."

"Me too."

We spent the rest of the day quietly. Walking the grounds. Talking about the future. Making plans.

That evening, Travis called.

"I heard what happened," he said when I answered. "Are you okay?"

"I’m fine. How did you hear?"

"Word travels. Especially when it involves Zhao Wei dying on Moretti property." He paused. "I’m glad you’re safe. Glad Sophie’s safe. And I’m glad Malachi was there."

"Travis—"

"I’m coming to Italy. Next week. There’s something I need to do. Something I should have done years ago."

"What?"

"Say goodbye properly. Sign the divorce papers. Face you without being drunk or broken. Let you go the right way."

Tears filled my eyes. "Okay. Come next week. We’ll talk."

"Thank you, Alicia. For everything. For trying. For being kind even when I didn’t deserve it."

"You’re welcome."

I hung up and looked at Malachi. "Travis is coming next week. To sign the divorce papers."

"How do you feel about that?"

"Ready. I’m ready to officially end that Chapter. To start the next one. With you."

He pulled me close. "Then that’s what we’ll do. End the old Chapter. Start the new one. Together."

"Together," I agreed.

And for the first time in months, maybe years, I felt like everything was going to be okay.

.