In "Family Ties," the Moretti family is everything, or so they thought. But beneath the surface of loyalty lies a web of betrayal and lies. In the heart of this tangled mess, the Morettis struggle to find their footing, torn apart by secrets and dec...
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Ezra stepped quietly into the dimly lit room, his footsteps barely audible on the cold cement floor. "Visiting hours are almost over," he said softly, his voice a gentle reminder of the passing time.
I glanced up from where I sat on the floor of my cell, my back against the unforgiving wall. Shanice lay on the bench, her breathing steady as she slept, oblivious to the world. "I told her to go home and get some rest, but she wouldn't listen," I muttered, unable to tear my eyes away from her peaceful face.
Ezra walked over to her, a look of understanding crossing his face. Without a word, he shrugged off his coat and gently draped it over her. "Thank you," I said, my voice low with gratitude.
"No problem," he replied, then moved to stand beside me, his eyes scanning the room before settling on me.
"Did you talk to Lelani?" I asked, breaking the silence that had fallen between us.
"Yeah, she said she found Athena, and they think they know where Elias is headed next," he confirmed, his tone tinged with the gravity of the situation.
I nodded, the weight of our circumstances pressing down on me. "He wasn't wrong for what he did, you know," I said, my voice steady but filled with unspoken emotion.
Ezra raised an eyebrow, a hint of skepticism in his gaze. "What part—killing all those people or getting his son locked up?"
"Both...he's hurting. I haven't seen him snap like this since I was a kid," I admitted, memories of my father's darker moments flashing in my mind.
"So how was he...you know, as a father?" Ezra asked, his voice softer, as if treading on delicate ground.
I let out a bitter chuckle, shaking my head. "Whatever terrible person you think Elias is, double it...but he's only like that to his enemies, not his children."
Ezra's expression hardened slightly. "Well, he's the reason you're about to be charged with murder, so I don't know about that," he countered.
"He did that to protect me," I insisted, my voice rising defensively.
"You really believe that, don't you?" he asked, a slight chuckle escaping his lips, though there was no humor in his eyes.
I leaned forward, my tone serious. "He doesn't want me to get killed. No matter how much my father and I argue, I would never let him go into a bad situation alone, and he knows that. In his mind, he failed your mother that day. Even though he knows it's a suicide mission, that's a risk he's willing to take alone because he thinks that's the only way to make it right."
Ezra studied me for a moment, his gaze piercing. "You don't want me to find him, do you?"
"Men like Elias don't stay in cages," I replied, my voice firm with conviction.
"So you're willing to go to prison for him?" he asked, disbelief coloring his tone.
"Trust me, I'm no saint. I've done terrible things to people, and I've hurt a lot of people, including the woman sitting on that bench," I said, my eyes drifting back to Shanice, her face a painful reminder of the mistakes I'd made.
