NOT EDITED.

Alex POV

Little brother..

Brother..

The word ripped through my ears, pushed itself into my head and stayed inside. It bounced off the four walls, leaving an echo behind, an echo that kept on repeating, over and over and.. over again.

Brother?

He is my.. my brother?

The oxygen I tried to draw back into my lungs seemed to disappear, to vanish from the room as if his words sucked every last drop of it from the cold chilling air surrounding us. My chest tightened with agitation, my jaw clenched and I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block all of it.

But my brain, my brain was teetering right on the edge of that fucking cliff.

Brother.

The word yet again repeated itself.

And like that, just like that, I fell off that cliff, and I knew, no, I was sure, that this time,

there is no coming back.

**FLASHBACKS**

I looked at the gun in my hand, at how my fingers are tightly wrapped around its grip. I gulped as the cold reached out from the metal and spread throughout my palm before it engulfed every cell in my body, freezing me cold from the inside.

This is wrong.. Isn't it?

But that's what dad always does. Doesn't that make it right?

I didn't know. I didn't understand.

My gaze drifted from the weapon in my hand and landed on the boy facing me. His clothes still soaked with blood, red blood, blood I caused. Blood I should be proud I spilled, at least that's what dad says.

The boy pressed his eyes shut as if trying to escape this reality, to run away and block it all.

I still did nothing. I just stood there, my body slightly shaking, a gun in my trembling hand, and my eyes on him not once wavering as I tried to figure out what's right from what's wrong.

Few second ticked before he pried his eyes open again.

Green eyes stared back at me, tears no longer falling, almost as if he realized that he can't escape, not when my father had him shackled to this chair for years. His gaze didn't waver and I was no longer able to see the fear in them, as if he finally came to terms with the fact that he can't, he can't run away from the inevitable.

For the very first time, he didn't look scared.

As if he didn't care he is going to die, it's almost as if -- he wanted to die.

But - this, this is wrong. This can't be right.

I dropped my hand down and took a step backward, "I ca- I can't."

I heard the harsh breath that dad blew out. I felt him inching closer. Hands on my shoulder, he turned me around so I can face him. He looked back at me, "You have to." He said. I shook my head, "I can't."

His jaw clenched, "Yes you can, don't you want to make dad proud?"

I slowly nodded my head. I wanted to make dad proud.

"But - but you said we only hurt bad people." I tried to say.

He nodded his head, "And what makes you think he is not bad?"

I turned and took a look at him before I faced dad again, "He is not." He can't be bad, "He is young."

"But he'll grow up to be bad." He said, he sounded so sure.

My eyebrows pulled together, "How do you know?"

He smiled, "Call it an instinct." I didn't understand, "He'll turn out to be just like his father, and I am saving the world from that."

My confusion doubled, my head tilted as I asked, "Will I be like you then?"

"Do you want to?"

I swallowed hard, it took me few seconds before I shook my head and whispered, "No." I said, "Because you scare me."

His eyes hardened at my words, "Then you should learn to not be scared anymore." He hissed before he turned me around to face the boy again. His hand came and held mine up, wrapping my fingers tighter around the gun and aiming it at him.

My fingers shook in his grip and tears pricked my eyes, he is gonna make me do it. He'll make me kill him.

"Go get her." I heard my father order one of his men, "I wouldn't want her to miss the show."

I tried to move my hand away but he was much stronger than I am and he kept my hand in its place.

I closed my eyes, "I don't want to do it," I shakingly said as I tried to get away from him.

"Just do it." It wasn't dad who said that. I snapped my eyes open at his voice and stared back at him. My eyebrows knitted, I was beyond confused. Why he wanted me to do it, to kill him?

"No," I said as I shook my head.

Why would someone want to die?

The sound of footsteps nearing us averted my attention away from him. Turning my head to the right, I saw as the man dragged her to the room, her eyes landed on me first before they went to the gun in my hand then to her son ahead of me. She gasped, her eyes widened, "No-" She whispered as she took a grip on what's going on. She looked back at dad and shook her head, "No, please Frank don't, it's enough, please-" She sobbed and begged as she tried to break free form the man's hold, more tears went down her face, "Don't hurt my son, I'll do whatever you want, just leave him please, stop hurting him-"

"It's too late," Dad said as he placed my finger on the trigger, his beside mine, ready to push and fire, but I wasn't looking at the gun nor at the boy, my eyes still on her as she sank to her knees on the floor as if unable to hold herself still anymore. Tear-filled green eyes looked back at me, "Don't do it." She told me. She didn't look at me with hate, not like that other time when she told me about my mother. She looked broken now, so broken. Something heavy pulled at my heart as she said, "You're better than this."

