𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝘿𝙪𝙤 ; 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙨 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙗𝙮 [ BOOK 2 ]

EPILOGUE

Some believe in heaven and hell. Some believe in reincarnation. In Caroline's case, her loved ones only hoped she'd been engulfed by the darkness that consumed her heart, like an eternal slumber. It's what she would've wanted, they thought.

She had feared death despite being surrounded by it her whole life. From the moment she stepped foot onto the battlefield to the moment she came back home and became involved in immoral behaviour, there was always a higher chance of passing away. Though, dying from natural causes was ruled out. For Caroline, she'd always expected to be shot in the back of the head, assassination style in retaliation or else she would've given her life up in the place of others, like she'd done before. But death by falling from the banister in her own home? Completely unprecedented. 

When her eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the famous white light she'd heard of so often in these circumstances, she gasped, expecting to feel the wrath of many broken bones. To her surprise, she felt absolutely nothing. As the clouds of white licked at her ankles, she pulled herself to her feet and glanced around. In this biome, she felt safe. She was home.

"I wish we didn't have to meet again like this."

Caroline grinned as she witnessed her younger brother coming towards her, and with open arms, they embraced each other. She studied his face, long and hard. He was wearing the same clothes he had when he died, only, the fabric remained intact and his body wasn't riddled with bruises and bullet holes.

"I'm so sorry, Oscar." She bit her lip to prevent sobbing. "You're here because of me."

"I'm better dead than alive, my dear sister." His smile then simmered to a frown. "Though I wish I had the chance to be a father to my daughter, but Tommy has been great."

Once more, her eyes wandered to the abyss. "Is this it? Forever?"

He shook his head. "No. This is purgatory, perhaps. We're here to help you move on."

"We?"

"Who the fuck else would take time out of a busy day to put his daughter in place?" Billy's voice echoed beyond, and as he neared his children, his signature smirk etched his face. 

She breathed in the strong scent of his aftershave the moment they collided in a hug she didn't know she needed. He was a bad man who deserved his death, but despite his many flaws, he loved his children. He may of had a bad way of showing it, but he was still their father and now his only kin were dead alongside him. It shouldn't have been like this. He should've grown old and died in his sleep, followed by his children progressing through their later stages of life, producing more children and having a happy life, but they weren't a normal family. They had to accept their fate and suffer the consequences.

"Let's get this show on the road, sweetheart." Billy spoke with little sympathy. "I ain't gonna spend much time reuniting the family back together. It's time we pay your life one last visit then you're on your way."

Caroline raised a brow. "Is this what happens in death? Did you two get to visit your lives before 'clocking out'?"

"Unfortunately." Billy snorted. "All I saw was your mother shagging some bloke and you two crying. I suppose, Caroline, in your defence, it was in front of you, but seriously, come on. You both whined for months!"

Oscar rolled his eyes. "I forgot, we're supposed to be emotionless at the loss of our father."

Billy pointed his finger at Oscar. "This ain't about you, boy." Softening up, he turned to Caroline. "Are you ready?"

Without hesitation, she replied. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Within the blink of an eye,  she stood before her funeral. It came as a surprise that there were many people who attended, but she didn't pay much attention, because the sight of her two children sobbing uncontrollably caused her heart to sink. She could feel their confusion, their anger, their grief. Oh how she wished to wrap her arms around them, kiss their temples and remind them how much she loved them.

Then it hit her. She'd never be able to watch them grow up to capable adults who'd marry the love of their lives. She'd never be able to hold them tight whist they told her of their first heartbreak, or listen to their anxious thoughts, or the joys their lives brought them.

Although she loved Thomas with her whole heart, he could replace her easily with the vast women who would throw themselves at him. It would sadden her to think of him with somebody else, but perhaps it would be for the best, because they had not been the most functional duo. Simply, their love was so powerful and they did not know how to pour their feelings positively into their relationship. However, her children could not replace their mother figure. At least they had a loving aunt and great aunt to help guide them accordingly.

A face that did surprise her, however, was the sombre expression of her old best friend. Ruth Jesus, otherwise known as the preacher's daughter. It was a friendship she had longed to rekindle but she never had the time to put herself first. If she wasn't attending business, she was tending to her two children. Smiling to herself, Caroline watched tears glistening in Ruth's eyes, knowing that she felt the same way.

She was surprised that her mother was allowed to attend, and to her bemusement, Matilda had both hands resting on Rose's shoulders. The mother and daughter had their ups and downs during her short lifespan, but she was relived to see that Matilda stepped up when the family needed her the most.

With courage came the nerve to look at Thomas's stone-cold face, just as she had imagined. He never showed emotion privately, much less publically. But the heartache she sensed from where she was placed could bring her to her knees in a crippling agony that only those in their greatest despair could relate to. Immense guilt and a deep dark depression that he would surely wash down with whiskey.

Throughout the ceremony, he was as silent as his wife's corpse. He had lost her once before, but now it was official. He would never get her back because she was destined to reside six feet underground. Every bit of his soul cried out her name, craving her warm touch and snarky comments. Their love story was not one written in the stars, rather, it belonged in the headlines for red flags in relationships, but they belonged together, in a twisted way of sorts. 

"Time's up, my dear." Her father states as her body was lowered into the ground. "Three out of four ain't so bad, huh?"

Oscar rolled his blue eyes. "That's not funny."

"I thought your mum would've been here before you two idiots. No word of a lie, I dreamt about stabbing her in her sleep. She was one awful slu-"

Caroline quickly steered the conversation with a nervous tone. "Where do we go now?"

"We had been waiting here for the family to cross over together, but we're complete at last and we'll see where we will be taken next."

With her hands entwined with her younger brother and father as the clouds began to enclose them, Caroline could only crane her neck to watch the vision of her life wash away like water down a drain. She didn't know where they were going, whether that be heaven, hell or somewhere in between, she wished them nothing but eternal happiness and safety, hoping that some day, they'd move forward and work towards a better future for themselves.

"To hell with the Peaky Blinders." she whispered with a small grin. This chapter in her book was closing, but it was only beginning for her two children who she hoped to breathe her life into.

Author's Note - This story has been a bittersweet journey for me, but I want to thank you all personally for reading anyhow, but especially for reading this far. I didn't expect to receive this amount of love on both of these stories, I never thought it would do well tbh. I was simping for all the Shelby brothers and I was glad that I could use this platform as an outlet for my teenage hormones lmao. I love you all very much and I hope to continue writing so stay tuned! xo