I just do not understand sometimes the way Eryx operates. In many instances in the past, he remained stoic refusing to show any type of emotions, when in my case, within our marriage, he generally forgoes being upfront with me about the things that plague his mind.

He has kept a lot of secrets hidden from me in the past that came back to bite him and me both in the ass because I guess in his mind he thought he was protecting me. Watching him take Kieran's life did not upset me, it was the way he carelessly did not try to figure out every person involved in his mother's death before proceeding to take another life, trying to avenge his mother's death.

The gunshot echoed and penetrated my eardrums as I watched Eryx murder Kieran in front of me. I am immediately furious in the way he chose to kill whether get the answers he had yearned to have for many years regarding the reason behind why his mother was murdered.

I felt no remorse from slapping him across his face.

I was tired of holding back and having to suppress how the way I truly felt being around him. This was one of the reasons why I contemplated divorcing him over the years. He just was not who I thought I fell in love with. Maybe it was all an allusion this this whole time and maybe I am just realizing the man I exchanged vows with fifteen years ago.

I march up the steps as my blood pressure rises from how upset I am right now. Just as I make it back to the main floor of the estate, I immediately have this craving to have a glass of brown liquor to calm my nerves.

I do not bother to stop and greet many of the staff workers who are busy tidying up many of the rooms in the house.

I nearly walk past the living room, where a grand piano is sitting against the wall, and immediately stop in my tracks when I take notice who is sitting at the piano bench with his head down.

I smile I take notice of Kaemon, my brother-in-law, as I stride toward him. I take notice that his eyes are shut and his mouth is parted open as he snores. I cover my mouth to hide my giggles as I watch him for several moments.

I feel a sense of guilt that I abruptly left the way I did, not saying goodbye to Kaemon or Zyran, who I had grown to love as if they were my flesh and blood. Five years prior, Kaemon looked differently being that he was only 20 at the time and was being trained to be a part of the family business, something Mason had been adamant about wanting him to stop stalling and join Eryx and Zyran within the Vallea Mafia.

Kaemon who once wore his hair in a low cut fade, now has grown out his brunette-defined curls that sit against his shoulders. I place my hand on his shoulder as his eyes immediately snap open and he looks up to make eye contact with me. "Verena", he says softly, his raspy voice that is filled with happiness at seeing me as he jumps from his seat and embraces me with open arms. I settle against him as his hands wrap around my shoulders as I lean my head against his chest. "You have gotten much taller Kae, it's so good to see you".

I then part from his arms and place my hand on his cheek as Kaemon looks at me before he takes hold of me motioning for me to sit down next to him on the piano bench. Kaemon learned how to play the piano shortly after I started dating Eryx and has become enamored with learning every classical piece from the great music composers of our time.

I sit back and watch as he begins to play a ballad of classical songs, that soothes my heart and releases the tension I had before coming into this room. Kaemon plays with his eyes closed, but I can see his muscles in his shoulders tensing up as he plays different chords leading to the crescendo before the song ends. I clap my hands giving him applause once he is done.

"I see nothing has changed with you still being phenomenal at playing the keys". Kaemon nods before he leans his elbow against the piano and looks over at me.

"Where the hell have you been Verena and why did you feel like you had to run away".

I bite the corners of my lips trying to keep the tears at bay as Kaemon looks at me watching for me to answer his question.

"So many things were going wrong between Eryx and me. I wasn't happy. I felt like I was being held in prison, like the promises Eryx told me he would give me were just to lure me into falling in love with him".

Kaemon places his hand on my shoulder, "Verena, I look at you as if you are my sister. I always thought you were too good for my brother", I laugh at his statement because in some instances I truly felt this relationship was too much for me at times.

"I feel the total opposite like the lifestyle. The violence. The drugs. The weapons. Bodyguards. Was just too much for me to get accustomed to". Kaemon frowns, "I wish Eryx would have been completely honest with you rather than spoon-feed you little by little of everything that he is involved in".

I roll my eyes before I share with Kaemon what Eryx had done minutes ago. Kaemon blows out air before he hits his fist against the piano in frustration. "Why would he keep something like that away from me or Zyran. Like he wasn't the only one who lost their mother".

Eryx can be very selfish at times and tends to think he is protecting everyone because he tends to forgo communicating a lot of things to everyone. "I am not sure. Still, I fear that the family has more enemies than what Eryx might be privy to", I add. Kaemon looks over at me, "How long have you been back here". "Uhmm, I believe about a week.

Still, to be honest I am not happy to be back.", I state. Kaemon then adds, "I don't blame you, if anything you need be trying to get your lick back for all the shit my brother put you through all these years". I smirk and then bump my elbow against Kaemon's forearm.

"Are you encouraging me to retaliate against Eryx". Kaemon's face creases into a frown, "Not exactly. Still, you do need to show him that just because he brought you back here does mean he can fuck you over again like how he used to".

Kaemon was right, instead of me trying to leave, maybe I needed to give Eryx a taste of his own damn medicine. Running away again was not going to solve anything.

I needed to start acting like the Queen of the Vallea Mafia and show my husband I was not the one to play with.



Good to see Verena reunite with Kaemon being she has not seen him in five years. I cannot wait to write about how Verena is going to get her lick back against Eryx for fucking with her.