Another tear trickled down her pale bruised cheek and I felt a tear leave my eye as well, I felt its wetness as it touched my cheek and made its way down to my chin before it dropped away.

I looked back at my hand, "Dad please." I pleaded. I didn't want to do this. My mother already hated me, wouldn't she hate me more if she knew I did this?

"Alexander!" He hissed, his voice right beside my ear. I pressed my eyes shut as a tremor coursed through my limbs ripping me from the inside.

I tightened my jaw, "I don't want to!" I snapped, "Leave me, leave me!"

But no matter how hard I tried to pull away, I couldn't. He got me trapped. I was the one holding a gun, but it felt as if it was pointed at me. He kept saying I should do it and she kept telling me not to.

Their voices.

All the voices.

Their screams.

They all mixed.

A war lit up in my brain, a frenzy of madness exploded inside my veins and my body felt so weak, almost on the verge of giving up.

But I knew that I had to do something. Stop this. I must stop this. My eyes still pressed shut, I wasn't able to open them and face this reality. The moment I felt my finger press against the trigger is the moment I directed my hand away, I didn't know where or how. I just didn't want it to reach the boy.

I didn't want to kill him.

The gunshot sounded in the air, pierced into my ears and trembled something within me.

A sound, I was more than sure, will always be implanted into the core of my memory.

The air stilled after, and uncomfortable silence engulfed the room. A wave of coldness swept over me. I felt cold, so cold, was I shaking too?

A scream interrupted the silence and pulled me back from my daze, "NO!"

My eyes snapped open at his voice, I no longer felt my father's hand over mine, I no longer felt his closeness.

"No, No-" The boy sobbed, he tried to get off the chair but failed, "MOM!"

He looked back at me, tears flowing down his face as he snapped, "What did you do? What did you do?!"

The gun slipped from my hand and fell on the ground.

I pressed my eyes shut again and took a step backward, my hands came up and covered my ears.

What did I do?

**END OF FLASHBACK**

"Did the cat eat your tongue or what?" His voice snapped me back to the present. I looked back at him and blinked. He raised his eyebrow as he waited for me to say something.

A ragged breath wheezed into my lungs. The memories, those visions that flashed, they felt so fresh and new. Every word, every moment had embedded itself to the depth of my head, never letting go, never letting me go, always there to remind me of my past.

"So my father is your uncle?" I grated out the words. He nodded his head.

"And your mother is my mother?" I asked, and he again nodded.

"Can we be any more related?" I mockingly said. He let a humorless chuckle and nodded, his lips curled up in annoyance, "And imagine that I had to live with that ugly fact for almost my whole life."

Lie. I was living in a lie.

They all fed me lies.

My father, the old fool told me nothing. He pretended to not even know Nikolas.

And her, my dear mother, she was right in front of my eyes all that time yet never told me who she was.

More lies.

Sickness clawed at my stomach, revulsion boiled under the surface of my skin, my hands fisted, and my teeth clenched as I tried to pull the words out of my throat, "I killed her-" I started, my head playing that moment again, so clear, so vivid. My voice low and rough as I continued, "I killed my mother."

"Yes, you did." He said as if to assure me more. He pulled the gun away from under my chin. He tilted his head and eyed me, "How does that feel.. brother?"

I felt nothing. At this moment, I just stopped feeling.

Numbness crawled under the surface of my skin and fisted my inside in a tight grip. I didn't want to feel anything.

I felt enough for the past years.

"Brother slash cousin, don't forget." I corrected his words as I blankly stared back at him.

My gaze drifted to Cara, few inches away from us. For a moment I actually forgot she was there. Shock dilated her eyes and tears were scrolling down her cheeks as she looked at both of us, still in the process of letting it all in.

I looked at Nikolas, my eyebrow raised as I said, "You want to know what I feel now?" My voice wasn't familiar to my own ears, it was so cold and blank. This is not the way I am supposed to handle such a thing. Killing my mother, hurting my brother, having a brother in the first place, how can I not feel anything about that?

"Regret," I answered his question.

