Chapter 20 - The End
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The bullet hit Victor in the chest.
He stumbled. Fell. Looked at me. Surprised.
"You... you shot me."
"I warned you."
"You... you actually..."
He coughed. Blood. Lots of it.
"Help... me..."
I didn't move.
"You're... my sister..."
"You stopped being my brother when you tried to kill my son."
He laughed. Weak. Dying.
"I... always... knew... you... had it in you..."
He closed his eyes.
He didn't open them again.
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The police came. They took statements. Took the body.
Sarah called. "Are you okay?"
"I don't know."
"You did what you had to do."
"I know."
"Leo?"
"He's fine. He's asleep."
"Good. Take care of him. Take care of yourself."
"I will."
I hung up. Walked to Leo's room. Watched him sleep.
My son. My reason. My everything.
I'd killed my brother to protect him.
I'd do it again. A thousand times.
I'd do anything for him.
Anything.
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Six months later.
We moved again. New town. New life.
But this time, we stayed.
No more running. No more hiding.
Victor was dead. The Circle was destroyed.
We were free.
Leo was in therapy. Getting better. Smiling more.
I was in therapy too. Learning to live with what I'd done.
Learning to forgive myself.
Learning to be normal again.
It wasn't easy. But it was worth it.
Every day was a gift. Every moment was precious.
I'd learned that the hard way.
But I'd learned it.
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Epilogue
Leo was playing soccer in the yard. Laughing. Running. Alive.
I watched him from the porch. Coffee in hand. Sun on my face.
He looked up. Waved.
I waved back.
"You okay, Mommy?"
"I'm okay, baby. I'm okay."
And for the first time in years, I meant it.
We'd survived. We'd fought. We'd won.
And now... now we lived.
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THE END
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