Tales of an endless heart
Cursed is the fool who's willing
Can't change the way we are
One kiss away from killing
— River by BRKN Love
I stared at the double doors that led to the operating room where Summer was taken. Two nurses had to restrain me from entering, pinning me down to the ground until I had calmed down. The quiet after the storm was what terrified me the most. The pain in my chest was unlike anything I had experienced my whole life. I expected an unbearable burning sensation, but it was nothing but a dull ache. An excruciating dull ache as if something inside of me had shattered into pieces with no hope for repair.
Exhaling a breath, I raked a hand through my hair.
"Gray," Liam muttered, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Where's Isaac? I asked.
"He's in the police station."
"Go," said Victoria. "We'll be here."
"I can't leave her."
Victoria pulled me in for a bear hug. "I know, Gray. But you need to see through this whole thing, or her sacrifice will be in vain. We'll call you when there's news."
I shut my eyes as Victoria rubbed my back comfortingly. I could hear Summer's voice in my head, reminding me of our promise. I stared down at my hands that were still coated with her blood. She wouldn't want me to be like this.
"I'll be back in a few hours," I said, pulling away.
Liam patted me on the shoulder and accompanied me to the restroom, where I washed off the blood in my hands. He leaned against the tiled wall with his arms crossed over his chest, keeping his focus on me.
I sighed. "I'm not going to do anything stupid, Liam."
"I know," he remarked. "I'm just wondering what this would mean for Summer and the Inner Circle."
I glanced up at him through the mirror. "She already made her decision."
"And you let her?" His eyes widened in disbelief. "Didn't her mother ask you to keep her away?"
I switched off the tap. "I don't know anymore. I'm confused. Hyo-Jin left Summer a box of letters, and in the last one, she told Summer that she has a choice to make."
"Summer really wants to follow in her mother's footsteps?"
"That's what she decided on."
"What is she thinking?" he mumbled to himself.
I gazed at the mirror in front of me, my eyes traveling down my stained clothes. I could still feel her warm blood soaking through my shirt and branding my skin, the sight of her limped body fresh in my brain. She took a bullet for a person who deserved to rot in hell, and now she was lying on an operating table, fighting for her life. A heart like hers would never survive in the path she chose to take.
"She feels cheated," I said. "She was told to keep her identity a secret until she was inaugurated. They made her think that people would try to hunt her down once they knew who she was. She believed that all she had to do was take over a corporation."
She had been walking blindly through one path her whole life, and now that she had stumbled upon a different route, she wouldn't hesitate to take that new journey despite all the risks she could face.
But would it be all worth it in the end?
● ● ●
I arrived at the police station where Scarlet was being held for questioning. I found Isaac leaning against the wall at the corner of the room with his arms crossed, his brows furrowed and eyes disturbed. I was about to approach him, when another man came into view. His dark brown eyes found mine, and a condescending smile reached his lips.
"Alexander," I greeted.
"Gray," Isaac exclaimed in shock. "She confessed to everything."
"And what's going to happen now?"
"She'll be sent to prison in 48 hours," Alexander answered, looking slightly annoyed. "She'll be receiving therapy there as requested by our families."
"Just like that?" I questioned, my jaw ticking.
"She doesn't want a lawyer, Gray. You can speak with her if you want to."
I rolled my neck and sighed. "Did everyone fly down to Boston?"
Alexander nodded. "We'll be holding a meeting in two hours."
This day was just getting worse by the hour.
The policeman who was standing nearby nodded at me, and I followed behind him as he guided me to where Scarlet was being held. The room was small and barely lit, and Scarlet was slumped on the chair, staring ahead at the one-way mirror, where I assumed a few officers were gathered.
I sat on the chair opposite her. "Are you happy that she might die?"
"Why did she do it?" she asked back.
"She's stubborn."
Scarlet released a long breath before looking at me dead in the eye. "She won't survive in that world of yours. She'll learn to endure the pain and be strong, but her heart is too pure. The darkness will swallow her whole."
I was aware of that. But what was I going to do when that was what she wanted? To deny her of that choice was like denying her the truth all over again. I didn't want to see the broken look in her eyes again. Summer was like the sun hidden behind the storm clouds, shining through the cracks and giving everyone a sense of hope. I wanted her to keep smiling, but I knew that this world she wanted would slowly reprieve her of that happiness.
I was stuck in a tight corner. I had hit a complete blank.
"You can't save everyone, Gray."
I scoffed. "I already know that."
"And you'll never be the hero." Scarlet slid a folded paper across the table towards me. "So, could you do me a favor and give that to her?"
I picked up the paper and unfolded it to see what was written.
"I didn't care about what you went through as a child. When I found out that you were the Marchioness, all I wanted to do was kill you," I said as I read the letter. "But Summer wanted to save you instead."
"I know," she remarked.
"Do you really mean what you wrote?"
"I do."
"Then I'll make sure she gets this."
I stood from the chair and exited the room, shoving the piece of paper into my pocket. Alexander and Isaac walked out of the other room with curious eyes.
"What did she give you?" Isaac questioned.
"A letter for Summer."
Alexander gave me a once-over. "Go and get yourself cleaned up. My father's driver will take you back to your place, then bring you to where the meeting will be held, in case you suddenly decide not to attend."
"Do I appear that rebellious to everyone?" I scoffed.
His brows furrowed as he glared over at me and Isaac. "Look at what you two have done, going against direct orders and getting Summer in trouble."
"She was the one who—"
I patted Isaac on the back. "Your brother's right."
"But you did what you had to do to get this done and over with," said Alexander. "She was after you and Summer. It's both your closure and hers."
"About that, Scarlet believes that her parents took care of me and Summer for four days and that they were wrongfully killed," I revealed. "Summer didn't tell her the truth either."
A genuine smile reached Alexander's lips. "Telling Scarlet the truth would have ruined what memory she had left of her parents."
Showing empathy in a grave situation was a rare thing to encounter, especially in our lives. Perhaps, Summer's involvement in the Mafia could make a difference.
But at what cost?
● ● ●
The atmosphere in the boardroom was dense. Summer's grandparents and father were seated across from me and Isaac, their eyes undecipherable. I had changed into a fresh set of clothes, impatient to get this over with and get back to the hospital. I still hadn't received news on Summer's condition, and the wait was slowly pushing me closer to the edge.
"An agreement has already been made," my father announced.
My jaw clenched tight. Of course, they had already discussed the issue amongst themselves, and all I had to do was follow their orders. I should've seen this coming.
Leonardo studied my expression, and the faintest smile lightened his features. "What happens next will be up to both of you. If you end your relationship now, Summer's life will go on as initially planned. She'll inherit HJ Corporation, and not get involved in the internal matters of the Mafia."
"And the Inner Circle?" Isaac asked.
"She'll still be a part of it."
"And what happens if we don't end our relationship?" I questioned, balling my hands into fists underneath the table.
"She'll leave for Italy at the end of the school year," Leonardo answered.
"We aren't even sure if she'll survive, and you're already plotting all of this."
"Let's pray that she will," Summer's grandfather said. "If she survives this, then that's what's going to happen, and it's both your decisions to make."
I had already made mine.