I clenched my teeth, "I regret not killing you when I had the chance to." I bitterly added. "I would've saved everyone the trouble, wouldn't I? Saved this world from your existence."

He gritted his teeth before he harshly grabbed my chin in his hand, "Too bad you missed that chance-" He looked right into my eyes, "And now, it's my turn to rid this world of you. Unlike you, I don't miss my chances."

"Then why am I still alive?" My eyebrow raised, "You had many chances to end my life but you didn't, why?"

His lips curled into a sneer, "Because killing you would've been too easy." His voice hardened, "I wanted you to suffer, I wanted you to feel that pain every single day-" He gritted his teeth, there is too much build-up anger inside him, "I wanted you to reach the point where you wish your death."

"So instead of killing me, you took my wife and my daughter away," I said, finally making sense of it all. He had it all planned.

He nodded, "Killing them would've made you suffer too, but then I thought why not be more creative, you know, why not convince you that they're dead, make you live the pain of losing them when they are still pretty much alive."

"You see, one moment you had it all, the perfect wife, the perfect family, the perfect life and suddenly it was all taken away from you." He said, his eyebrow raised, "How did that feel? Losing everything, having nothing to hold onto, no love, no hope, no one, nothing."

It was agonizing. It killed me every day, and that's exactly what he wanted.

"So first, you lose them, you think they're both dead and I'll give you time to get used it. Then when you start to move on, start to get back to your old life. When you start to feel okay again after so long, I will just throw them back into your life. At the beginning, you'd be happy, that you got back everything you lost, but then you start to realize that you've been living in a lie for two years. That the girl you loved lied to you, left you, that your only daughter doesn't even know who you are.

You'll realize that she got married, she betrayed you, that even your daughter calls another man dad. You'll hate Cara for what she did, you'll want to hate her, you'll even want to hurt her and that will make you suffer even more."

That's exactly what happened.

"But when you try to understand what actually happened, that's when it gets even worse." He smiled, all these years, he enjoyed my pain, but never did I enjoy his in the past, "When you start to realize that Cara is not the same girl who left two years ago, that she changed, she is different, something happened that made her change like that. You'll see the scars on her body, you'll see the pain she went through and that will pain you even more, and it won't take long till you'll realize that she was -- touched by another man."

What I felt now, was anger, real pure anger. His words fucked me up more. I gritted my teeth, "You even planned to rape her?" I tried to pull away from those guys holding me back as I snapped, "You sick bastard!"

One of the men wrapped his hand around my shoulder and harshly pulled me back before he kicked my back hard. I pressed my eyes shut and groaned in pain. When I opened my eyes I saw him nodding his head, "Everything was planned and everything went exactly how I planned it."

"Except her getting pregnant." He added and my eyes widened. They flicked to her then back to him. He knows about that? How? Goddammit, how?

"That wasn't part of the plan, but I can't deny that it didn't help too." He inched his face closer to me, "Because we both know, that this child is just like you, a mistake, and everyone will wish he wasn't born because he'll simply ruin everything, just like you did."

I shook my head as I spat out, "It's not his fault that his father is a rapist."

"Yeah, I am not saying it's all your fault-" He shrugged, "But your existence ruined my life so don't blame me if I hate you for it." He casually added.

"Now where were we-" His lips curled up, "Oh yeah, we reached the part after you know all the things Cara went through, and then for sure you'll go out seeking your daddy's help because let's face it, you can't beat me on your own-" He scoffed, "Not even with your dad's help anyway."

"And that's a whole different story because it'll help me get back on your father, my dearest uncle." Sarcasm dripped with his last two words.

Is there one thing he didn't think through before starting this fucked up plan?

"Anyway, after that, I will find the moment when you are most defenseless and I will swoop right in. I will take your wife, sorry, your ex-wife- " He snickered, "I will take your daughter too while you will just stand there unable to do anything to stop me." His smile grew wider, "You have no idea how good it felt when I walked out of that house with the both of them and you couldn't stop me."

My jaw tightened, "And after that?"

"After that, well, I had a different plan of how things would go but I had to do last minute changes because well I can't hurt Cara now as she is carrying my child."

"But worry not, this will end by only one way, your death." He added with a sneer.

"Your revenge shouldn't be for me, but for my father. I am not the one who wanted to hurt you." I gritted my teeth, "Cara had no fucking fault to pay for his mistakes!"

