Revenge After Divorce Novel by Black Rose

NICK

“What, what were you thinking?” I hissed, my voice a mix of frustration and disbelief as I paced back and forth. I could feel my blood boiling in my veins. Luke had just told me that my mother, my mother, was out there acting like a teenager running after trouble. After those men. Did he think she was still some young, untouchable mafia queen? Didn’t she realize how dangerous this was? She had retired for a reason. Just because Dad wasn’t here didn’t mean she could suddenly jump back into the game. She was too old for this.

“She’s acting like she’s twenty–five again!” 1 continued, barely able to keep my voice from shaking, “Who does she think she is, going after those men? She’s not in the field anymore! She doesn’t need to be out there.”

Luke’s expression hardened, his eyes narrowing as I ranted He didn’t like seeing me this upset, but honestly, I didn’t give a damn. This was my mother we were talking about. The woman who had always been everything to me, fragile, gentle, normal. At least, that’s how I saw her. The one who loved her garden, her books, and her quiet life. The one who had barely raised an eyebrow when I care to her for advice on how to handle a crisis at school. The one who spent weekends with the kids, playing board games or baking cookies. That was my mafia legend, some cold–blooded criminal.

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y mom. Not some

Luke’s voice cut through my thoughts; his tone sharp but tinged with something I couldn’t quite place. “Don’t noveldrama

dare raise your voice at me, Nick. This is Elodie we are talking about.” He stepped closer, his jaw set. “Do you think I didn’t try? I tried everything to stop her. You think didn’t warn her? She’s stubborn, you know that. Telling her no just made her more determined to do exactly what she wants. Always has been like that.”

I stopped in my tracks, feeling a knot tighten in my chest. My mother had always been strong, stubborn, wilful. But this… this was different. This wasn’t the same as stubbornly insisting on having a second helping of dessert. This was life or death. And I didn’t care how many times Luke tried to explain it to me, I couldn’t wrap my head around it. My mother, the mother I knew, was out there in the middle of a battlefield, surrounded by men who would sooner slit her throat than let her walk away.

I ran a hand through my hair, exasperated. “Damn it, we need to work faster to find Xander’s men,” I muttered, my mind racing. “This island is no longer working for us. We have been stuck here long enough.” My words felt hollow, lost in the air as I turned to face Luke, my eyes searching his for some sign of reassurance, some way to deal with the disaster unfolding. But all I found was his usual calm.

There was nothing about this situation that made sense. Nothing that could explain why my mother, my fragile mother, was out there chasing after danger like it was some thrill she was craving. I had grown up knowing the stories, hearing the legends about her past. I’d heard the whispers of how she used to be a force to be reckoned with, a woman who could kill without hesitation if it meant protecting her

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But I had never seen that side of her. To me, she had always been the one who tucked me in at night, who cared for my cuts and bruises, who helped me pick out my clothes when I was a kid. I didn’t know the woman who had been feared and respected in the underground world. I only knew the mother who looked after me, who spoke softly and gave me a sense of normalcy, of stability. She was the one who smiled when I came to her for advice about my first crush, who helped me with my homework. Not the cold–hearted criminal queen I had heard about in stories.