to Beckett, and finally to me is just too much to cope with. I told her I loved her. She thought she got what she wanted out of me. I was just the poor idiot that would take care of her unwanted kid.
That’s what I tell myself, anyway.
Late at night, though, when I stare up at the ceiling and I miss the sound of her breathing, I wonder if it might just be my pride talking.
The day after Luca and Ivy leave, I make my way to the Argyle prison. Beckett is being held in a special holding cell, kept under close custody.
Taking a deep breath as the guards lead me to his cell, I clench my fists and grind my teeth. I’m not sure I’m ready for this.
My brother looks up from his cot when the guard opens the door. A cruel smile stretches his lips.
“Dante,” he croons, spreading his arms wide. “So nice of you to come visit, brother.”
“Good to see you’ve finally showered. You were looking pretty awful last time we spoke.”
Beckett bares his teeth.
The guard closes the door behind me. I pull a chair over and take a seat, clasping my hands in front of me and staring at my brother.
“What brings you to my neck of the woods?” Beckett asks, leaning back against the concrete wall as if any of this is normal.
“Why did you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Try to hurt Luca? All he’s ever done is try to keep our family together after Mother betrayed Father.”
Beckett scoffs. “Yeah, right. Luca, the perfect son. The cripple turned miracle. Give me a fucking break.”
“What’s your problem, Beckett?”
“My problem?” Beckett swings his eyes to me. His gaze is dark and unreadable. “My problem is that my whole life, I’ve never been good enough for this fucking family. Mother treated me like I was a lost puppy that she saved, and the King did nothing but belittle me and make me feel like an outsider.”
Beckett’s chest heaves. I gulp, not knowing how to answer. The last thing I want to do is agitate him.
He scoffs, straightening his prison uniform and combing his fingers through his hair. “Luca was the worst of them all. Daddy’s favorite. The athlete. The jokester. How any of you guys stand him is beyond me. After Mother ran off, he took up the role of my chief torturer.”
“Luca? He loved you. He always thought of you as a brother.”
“Is that what you call it? Parading Cara in front of me when he knew I was in love with her? Making fun of me every time I tagged along, making me feel like I was never welcome? Yeah, right. He deserved to jump off that cliff and break his back.”
Clasping my hands together, I try my best to hide the swell of anger in my heart. No one deserves to break their back.
I don’t even know why I’m here. I have nothing to say to Beckett, but I thought maybe I could get some answers from him. Maybe, talking to him, I could understand what happened between him and Margot.
Now that I see him, though, I know I won’t get anything from him. I push myself off the chair and move toward the cell door.
“You’re just as bad as he is,” Beckett says to my back.
I turn to face him, grinding my teeth. “Yeah? How do you figure?”
“You never saw me as a brother.”
“I always saw you as a brother, Beckett. Just as much as Theo or Luca. You were the one who stood in my corner when I wanted to stay out of the public eye. You always defended my right to privacy to Mother and Father. I loved you.”
“Past tense? You don’t love me anymore?”
We stare at each other, and I shake my head. “I can’t forgive what you did to Luca.”
Beckett arches an eyebrow. “Only Luca? What about Margot?”
My brother laughs when he sees the tension ratchet up in my body. I clench my fists at the sound of her name, betraying why I’m really here.
“Well, you can have her,” Beckett spits, laying down in bed and turning his back to me. “She was a mediocre fuck, anyway. Once was enough for me. Turns out, Luca didn’t even care about her, and she looked just as bored as I was. She didn’t even have the decency to die like she was supposed to.” He pulls his thin blanket up to his chin without another word, and I know the conversation is over.