His lips curled and he shrugged, "Collateral damage."

"Call it greed if you want, but you got everything I couldn't have and that makes me wanna take it all away from you." Something really different clouded his eyes as he said, "You had the normal life I always wished to have."

"Normal?" I scoffed, "You call my life normal?"

He nodded, "Yes, you had a choice to leave and you left. I didn't have that choice."

"What's not normal, ha? Going to a school like any normal kid, having friends to support you, deciding how your future would turn out to be, starting your life the way you want, having a successful career, becoming a billionaire, being able to love and be loved, what's not normal in that?" There was anger behind his words, anger that I had all those things but he didn't, "She even loved you more and I don't know why!"

"She loved me?" I mockingly said, "She gave me up, she threw me away! What's love in that? You and your mother have a different definition of love I guess."

"She gave you up to protect you, from this world and from your father. She gave you a chance at a normal life, a thing that was taken away from me the moment I was born here. She gave you up to give you your best chances."

I shook my head, "She didn't love me. She looked me in the eye and told me that she hated me, she told me that I ruined her life, she told me that I am a mistake." I snickered, sarcasm dripped withing my words as I continued, "So don't be jealous, brother. She didn't love me more than you."

"You know nothing Alex, you know nothing." He said, "You took everything in your life for granted, you don't know how the smallest things matter sometimes. But you're too stupid to understand that."

"Since I am the reason for all your misery, why don't you just kill me?" I added with a raised eyebrow. I was fed up with his shit.

He stood up straight and backed away, "You see if I killed you, they'll kill me because you're one of us now, and I don't think getting rid of you is worthy of my life." He motioned for one of his men to do something before he looked back at me. Something in the look in his eyes told me shit is about to go down,

"So instead I have a better way to do it."

*************

Cara's POV

My heart thundered in my chest, my fingers dug into the inside of my palm as I stood there and tried to make sense of everything that just happened, of all the words that have been said, and the secrets that have been exposed. All I could feel is the tears that kept their flow, from my eyes down my cheeks.

I wanted to know the truth before but now I wish that I didn't ask for it.

I wanted to forget the things I heard.

Devastation crushed me, every hope I had splintered, broke down and was torn away.

They are brothers.

They share the same mother. The same mother Alex had to kill.

I don't know how he will ever get over that because only looking at his eyes proved that a part of him got lost somewhere. A part of him went missing.

Nikolas got what he wants. He ruined Alex, and I have a feeling he'll ruin him more.

My body stilled when I heard someone's faint cries, they became more clear as the man who went out moments ago came back dragging Chase with him. My eyes widened and I broke free from the man holding me before I ran to him, "Oh my god Chase!" I gasped as I crouched in front of him, panic grabbed me by the throat, "Are you okay?" I asked as I checked him before I pulled him to my chest and hugged him tightly. His cries increased and I tried to soothe him somehow, "Shush, it's okay, it's okay." I ran my hand through his hair, "I won't let them hurt you, I promise." I whispered to him.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." I heard Nikolas's voice at the same moment I felt Chase being pulled away from me.

"NO!" I screamed as the man held him and took him away. Nausea turned my stomach as I struggled to my feet and was about to run after him but Nikolas grabbed my arm stopping me and pulled me backward, "Leave him, oh my god, please don't hurt him!"

A sharp pain stabbed me in the gut as Chase cried harder. I wheezed in a harsh breath when I saw the guy holding a needle in his hand. Every nerve in my body fired with searing pain, "What's that? What are you doing to him?"

"Don't worry, just getting him to sleep," Nikolas said beside me as the man emptied the content of the needle in chase's arm. It took him few seconds before his cries stopped and his eyelids dropped down.

I brought my hand and covered my mouth unable to handle the emotions that brimmed my chest, "Please don't hurt them." I pleaded him. I was beyond scared, I was terrified. I was ready to do anything.

"I won't." He said before his hand slid down to mine. I felt something cold touch my palm, "On one condition though," My eyes widened as they dropped down and saw the gun he just placed in my hand.

He turned my body around making me face Alex, he pulled my hand up, aiming it at Alex.

"It's your choice love," He said, almost a whisper to my ear. My back pressed against his front. He was close, so close to me.

Fear coursed through my veins and fisted my stomach as I registered the whole situation. His breath brushed over my neck as he continued, "You either kill him, or I'll kill your friend and her little boy over there."

