Page 112 of Obsessed by My Ex's Mafia Uncle

It never worked. But it did something.

My fingers still against the scars, I press slightly harder, like I can feel through them, like there’s something buried underneath that I haven’t dug up in years.

I already know what it is.

What it always is.

After the fire, I knew having a family was a liability.

It makes them visible.

Reachable.

Breakable.

And when they’re taken, it doesn’t just end them.

It ends me too.

I’ve lived with that long enough to know better. Long enough to understand what it costs.

Which is exactly why I won’t do it again.

Not with her.

Not with Blue.

Not again.