Epilogue
VIOLET
The gray Boston sky dominated the cemetery and the air cool promised the arrival of early autumn.
Fallen leaves drifted across the path that led to my sister’s grave, brushing softly against old headstones worn by time.
Somewhere in the distance, I could hear birds calling faintly, their songs muted by the heavy stillness surrounding us.
I stood motionless at my sister’s grave, holding the bouquet of white lilies in my trembling hands while their sweet floral scent drifted around me.
Ten years. Ten years since we buried Lily. Ten years of silence, grief, guilt, and longing sitting like stones inside my chest.
And it all boiled down to my crazy father who had wanted me dead.
“I’m sorry, Lily,” I whispered to the grave that never answered. I was so fucking sorry. Sorry that I left her that day. Sorry that I didn't take her with me. Sorry that our father was a piece of shit.
Beside me, Lykos rested his hand against the small of my back, his touch grounding me. Behind us, our children stood in silence. He and our family were my anchors.
“She would want you to be happy,” Lykos said softly. “And if she was anything like you, she would love and spoil Aria.”
I swallowed hard, my throat painfully tight. “I know.”
“Lily was just like her big sister. My daughters were loving, kind and so much better than their parents.”
I whirled around and saw my mom standing to the side, her eyes shining with tears and locked on me.
The sight of her stole the breath from my lungs.
“Mom?”
She looked smaller than I remembered. Fragile somehow. The years had touched her gently and cruelly all at once. Silver streaked heavily through her hair, glinting faintly beneath the gray sky. One gloved hand clutched a bouquet of fresh flowers tightly against her chest.
The world blurred and suddenly I was sixteen again.
“My baby,” she whispered. Her eyes filled with tears and shimmered like diamonds. “My Violet.”
The flowers slipped from her hands, falling into the damp grass below, and she opened her arms. My own bouquet slipped from my hand and I didn’t think twice. I closed the distance between us and we collided into a hug, holding each other.
All the years.
All the guilt.
It was all gone in an instant.
Her arms wrapped around me tightly while I clung to her hard, inhaling her familiar scent into my arms.
“Oh my God,” she cried against my shoulder, her voice shaking violently. “Oh my God, you’re here—”
The sound of her crying broke me completely.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered over and over again, the ache in my chest making it hard to breathe. “I’m so sorry.”
Her hands tightened around me.
“No,” she cried softly. “No, darling. I’m sorry, but all that matters is that you’re here now.”
The cemetery remained still around us while we held each other and wept.
After several long moments, Mom finally pulled back just enough to cradle my face between her gloved hands. She studied me, her watery eyes moving over my face like she was trying to memorize it all over again.
“You look beautiful,” she whispered with a tearful laugh. “And happy.”
A shaky laugh escaped me too. “I am, thanks to my husband and children.”
Her gaze shifted past me toward Lykos.
He stepped forward slowly, composed despite the thick emotion hanging in the air around us. The wind stirred through his dark hair as his dark eyes met hers.
“Mom,” I said softly, “this is Lykos… my husband.”
Lykos inclined his head gently. “It’s an honor to finally meet you, Mary.”
Tears gathered in Mom’s eyes again. “Nice to meet you, Lykos. Thank you for taking care of my daughter and making her happy.”
Emotion swelled in my chest, and I took his hand in mine, squeezing it gently.
Then my mom noticed the children standing behind us.
My voice cracked as I said, “Mom… these are your grandchildren. Aria and Dimitros.”
Her hand flew to her mouth.
“Oh…”
Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.
“I’ve missed so much,” she whispered, pain evident in every word. “Can… Can I hug you?”
Dimitros and Aria glanced at Lykos and me, then back at my mom before they nodded in unison. Mom let out a shaking sob and pulled them both gently into her arms, holding them tightly.
I watched the scene, leaning into Lykos’s warmth and strength. It was a scene I never imagined, yet it was more beautiful than I could have possibly hoped for.
We found each other again, right here in front of Lily’s grave. She brought us all together.
Mom took a step back, her eyes locked on Aria and her lips trembling when she whispered, “You look just like her. My Lily.”
Aria’s own eyes filled instantly. “I know. Mom told me.”
Mom nodded, her eyes darting to the grave. The pain and loss would always be with us, but it was no longer unbreakable.
“She would’ve loved you,” Mom said. “All of you.”
We all turned toward Lily’s grave.
For a long moment, we stood silently. The wind stirred softly through the branches overhead, scattering a few leaves across the grass.
“I finally have my family back,” Mom whispered softly.
“She’ll always be a part of us,” I murmured as the breeze brushed gently across my face, cool and soft like a familiar hand. I reached out and brushed my fingertips against the cold stone and closed my eyes.
Love you, Lily, I thought silently as I opened my eyes and touched the pendant around my neck.
Maybe I should have thrown it away, but I couldn’t.
That necklace never reminded me of my father.
Instead, it made me feel closer to my sister.
Every time I thought about discarding it, it felt like I was throwing a piece of my sister away.
So I held on to it.
I turned around, hearing commotion. Mom was hugging Aria again, speaking softly to Dimitros and Lykos. She even chuckled at something Dimitros said and my heart swelled.
Family.
This was what we should have been all along.
And now we were. Forever.