My eyes snapped to Katherine and Chase again, to see two men, their guns ready, waiting for Nikolas's order.

His hand tightened over mine, wrapping my fingers tighter around the gun, "So tell me now, is he worth two lives?"

A tremor rolled down the length of my body and silent tears dripped unchecked down my face. Alex exhaled, shaky and hard, his attention only on me.

Trapped. I was trapped.

I brokenly shook my head, "No, I won't do this."

"So you took your choice." Nikolas said, "You can start with the girl, then with the child." He said jerking me back. My face turned to them, my eyes widened as one of the men pulled back the hammer, "NO NO WAIT!" I said so fast. Agitation curled my stomach, my chest tightened as I tried to think of what should I do.

"Nikolas please don't this." I turned my head and looked at him, "I'll do whatever you want, I'll go away with you like you said, just let them go."

He just shook his head, "No." He simply said, "When I asked you to leave with me, I didn't threaten you, I wanted you to go because you want to, not because I obliged you to. So no, it's too late now. Someone will die today, and if you don't decide who, I will kill the three of them."

Wetness soaked my face, my eyes darted back to Alex as if to find my answer in his eyes. "Just do it." He said, his voice low and calm.

I shook my head, little-chocked sounds hiccupping from my throat, "I can't."

I closed my eyes and sniffled. I locked all the tears inside before I opened them again. A light somber smile pulled at my lips as i looked at Alex, "I love you."

His calm demeanor shifted as if he sensed what i am about to. I clenched my jaw before i elbowed Nikolas in the stomach and pulled myself away from him. I held the gun with both my hands and pointed at him. His jaw tightened and he raised an eyebrow, "You know better than this."

I nodded my head, "Yeah, i know, if i killed you, your men will kill them all, like you said, i know better than this-" I shook my head, "You are not the one i am going to kill."

His eyebrows pulled together and before he had the chance to figure out the meaning behind my words, i moved the gun away, with my hands shaking, i pressed its barrel against my stomach, "If you don't let them go, i will kill this child, myself along with him."

Nikolas eyes widened, "Are you crazy?!"

"Cara what the fuck are you doing?!" Alex snapped at me but i didn't dare to turn to him.

Nikolas gritted his teeth before he marched forward. I took a step backward, pulling back the hammer, i pressed the gun further into my stomach, "Don't you dare come closer or i swear I'll do it."

He cursed under his breath, his eyes hardened as he stared back at me, "You think I'll believe you'll kill your child."

I shrugged my shoulder, "Believe me or not, if you don't let them go, i will kill him, because when i think of him as your child, all i can think of is getting rid of him, and like you said before he is a mistake, he'll ruin everything because every time i am going to look at him, i will remember everything you've done to me. So I will just kill us both now and save everyone the trouble."

"Cara put the fucking gun away!"

"No Alex, i won't," I said. I meant it and i was going to do it if he doesn't listen to me.

Nikolas turned to Alex when he said those words, he nodded his head with gritted teeth before he looked back at me. He shook his head, "I don't believe you."

"Okay then," I said. My finger pressed against the trigger as i closed my eyes preparing myself for the pain but i was late, i was damn late as two hard hands from behind wrapped around my wrists twisting them, pointing the gun away from my stomach. I clenched my jaw and opened my eyes to see the bullet go through the wall.

"Don't you dare think of doing that again!" Alex hissed in my ear. My eyes widened and i immediately turned my face to look at him. Air pushed from my lungs and left me in a stuttered breath at how close his face was to mine, my back plastered to his front. How did he even break free from those guys? My gaze traveled behind his shoulder to see them standing right there.

My eyebrows furrowed, did they just let him go so he can take the gun away from me?

When my eyes went back to Alex's eyes, "Right or left?" He whispered the words, only for me to hear as i felt his hand slowly moving from my wrist to my hand. I understood him and i immediately said, "Left."

And like that, in a span of seconds, i let go of the gun inside his palm and moved away as he turned around and immediately shot one of them in the head, then the other one before he even got the time to react.

Nikolas's other men who were a bit far from us rushed to him. I didn't see what happened as i was turned around, Nikolas's hands wrapped around my arms and he pulled me closer, "You would've killed yourself!" He hissed, he looked beyond furious. I sneaked a look behind me to see Alex trying to fight Nikolas's men.

"Don't pretend that you care," I said as i struggled out of his hold.

