Page 36 of Healed

“But did you really see her? She was fucked. Her body was exhausted, she was mentally on the edge of collapse and—”

“And you think you can make that judgement in the space of an hour, do you?” I hissed, standing up so forcefully that the stool tipped over onto its side.

Vienna didn’t react. He simply grabbed my hand and pulled on my wrist until I was forced to sit on the edge of his bed.

“Listen to what I’m saying. Did you ever notice how little your mum ate? How easily her bones broke? She was malnourished, Gabby. She was in pain every second of every day.”

“So what are you saying?”

“I’m saying, she knew she didn’t have long left. And she knew I wasn’t in much better shape, either. When my club ambushed the Riders, we were attacked by a guard. I did my best to fight him off, but I was in no fit state to stand up, never mind fighting. He pulled out a knife, and your mother acted without thinking. She threw herself in front and took the—”

“So you didn’t kill her?” I gasped. “Why would you—”

“Just listen to me. Please,” Vienna said softly.

I nodded once.

“The wound was fatal. Especially considering we couldn’t get her medical attention—you know all the reasons why. When Dante arrived, she was already bleeding out. She asked me to put her out of her misery and set you both free.”

“What did you do?” I whispered.

But I already knew.

Vienna, my noble, fierce, protective Vienna would not have stood by and allowed a woman to suffer if he could help it. He would not have allowed her to feel any more pain if he had the power to stop it.

So when he opened his mouth and told me the truth, I wasn’t surprised. I was just hurt.

“I shot her,” he said simply. “I took Dante’s gun and shot her as cleanly as possible, in the forehead, and she was dead instantly.”

And there it was.

The truth.

Because Vienna would never lie to me. He had never concealed anything from me, even if he knew I wouldn’t like what he had to say. There were no secrets between us then, and there still wasn’t now—at least on his behalf.

“But why?”

“Because she knew you wouldn’t leave her otherwise. Can you honestly say you would be sitting here now if you knew she was still there? Can you honestly say you wouldn’t throw yourself at Nico and beg for his forgiveness if it meant he would go easy on your mum?”

I stayed quiet because he wasn’t wrong, and I hated to admit that he was right.

“Things were set in motion tonight that couldn’t be undone. I think it’s safe to say Nico knew about us and the other night…?” he hesitated until I nodded. “He believed you were dead. As did I, Gabby. He killed Natalie, and he would have killed your mother, because her only use—at least to him—was to keep you in line. Am I right?”

Every word he spoke felt like a vice tightening around my heart.

My mum… Natalie… two beautiful souls who didn’t deserve to die because I was a fucking idiot.

“Gabby?”

“You’re right,” I admitted. “And I would have gone running back if I knew it would save her.”

“Nico has no idea you’re still alive. He has no idea you’re with me. You have a fresh start. We have a fresh start… if that’s still what you want?”

He looked at me, his eyes soft and full of love, and for the first time… I didn’t know.

What did a future for me and Vienna look like?

We couldn’t go back to what we were. That was shattered beyond repair. But was the new version of us something improved, or something doomed?