Epilogue #2
“Yes. We’re going to Houston next month, so you’ll see her there.” She beams at me, then wiggles her legs, so I put her back on the ground, and that’s when my phone rings.
Dahlia crouches down to fix her ballet slippers as I take it out from my back pocket and see Wyatt’s name flashing on the screen. “What?”
He clicks his tongue, his amused tone making me roll my eyes as I watch Dahlia struggle with the ribbons. “Is this how you greet your best friend?”
“My best friend knows not to call me while I’m with my family.” Fresh after the hunt. I keep that tidbit to myself because five-year-olds tend to hear everything.
“Well, forgive me, Levi, but I just got accused of murder. And the prosecutor assigned to my case hates me, so this complicates things for me.”
Fucking hell.
If it’s who I think it is, then he’s in deep shit. That guy has an unhealthy obsession with us all and vowed to put at least one of us in prison even though he has zero evidence.
“Where are you? I’ll call Rafael and Scarlett right away.”
“I already did. Who do you think got me out?”
“So what—”
“They have one witness to the crime, and they want to force her to testify.” A beat passes. “It’s Aurelia.”
Well, if that isn’t divine justice for all the suffering the woman endured at his hand, I don’t know what is.
“Wyatt, according to the law, she will have to testify. How much does she know?”
“She saw the whole thing, so everything.”
“I’ll try to talk—”
“No need. She won’t testify.”
“She’s legally obliged to do so.”
“Not anymore.”
Realization hits me. “No.”
“Oh yes. Married her. How did I not think about it sooner? Nothing destroys a woman’s life more than a shitty marriage.
And it will keep Ian away from her. He deserves better.
” I ignore this comment because Ian’s interests lay elsewhere.
Wyatt is just too blinded by his hate to see it.
“Anyway, I thought you should know your best friend is a married man now. I won’t be coming to the party, so please apologize to Rush and Aileen on my behalf.
And tell Dahlia her godparents will come to see her soon. ”
He hangs up while I’m standing speechless, not even sure what to make of this news.
One thing is for sure, though.
This marriage, or whatever the fuck it is, will bring trouble to us all, and Wyatt will lose the little control and logic he had left when it comes to Aurelia.
Dahlia finishes tying her ribbons and raises her fists up in victory. “All done!” She’s been learning this for a while now, so I clap for her.
“Are you all packed?”
“No. Too many dresses, Daddy!”
Both of my girls share a love of shopping and dresses, so they have large wardrobes, and it’s almost impossible for Dahlia to pack just one suitcase.
We balance it all out with her attending charities and shelters with her mom, so she wouldn’t grow up to be a spoiled brat.
“You need only five.” She frowns but nods and then claps her hands, and shouts, “Mommy!”
Deep possessiveness and satisfaction rush through my veins at the sight of my gorgeous wife walking toward us wearing a long summer dress that hugs her body in all the right places and shows her delicate and bitable curves that my hands are itching to touch.
Her long hair falls down her back, and she smiles when Dahlia reaches her and kisses her on the bump before patting it gently. “How is my baby brother, Mama?”
Yes, she’s pregnant again, and how I love that fact, as it’s another way to show everyone she belongs to me and it’s me who made her this radiant and beautiful.
My sense of ownership and possessiveness only grew within the years, transforming me into a man who is completely obsessed with his wife, and thankfully, she doesn’t mind it.
Lavender runs her fingers through our daughter’s hair and winks at her. “Very good.” She gasps and then laughs. “He’s kicking, so he’s saying hi to you, baby.”
Dahlia grins and presses her hand against the pointy feet. “Hi, baby.” She blows Lavender a kiss. “I’m going to pack. Daddy said only five dresses, Mama!” She sounds almost scandalized at the proposition. “And I’ll practice some more after that.”
“Right after lunch, baby.”
“Okay.” She blows her one more kiss and presses herself against her leg as Lavender hugs her for a few beats, and then Dahlia dances off toward the house with Gavin hot on her heels.
The old man, with stoic expressions and few words, adores her to pieces and had somehow found a new strength ever since she was born.
His life is about to get way more interesting because Dahlia has been begging us for a puppy, and I can’t refuse anything she asks for.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Once they are farther away, I address my wife. “You’re absolutely stunning, moy cvetochek.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere, husband.” I open my arms, and she walks right into them, wrapping her arms around my neck while I hold her close, sighing at her scent that always manages to calm down the chaos still consuming me. “You’re home.”
I press my forehead against hers. “Yes.”
“Was it…bad?”
To the world, I took over my father’s empire and made it prosper while finishing my law degree. A brilliant businessman in his own right.
But I’m also still a murderer, for I cannot rest thinking about all these monsters roaming the world and thinking they can destroy lives without any consequences.
I thought Lavender would never ask any questions about it, and she doesn’t want any details, but whenever I come back from these “hunting expeditions”, as she calls them, she makes sure to ask me how I am.
And it’s just another reason she’s my salvation.
“Yes. We got them all so no one would suffer at their hand anymore.” She exhales heavily and leans back a little, our eyes meeting. “I’m safe.”
Mischief flashes in her eyes, washing away the worry, and she says, “I was hoping you could help me out with something.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. This dress has tiny buttons on the back.” She presses tighter against me, and I feel our son move inside her.
It still astonishes me that something so pure can come from me, and even though I’m still afraid to screw them up somehow, as my dad said, the most important thing about raising kids is loving them and holding them accountable for their actions.
“Do you think you can help me take it off?” She nips on my chin, her fingers threading through my hair, and she laughs when I gently pick her up bridal style, mindful of her condition. “Ah, Mr. Scott. What would people say?”
I rub my nose against hers and catch her lips in a deep kiss, claiming her mouth all over again and earning myself a moan from her. “That I’m completely and irrevocably in love with my wife.”
Her eyes soften. “I love you too. Even though you are a total stalker.” We share a laugh as I walk toward our room, where I’ll have the honor of undressing my wife.
A woman who saw beneath the darkness and found goodness that allowed us to build happiness in this chaotic world that used to be so cruel to us.
And maybe that’s why we’ll always cherish the little piece of heaven we’ve been granted on this Earth.
Because in this particular fairy tale and myth of ours?
Villains get happy endings.
And for that, I’ll forever be grateful.
The End
Coming Next: A Love/Hate Sonnet To You.
(Wyatt and Aurelia)
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Once upon a time a villain corrupted a princess.
If you are curious about the Wright family…
Turn the page to read an excerpt from Beauty and the Villain.