"Let go- leave me i said-"

"Let her go Nikolas." It wasn't Alex who said that. My eyes widened as i looked behind Nikolas to see my dad standing, the gun in his hand pointed at Nikolas's head. I didn't register what suddenly happened but a lot of men came into the room, they fought their way through Nikolas's men. They were more in number and then I saw Roman and Ashton.

"It was about time," Alex said with an irritated sigh as the men who entered came and helped him.

Nikolas looked around the room in bewilderment, not understanding what just happened. How for the very first time, he fell into his own trap.

"I said let her go." My dad hissed as he pressed the gun against the back of Nikolas's head.

"We both know old man that you can't pull that trigger."

"Oh no i will, i will do anything to free my daughter from you this time." My dad answered and my heart swelled.

Nikolas let go of me then and i took few steps backward. Relief washed over me as i saw them all in here. Roman jogged toward me, his eyes inspecting my face and body, "Are you okay?" He asked. I smiled and nodded my head.

"What took you so long?" Alex snapped as he slapped the back of Roman's head.

Roman shot him a glare and mumbled, "Traffic."

Nikolas' eyebrows pulled together, he didn't move, he couldn't move, not when many of the men that came with dad surrounded him. Alex looked at him and snickered, "What? You want an explanation to what just happened?" He mockingly asked.

"Well i may not be as smart as you, but i am definitely not stupid to just hand you myself like that!" Alex said, "News flash brother, you are not the only man with a plan."

"Brother?" Roman asked beside me, his eyes widened, he looked like he stopped breathing, "Bloody hell, you're brothers?!"

Alex kept on looking at Nikolas, "I knew you wanted me to give up, surrender myself to you, i knew it from the moment you called me, so I had to do something-" He turned to Roman, "This Roman boy is smart actually, he placed this thing on my shoes," His gaze drifted to his shoes before he settled it back at Nikolas, "You can't see it but it can be tracked."

"I gave you the illusion we are trying to work hard on finding you, gave you few hours, just so it won't look that suspicious, and then i called you.

And Roman already knew that when i disappear, he'll just have to track me down."

Nikolas's jaw tightened. I couldn't help but smile, first-time things are not going his way.

Alex inched closer to him, "So now tell me, brother," his hands went to Nikolas's collar and he fixed it before he casually asked, "How does it feel when things don't go your way?"

He said nothing. Of course, he didn't.

When i felt Roman disappear from beside me, i turned around to see him going to Ashton, who was beside Katherine and Chase. I immediately went to them as well.

Chase was awake now, clutching to his father's leg but Katherine was still unconscious. He palmed her cheek, "Baby, wake up- please wake up." He whispered to her, but she still didn't wake up.

He clenched his teeth, "Why the fuck she is not waking up!" he snapped.

My heart clenched in my chest. I failed them, it felt like i had failed them again.

"There is - there is blood," Roman said looking at Katherine.

Ashton's eyes widened, "Where?" He said as he inspected her.

"Her hair," Roman said. Ashton immediately placed his hand on the back of her head, when he pulled it away, the inside of his palm was covered with blood. I gasped, "Oh my god! She've been bleeding all this time, she needs a hospital now!"

"Roman help them get out of here-" I said as Ashton took Katherine in his arms. Roman held chase, "Come here, little boy." He said before they made their way out of the house.

"You go too." I turned around when i heard dad's voice. I shook my head, "No, i am not leaving without Alex."

His jaw tightened, "Okay, just stay beside me."

"Nikolas, Nikolas, Nikolas-" The new voice that came into the room made me turn around to see a man- probably as my father's age- walk into the room. Nikolas's eyes widened as the man stepped right in front of him.

The man smiled, "And we meet again."

*******

Alex's POV

Hatred clawed at my stomach as my father stepped into the room.

Oh, i hate him now more than i even hated Nikolas. All the lies he fed me, how because of him, i had to hurt my brother, how because of him, i — killed my mother and it took everything in me to not go and punch his old face.

"And we meet again." He said as he eyed Nikolas, a smile on his old wrinkled face.

Nikolas looked like someone kicked him in the guts, his hands fisted at his side and his jaw ticked as he stared back at my father.

"Seeing you now just makes me regret not killing you when i had the chance to." He added, "But that's a mistake i won't commit again."

With that, his hand pulled the gun and pointed it at Nikolas.

