He Killed Us Both Chapter 07

He Killed Us Both Chapter 07

I walked out of the pawnshop, blood dripping from my chin, but I didn’t go home. I went to Liam’s clinic. The receptionist took one look at my face-the glass shards embedded in my forehead, the blooming purple bruise on my chin-and her eyes widened in recognition. 1

“You’re that woman from the internet,” she whispered.

“Treat me or don’t, your choice,” I said flatly. “But if I die in your waiting room, the scandal will ruin this place.”

She treated me.

As Liam stitched up my forehead, I sent a text to Agent Miller. Three words: Confirm the time. The reply came instantly. The day of the wedding. Holy Name Cathedral.

I smiled through the pain.

For the next few days, I hid in my rented room, watching their photos flash across public platforms. Linus and Lydia at the tailor, choosing white silk. Linus and Lydia at the florist, picking white roses for the altar. Every photo was a knife, but I let them cut, letting my hatred grow sharp and clear.

The night of the ceremony arrived.

Holy Name Cathedral was ablaze with light, organ music swelling. Family members and associates from all over Chicago filled the pews, their finest suits glinting in the candlelight, their voices high with celebration. The family’s Soldati-Linus’s personal guard-stood at the entrance, two rigid lines of black-clad sentinels.

I approached from the shadows, dressed in a simple black server’s uniform, my face obscured by a deep hood.

“The Don didn’t invite you, traitor,” the Capo in charge of security sneered, his eyes raking over me with contempt. “We lose our jobs if we let you in.”

“I’m just a server,” I murmured, my eyes downcast. “Delivering champagne for the newlyweds.”

They let me pass.

Inside, the cathedral was thick with expensive incense and false joy. I moved through

the crowd, carrying trays of crystal flutes, as relatives who had attended my own wedding turned their faces away. Some deliberately spilled champagne on my back; others spat near my feet, murmuring that I was a snake, a murderer.

I smiled and kept walking.

The ceremony began. Linus stood at the altar in a formal white tuxedo, looking every bit the noble and authoritative Don. Lydia walked down the aisle in a gown of pure white silk, her face glowing with triumph. The priest raised his hands, ready to begin

the vows.

I set down my tray.

I took out my phone and sent the pre-scheduled message.

Now.

The great doors burst open.

FBI agents flooded the cathedral, their black tactical vests glinting cold under the chandeliers as they swarmed the altar. The music screeched to a halt. The crowd gasped. Linus’s head snapped toward the intruders, confusion hardening into rage. Lydia’s smile froze, panic flickering behind her carefully made-up eyes.

I walked to the center of the aisle.

“Apologies for the interruption,” I said, my voice broadcast through a miniature microphone I had prepared, echoing to every corner of the church. “Lydia Valeriano, you are under arrest for willful destruction of property and attempted murder. Linus Valeriano, you are under arrest for accessory to a crime and violent assault.”

The giant projection screens in the cathedral lit up. The clear footage of Lydia destroying the car played for all the guests to see. Her smug smile, the deliberate motion of cutting the brake line, her cold indifference as she fled.

I looked straight at Linus, watching the pure terror dawn in his eyes.

“Your wedding is over. Future celebrations can be held in a prison cell.”

Linus howled, a sound of pure agony and animal rage. He lunged for me, fingers outstretched, but the agents tackled him to the ground. Lydia tried to run, but they seized her arms, her white wedding dress tearing as she struggled.

As they dragged him past me, Linus’s eyes met mine. Bloodshot. Utterly broken.

“So,” he choked out, “the last life… that crash… that was her, too?”

I looked at him, at the man I had loved with my entire youth, the man who had

murdered our child twice.

“Yes,” I said softly. “And you were too blind to see it. Both times.”

They dragged him away.