Chapter 453: One last time
Tsar leveled the gun at Lucius with a predatory grin. Without hesitation, both of them fired simultaneously. Pain flared as Lucius felt a searing impact in his wrist, while Tsar staggered slightly, a bullet having pierced his chest.
The guns clattered to the deck, and Lucius’s eyes widened as he watched Tsar laugh like a maniac.
"Lucius," Tsar hissed between breaths, "you’ve finally become the reason for my death. You’ll never find my body, and knowing that you ended me will haunt you forever. Remember that!"
Before Lucius could respond, Tsar bolted toward the ship’s edge, ready to jump off into the sea.
Despite Pain shot through Lucius’s wrist, which he barely cared about, he sprinted after Tsar, who had tormented him for so many years.
Lucius grabbed Tsar by the shoulder and yanked him back onto the deck, landing a fierce punch to his face. Tsar hit the metallic floor hard, groaning, but even with two bullets in his body, he was far from finished.
Ignoring the searing pain in his wrist, Lucius climbed over him, striking again with relentless force. The injuries didn’t matter anymore, his anger and grief fueled every movement. Antoine, though not his blood brother, had never let a threat touch him. And now, it was time for retribution.
"This is for taking my innocent brother’s life," Lucius growled, seizing Tsar by the neck and pinning him firmly to the floor.
Tsar struggled weakly, trying to grab Lucius’s hands, but the effects of the bullets were finally catching up to him. His strength waned with every futile motion.
Lucius’s eyes burned with memory and fury. "This... this is for Matteo," he hissed, recalling every moment with his closest friend, taken too soon and too cruelly, dying in vain and cruelly just to protect him.
"And this... this is for my mother!" Lucius roared, fists pounding relentlessly on Tsar’s battered face.
Suddenly, a strong grip yanked him back. Luca had arrived on the ship.
"Let go of me!" Lucius bellowed, twisting against Luca’s arms. Every fiber of his being screamed to return to Tsar, to finish what he had started.
Luca, however, did not let his grip loosen. "Lucius, enough! He’s done. Calm down. He’s no longer alive."
Lucius’s chest heaved in anger. His eyes were finally screaming their pain as tears emerged from his eyes. Both his hands were covered in the Tsar’s blood while he recalled the people whom the Tsar and his father snatched from him.
"Lucius, calm down. It’s over," Luca said.
~~~~~
After some time, Lucius sat alone on the dock. His eyes were fixed on the endless expanse of the sea.
Luca approached quietly, lowering himself onto the bench beside him. He looked at Lucius’s wrist, which was wrapped in a bandage.
"I’ve taken care of everything," Luca said softly. "Tsar is dead. And we need to leave for Italy immediately. I’ve made sure no one will suspect you."
Lucius lifted his gaze briefly. "How... how did you manage to stop the ship?"
Luca chuckled lightly, almost at odds with the tension of the moment. "I have resources," he replied, keeping it brief. He didn’t elaborate, knowing that now wasn’t the time for details.
Silence fell between them, and Luca didn’t break it. He thought Lucius needed a brief moment to gather his thoughts.
"I want to visit my mother’s grave... one last time," Lucius said, rising slowly to his feet.
Luca nodded quietly, leading the way to his car. Lucius slid into the passenger seat without a word, his mind elsewhere, and the car merged with the shadows of the night as Luca drove toward the graveyard he had requested.
"You need to change your clothes too," Luca said gently, breaking the quiet. "At this rate, you’ll make yourself sick."
Lucius didn’t respond. His eyes remained fixed on the window, tracing the dark sweep of the night sky, lost in thoughts he could barely put into words. The world outside seemed distant, as if the memory of his mother and the chaos of the past hours had cut him off from everything else.
"We’re here," Luca said, easing the car to a stop.
Without a second thought, Lucius stepped out. "Wait here," he instructed, already striding toward the graveyard entrance.
Luca followed more slowly, retrieving his phone as he walked. He dialed Roderick, who was at the hotel, pacing anxiously and waiting for any news of Lucius.
"Luca? Is Uncle with you? It’s so late... Layla has called me countless times, and Uncle hasn’t answered a single call," Roderick said, feeling worried, hoping nothing had gone wrong.
"Lucius is with me. You should head to the airport. Tell Layla not to worry. Everything’s fine," Luca replied calmly.
Roderick exhaled, the tension in his shoulders easing at Luca’s words. "Thank you. I’ll leave for the airport now."
The call ended, and Luca pocketed his phone, waiting for Lucius to return.
Meanwhile, in the graveyard, Lucius stood before Eveline’s grave, tears streaming down his face, unrestrained. The child within him, the part that had long been hidden behind walls of pride and strength, finally broke.
"It was a lie when I said I didn’t need a mother like you," he whispered, his voice trembling. "In truth, I was grateful... grateful that you never let me fall into the hands of those mafias and that you brought me to such a good family. I’m sorry I never said it while you were alive. I am truly, deeply sorry."
He sank to his knees, his hands brushing the cold stone. "I wish... I wish I could hear your voice one last time. I will carry that regret forever. I’ve killed Tsar, as I promised, but it doesn’t erase this pain."
Lucius bowed his head, letting the tears flow freely. "I’m sorry, Mom, for all the times I worried you. Please... rest in peace. That is all I pray for, now and always."
After a while, Lucius stood up and wiped the tears from his eyes. "I’m leaving, but I promise I’ll visit you every year."