"Woah, Woah-" I said as i stepped between them, "What do you think you are doing?"

"Alex, get out of my way and let me finish him now." He said through gritted teeth.

"No!" I snapped.

His eyebrow raised, "You wanted him dead, what are you doing now?"

"Well, that's before i discovered the truth."

He swallowed hard, "What truth?"

"I don't know, maybe that he's my brother."

His eyes widened at that while Nikolas mumbled behind me, "Oh you must be kidding me!"

I turned to him and raised an eyebrow, he gave me a disgusted look before he turned to look at my father, "Please do kill me."

I shot him a glare, "You shut up. Don't think i am protecting you!"

I looked back at that old fool, "I think i told you that i am the one who is going to kill him and you are not taking that away from me."

He clenched his jaw and his fingers tightened on the gun, "Just let me kill him now when we have the chance to before we regret this later."

"Wow, fighting over my death." Nikolas said with an unfazed tone, "Now i feel important."

I gritted my teeth before i turned and shot him a glare, "Can you shut up!"

"Alex, get out of my way!"

I looked at him and shook my head, "You see, the more you insist, the more i get suspicious-" I scrunched my eyebrows, "What are you scared of, father?"

"He's scared i may tell the whole truth-" Nikolas said, "About who started all of this."

Something like fear flashed in my father's eyes and that assured me that Nikolas knows something against him. So I turned to Nikolas and said, "Then say it, what do you know?"

"When i wanted to start with you-" Nikolas started, "I didn't where to start from, how was i supposed to know that the girl you got married to is the same as Maxwell's daughter." He turned to Maxwell, "You did a good job in hiding that fact, and when i told you that i knew who your daughter is, you were so shocked, right?"

Maxwell looked confused but he nodded his head.

"Because one day, out of nowhere, this file showed up on my desk, a file that had everything i needed. Documents that proved she is your daughter, the deal you and my dad made before we were even born, about your children getting married.

And when i showed you all of that, you said Roman and Emma can continue the deal because it doesn't specify which child. That's when i had to get rid of Emma and be able to marry Cara."

He looked back at me, "Where it all started, right?." His gaze drifted to my father, his eyebrow raised, "You think i didn't know who sent that file?" He scoffed, "I knew it was you. You gave me the idea dearest uncle, you wanted me to start this revenge and i should thank you for that."

He looked at me, "Doesn't feel like i am the only villain in this story anymore ha? ."

My head pounded at his words, i faced my father and asked, "Is this true?"

He didn't answer. His gaze hard and stiff, his body tense.

I gritted my teeth, "Is it true?"

He slowly nodded his head.

Rage brimmed and spiraled.

"Why?" I asked.

"I wanted to give you a reason." He started, "A reason to come back to me."

Everything flashed and i was in his face. I rushed him, shoving him in the chest. My hand wrapped around his shirt as i pushed him against the wall. I didn't care that he is my father, i didn't give a shit. I just wanted to hurt him, "So you sold my wife out?!"

My hands met his skin, that skin that i'd been dying to take out since i learned the truth. Hatred burned inside me, feeding the darkness, "All this time, you knew she was alive, you knew they're both alive!"

Blackness pressed into my sight, "Why would you do that! WHY??"

He shoved me back and wiped the blood from over his mouth, "I told you why."

I was shaking with rage, i just didn't understand.

"I am your fucking son! How could you do this to me, how could you sell me out like this, how?How? I can't understand, I CANTT!"

Fury exploded with the splintering pain in my chest. And god, I so desperately wanted to hold on to sanity but i couldn't.

I felt it all slipping away.

The dark rose up from the depth of me and took over my senses.

I looked at Cara's father, "What kind of parents are you people?" He sold her out once too, "She is your daughter, how were you able to do that to her!"

I turned to Nikolas and pointed at myself, "I am your fucking brother yet you made your life mission is to ruin me!"

Agitation build up in my chest before it raced through every inch of my being, "How can you all be like this?" I looked at them, "I can't understand ! How!"

My voice lowered and something heavy pulled at my heart, "Killing someone shouldn't become easy with time. Ending a life should never be easy-" I shook my head, these people are dead inside, they lost the human in them. They're dead. "Hurting your own blood should not be that easy, making others pay for mistakes they didn't commit shouldn't be just a collateral damage!"

"Why you all do this? Why you kill, why you hurt, why you play with each other like this?"

