Ruthless 18+

55

CHAPTER 55

Azrael POV.

Six years later, I sat alone with Notte. "Dad, why do you love lavender so much?" He asked as I continued planting another bush of lavender. I clapped the dirt off my hands and sat back; he had a lavender flower in his tiny hands. "You know your mummy always smelled like them."

"Is that why you plant one every day?"

"I plant one daily because I love your mom so much."

"How much?"

"If I could plant this world with lavender, I would." He giggles.

"When is Uncle Rowan coming back? I miss him."

"In two weeks." He claps his hands in joy. Rowan has grown so much. Iris's death affected him, and he hated returning home but would do it for Notte.

"Tell me about mommy." I pull him into my lap and brush his hair.

"Your mother was one of the most beautiful women in the world; you have her eyes and hair." I fluff his hair, and he laughs. Even his smile reminds me of her.

I pull a paper out of my pocket and open it. Notte leans forward in curiosity, and I smile, "Your mother also drew your grandma." I unfold the paper and find my mother's face.

Venice told me that she asked each of them to help her draw my mother since I don't have any photos of her. It was supposed to be a birthday gift, but she didn't get to be here on my birthday, so Venice handed it to me that day, and I have never been more grateful to have had someone in my life. Iris is an absolute blessing; she left but left a piece of her here next to me.

" I want to hear her voice." He flashes Iris identical blue eyes.

"Sure thing." I pull out my phone and hit the play button.

" I love you, Azrael."

"Thank you for always being with me through every step."

"Take care of our son, give him a name. Teach him how to laugh, love, and live."

"I will see you in the afterlife."

"I will always be here,"

"I will always love you."

We listen to her voice every morning, and I go back to that day every day. Rushing tiny footsteps approached from behind us. I looked back to see Hope coming, and Notte stood up and ran to her. I laugh as I see Derek and his wife approach.

"Elara." She stops in front of me with her hands around her back.

"I feel like shitting again." I bark out a laugh as she declares.

"You asshole, laughing at a pregnant woman." She kicks me with her foot.

Derek steps beside her, helping her to sit down. "I swear being pregnant makes me never want to have children again."

"There's something called condom and birth control," I say.

Elara rolls her eyes, and Derek sits beside her, adding snacks to her plate.

"Very funny, Azrael."

"If she weren't pregnant right now, she would have killed you." He smiles at me.

One week after Iris's death, Elara found out that she was pregnant. Hope was a light in the dark; Derek and Elara insisted on naming their child Hope after Iris's real name. Iris held a special place in us all and will always do.

The workers place the breakfast on the mat, and we call the kids to come over. They sat down breathless, and I laughed at them. "Hello, Uncle Azrael." Hope smiled.

"Hello, my princes." I kiss her head, and she blushes.

We open the lid, and our perfect waffles await us; I cut into it and dip it into Nutella as Iris would usually do. As it melts into my mouth, I feel at home.

I smile when I see Derek feeding Elara and that laugh I could get used to. Elara looked even more beautiful when she was pregnant. It reminds me of Iris when she laughs, the sound of her giggling when she does something evil. There isn't a day that I don't think of her.

I'm not mad that she left me; I understand it was her choice. She was correct; it was hard. I barely got out of bed the first few weeks. The only way to get me up was when I would get some liquor to knock me out to sleep again. Notte was the second reason he would get out of bed; he would refuse to rest and drink with anyone other than me, so I was forced to get better. But then he would grow daily and show me how much of his mother he has in him.

I didn't know how to do it in the first place; how would I raise him alone without Iris? I would wake up to a wet pillow soaked with my tears each morning. But Piro, Derek, and Xane Elara helped me every day. Venice was the one I would talk to the most since he had the experience, and he would give me advice like the father I lost. Year by year, Notte grew to learn from each other and adapt to the nature of our environment.

My phone rings, "Yes?"

"You need to come to the house basement," Xane says, and I shut off and leave, kissing Hope and Notte's forehead.

As I enter the basement, Xane waits for me. "What is it?"

"There's a woman in pretty bad shape, like she crawled out of hell."

"What does she have to do with us?" We continue walking.

"You, she refuses to talk to anyone but you."

"Are you serious? Couldn't you just torture her?"

"I don't think that would work on her." I connect my brows and enter the room, and she is there.

The same woman who handed Notte to Iris that day, the same woman who screamed my name. Her face was dirtier, and she was slimmer. She looks up at me like she's seen life for the first time. "Azrael?" From the ring she had that other day on her finger, and Jonathan is not removing his eyes from her, I am guessing it's his wife.

I hold her face with one hand and pull her up; she stumbles and hits the wall. "What do you want?"I squeeze her face further into my hand, and she looks at me unaffected like she's used to the abuse. I push her head into the wall, not an emotion from her yet. "Who are you?"I ask as she searches my eyes for a moment. "You don't know who I am?" She asked, I'm not here to play games, "What do you want?" She searches more profoundly this time, hoping I will know, but nothing.

"I want my brother back."

What is this bitch blabbing about? Did I kill her brother or something? "If I killed your brother, then he deserved it." Hurt shines into her eyes.

"My brother is still alive." She inhales, taking me entirely, "He's standing before me." You could have just ducked cold water over me and been done with it; It was my turn to search her. How didn't I see those eyes, hair, and lips?

Her eyes glitter with tears as mine realized her, "Keresa."

I breathed her name, and tears poured out of her eyes. "Hello, brother."

- THE END -