Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 52932 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52932 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
“You’re the only one who’s a disappointment,” I say, my voice low and steady. Each word is deliberate, hammering the final nails into the coffin of his power, and punctuated with a punch or kick from Hades or me. “You’ve always been a feckin’ disappointment.”
Our father flinches, a pathetic whimper escaping his lips. There’s no sympathy in me, no room for mercy. He deserves every ounce of pain and every lost drop of blood. My hand, slick with his life force, clenches into a fist. This is justice.
“You thought you could get your twisted revenge by destroying Hunt and his organisation,” I continue, taking another step closer. “But you were wrong. And now you’ll pay for all the violence you showed us—each whip of the belt, slap across the face, and kick to the gut. Death is the only fair punishment for everything you did to us or made us do and the vengeance you tried to wreak on Hunt.”
His eyes widen, and a flicker of emotion passes through them—regret, perhaps, but it’s too late for that. The years of manipulation, the cruelty, it all ends here. He tries to speak, but his words are a garbled mess, lost in the gurgle of blood bubbling at his lips.
I kneel beside him, forcing him to meet my gaze. “Look at me,” I command, and to my surprise, he does.
There’s a flicker of defiance in his eyes, a last vestige of the man who once believed himself invincible. But it’s fading, just like his life.
“Hades and I are free now,” I say, my voice quieter but no less firm. “You’ve lost. And you’ll never hurt us again.”
I deal him one final kick to his side as Hades drives a knife into his chest.
Our father coughs, a wet, hacking sound, and more blood spills from his mouth. His breaths are shallow now, each one a struggle. I watch as the light slowly dims in his eyes, the final seconds of his life slipping away.
For a brief moment, a memory flashes through my mind. I see younger versions of Hades and me standing over a broken body with our father giving the orders to torture and kill.
My brother and I swore an oath to protect each other, no matter what. This man, lying in his own blood, was the source of our nightmares and the reason for that vow. And now, it’s over.
“You did this to yourself,” Hades whispers, leaning in closer to him. “Your own actions brought you here. Remember that,” my twin brother spits angrily.
The old man’s eyes flicker, and then they close one last time, his body going still. Silence descends in the warehouse. The only sound comes from the leaves rustling in the night breeze outside.
It’s done. He’s gone.
I stand, my legs feeling strangely light, almost as if the weight of his presence has been lifted from my shoulders. The satisfaction of retribution is a strange thing. It doesn’t bring joy but a cold, quiet relief. The world feels different. The air is clearer.
I look down at my father one last time. He was a monster, but even monsters have a story. I wonder, briefly, what made him so evil. It doesn’t matter now, though. What matters is that Hades and I are finally free.
I take a step back, surveying the scene and taking in the spilled blood and the lifeless body. It’s a grim tableau, one that will stay with me forever, but it was a necessary one. Sometimes, to rid the world of darkness, you must become a part of it.
As I turn to leave, I glance at Hades. His face is a mask of mixed emotions. He looks at our father’s body then at me, and I see the relief in his eyes. He knows what this means.
“Hadrian,” he says quietly, stepping closer. “It’s finally over.”
“It’s over,” I reply, my voice steady. “He’s gone. He’ll never control us again.”
Hades nods, a slow, deliberate movement. He looks down at the body, and I see a flicker of relief and something that looks a bit like sorrow in his expression. My twin has been through as much as I have, if not more. This man tried to break him, tried to bend him to his will. But my brother is stronger than that. We both are.
“We need to get out of here,” Hades says, his voice soft but urgent. “You need to go take your girl home.”
I nod, knowing he’s right. We’ve stayed in this place long enough. It’s time to move on and start anew. The future is ours now. We’re free from the shadow of the man who abused us.
As we walk away, the darkness closes in, the night air cool and refreshing. For the first time in years, I feel a true sense of peace, and there’s a lightness in my step.