I grabbed the back of my head. I couldn't handle the piercing pain that felt like it was ripping my world apart.

Something within my inside was breaking.

And oh god, it hurts, it hurts so much.

"The answer is simple, son-" He still called me son, i give up, i just give up.

"Power." He added, "We all do it for power."

"So power is more important than your family?" I asked and he nodded.

"We'll see what this power will give you when you die all alone father. We'll see."

I looked around and noticed Cara walking away from us. Where was she going?

When i looked back at him, he shook his head at me and in his eyes, i saw that look, the same look he gave me before he threw away years ago; the disappointed look, the-you-are-good-for-nothing look.

"You've always been too soft Alex and i tried so hard to toughen you up but there is too much good in you." He took a step closer, "You can't lead a fucking mafia when you're like this."

I don't want to lead a fucking mafia!

"You have reasons that makes you stay good, you said it yourself, remember? And now, i just have to rid you of these reasons so you can finally understand."

My eyebrows pulled together at his words, "I am sorry son, but I have to take that good out of your life."

What?

He turned to Nikolas, "And i'll never let another Viarchi come into this world."

Nikolas eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

But it didn't take us long to understand the meaning behind his words.

Both of our eyes widened, both held our guns and both ran as fast as we could,

"CARA !"

********

Cara's POV

I suddenly remembered that Lilly is in this house. I needed to get her out of here, things don't look good. Alex's fight with his father assured me that things will only get messier.

I have to get her out of here now.

I left dad's side and made my way out of the room.

I hurried my steps as i went into the hallway. My steps halted when i bumped into someone's chest. "Sorry." I mumbled before i took a step backward.

The guys eyes bored into me. I gulped at the hardness in them. I decided to ignore him and just walk past him but his hand wrapped around my arm and he pulled me back to him.

"Leave me !" I snapped as i struggled out of his hold. Something in the way he looked at me got me scared.

I gulped and took few steps backward, maybe i should just go back into the room.

I eyed the movement of his hand, how he took something from the back of his pants, how he held the gun and pointed it at me.

My eyes widened and i took another step backward, "What are you doing?" I whispered the words out.

He didn't answer, instead just pulled back the hammer. My breath fastened and I weakly said, "Alex-" I wanted to scream for him to hear me but I couldn't.

I couldn't even run. My knees buckled, my feet stuck to the ground as if bound to a spell unable to break free.

I saw his finger move over the trigger and I pressed my eyes shut. In that same moment, a hand wrapped around my arm and harshly pushed me away making my back slam hard against the wall.

I heard my name.

I heard the gun shots.

I heard many, not just one, not two, no, no there was more.

But I didn't feel the pain.

No, I didn't feel anything. My heart dropped in my stomach as I felt a shadow hovering over me.

My body shook as i pried my eyes open.

He groaned and pressed his eyes shut as his hand slammed on the wall right beside my head as if to balance himself, to clung to it, or he'd fall.

No.

I swallowed past the lump in my throat and carefully allowed my gaze to drop down.

To his shirt.

No.

To the blood that started to pour out, the blood that traveled through the white fabric tainting it with red.

My heart seized before it took off at a sprint. My soul shook with realization.

Dread knotted my stomach. I pressed my back further into the wall, trying to escape this all.

My hand came to my mouth as i chocked back my tears. "No-" I whispered as a tremor shook something deep within my chest.

I pressed my eyes shut, shutting myself down from this, blocking it. A dream, another nightmare, i will wake up soon, i will wake up soon.

I want to wake up.

But I didn't.

I have to wake up.

I shook my head as more tears left my eyes. The bleakest blackness was taking hold as I looked back at him.

He lost his balance and almost fell.

I clutched into him and realized this is not a dream, it cannot be, dreams can't make you feel this much pain.

He dropped to the ground and I dropped by his side.

Shaking. I was shaking.

I cried and i cried harder.

Something in me broke as i wailed in despair, "NO!"

*********************************

I WARNED YA BEFORE ! *hides under the bed*

WHTCHA YA THINK OF THIS CHAPTER ?

I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY I AM SCREAMING, OMG SOMEONE SHUT ME UP !

Btw look what my bish GolbaharShamsaee did for my babies, ahh *dies from cuteness*

Alex:

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

Cara:

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

THANK YOU! ILY BABE💃🏼

And i love you all too♥️