Guess the fucking joke is on me, because the bitch is still here. She just left. Which means my anger is directed at her now. I’ve already killed one parent. I’m sure sending the other to hell won’t do my soul any damage. It’s already damned anyway. There is no saving it after the sins I’ve committed, and I’m at peace with that. There aren’t any depths I won’t go to in order to protect my family.

“You know, if you told me a few years ago that we’d be reduced to diaper changes and midnight feedings, I never would have believed you,” Gabe says, walking into my office. He’s not alone. He has Luciano with him. My nephew.

“Speaking of midnight, there a reason you’re here?” I ask.

When Aurelio woke up, I grabbed him before he could disturb his mother. She’s dead tired, and I’m used to running on little to no sleep. The job I have isn’t exactly a nine-to-five. My hours have always been unconventional.

“Your Uncle G is an ass, Luc,” Gabe says to his son.

“Uncle G ass,” my nephew repeats, which has Gabe chuckling.

“You know, Daisy is going to have your ass when he repeats that in front of her.” I raise a brow, and the bastard smirks.

“Pfft. Daisy happens to love my ass. Just last night, she had her nails digging⁠—”

“What do you want, Gabe?” I cut him off.

“To talk. What are we going to do about her?”

“About who?” I pick up Aurelio and hold him against my chest. His hands reach for my face, grabbing at my cheeks.

“Our mother.”

“Our mother is dead, Gabrielle. Leave her that way.” I don’t want that woman in my life. I don’t want her anywhere near my family. I raised my brothers. I did her job for her, and I’ll be damned if I let her come back and fuck with their heads now.

“Aren’t you even a little bit curious?” Gabe asks me.

“Not even in the slightest.” I stand and walk over to the wet bar. Shifting my son’s weight to the side before I pour two glasses of Cinque. I hand one to Gabe. “We don’t need her, and when we did, she bailed.”

“Surely there was a reason? I can’t imagine Pops was a cupcake to be married to,” Gabe says.

“Would you leave him behind because you didn’t like who you were married to anymore?” I ask, nodding towards my nephew.

“No. But I’d also never leave my wife,” he says. “I am curious, though. Maybe there’s something we don’t know.”

“I don’t care if the fucking Pope told her to leave us with the monster. A decent mother would have fucking stayed or at the very least tried to take us with her.”

“Fucking!” Luciano repeats.