Children of Redemption (Children of Vice 3)

“Sorry. You just looked like you wanted to rip my head off.” He snickered and then took a deep breath. “Dona and I must have been hard on you.”

“You were the more difficult twin,” I admitted, taking another bite.

“What, why?”

“Way too complicated for me to even begin to explain.” Actually, it wasn’t. I liked him. So being around him all the time took much more effort than it did with Dona.

“Well, anyway, just promise you’ll at least visit this difficult twin as much as you can? I don’t like being separated from you,” he said, and then a grin spread across his face. “I feel like Dona will make you forget all about me just to spite me.”

“Why do I feel like there’s a competition between you both for me even though I’ve done nothing?” I questioned, looking him over.

“Helen, you’ve done a lot for us. For me at least. I might not always say it. But I’m thankful. I couldn’t imagine not having you in my life, which is why you must come for a visit. You can leave your cooking at home, though.” He laughed at his only little joke. I punched his shoulder, and he laughed harder, reaching out and grabbing on me. “Don’t you forget about me or I swear I’ll…”

“You’ll what?” I snapped, trying to push him away.

He paused and said, “Or I’ll die of a broken, lonely heart.”

I stared at him, and he stared at me. Then we both broke out laughing. Finally, when we both calmed down, I held out my hand, and we shook.

“You better not forget about me, either, or I’ll die of the same thing.”

“Deal.” He took my hand, shaking as if he were trying to yank my arm off.

HELEN – NOW

“Wake up,” I whispered, lying next him even though I was too tired to move. I couldn’t even look at him anymore. He wasn’t there, and yet all I could do was keep speaking. “Or I’ll die of a broken, lonely heart…I’m not joking. Wake up, please. My parents are going to be so sad if I die, too. I don’t want to die, Wyatt, but you can’t leave me here…why are you always leaving me?”

“Helen?”

I looked over. It was my mom. She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. I didn’t like looking at her, so I just rested my head back down next to him and touched his arm.

We were so happy.

They ruined it.

Everything was gone now.

The more I thought about it, the more I wanted someone to blame, and the only other person I could think to blame was the pitiful man in the corner, who used to be someone worth a damn. I didn’t want to blame myself. I couldn’t blame Wyatt. So Ethan was the best one to blame.

“He figured it out,” I whispered, staring at him, but he didn’t lift his head. “He figured out you were in the walls.”

For the first time, he shifted. Dazed, he looked up at us.

“He said he needed to talk to you. He was so happy. He asked me to help find you, and we had looked everywhere. And then he said you followed the rules. That no one loved this family more than you. He beat himself up for you. He wanted you to forgive him. But you…you wouldn’t, so he had to do it by himself. You left him by himself.

It wasn’t his fault you lost Ivy, but you still blamed him and left him to die.”

“I…” He couldn’t even speak.

“He might have left Chicago, but he never left you.” The tears came even though I wanted him to cry, not me. “He never left any of us. All you had to do was call and he’d come. But you never asked him to come. So he needed excuses…he was there…when the church was bombed, he came back for us, and you mocked him. He stayed for your sham of a wedding, and you belittled him—”

“Helen, that’s enough,” my mom said, but I wasn’t finished.

“You wanted him to come back your way. You wanted him to bend at your power. So you went through this whole stupid scheme to get him back when all you needed to do was humble yourself. Just once. Just fucking once! You couldn’t. When you were dying, he came right on time and saved you. He saved Ivy. He got revenge for you. That still wasn’t enough for you. Are you happy now? He gave up everything to get your forgiveness. So he could show you he was serious. He fought every day while you were scheming in the motherfucking walls! Does he have it now! Can you stop hating him now? Now that he’s on his death bed, has he redeemed himself enough for you?”

“Helen, I know you are in pain, but enough!” Uncle Neal demanded.

I could only laugh. “Protect him. Let’s all protect the great king Ethan…who’s next, your highness? Dona was smart to get out when she could. She’d be dead by the end of the year thanks to you.”