I shake my head against his chest, my tears soaking into his shirt.
I just cling to him, crying, and he doesn't let go. He doesn't pull away.
He just holds me.
And regardless of what happens next, Adrian won't have to live with the guilt of killing his own father.
I took that burden from him.
It's the least I could do after everything he's done for me.
Behind us, I hear movement, and I look over.
Lucian steps forward and approaches Nicolae's body. He crouches down beside his father, his movements slow.
He presses two fingers to Nicolae's neck, and seconds stretch out.
Finally, Lucian lifts his head and looks back at us. He shakes his head once.
"He's dead," he says.
The words are flat, emotionless, but they knock the wind out of me, and I gasp.
Adrian's grip on me tightens slightly, and I feel his chest rise with a deep breath.
Lucian stands, rubbing his forehead, and stays completely still for a moment, thinking.
His dark eyes find mine, and for a millisecond, I'm terrified he's going to yell at me. Tell me I've destroyed everything. That they need to eliminate me.
But he doesn't.
"There isn't a doubt in my mind," Lucian says, his voice steady, "that our father had this coming."
I blink, fresh tears threatening to spill.
"I'm sorry it had to be you who did it," he continues, his gaze unwavering. "But if it wasn't you, Elena, it would have been an enemy." He pauses. "Or God forbid, one of us."
Victor steps forward too now, his jaw tight, but his eyes are relaxed.
"We're sorry," Victor says, and I can hear the sincerity in his voice. "About what he did. About the baby. About everything." He glances at his brothers, then back to me. "This family is not what it used to be, and it's because of him. What he did to you is not what we stand for. And it won't be run like that. Not anymore."
Adrian shifts beside me, his hand sliding down to grip mine.
"Agreed," Adrian says, his voice rough but firm. "And I wasn't going to let him leave this room alive anyway."
"And if Adrian didn't do it," Matei says, "I would have done it for him. What he did was unthinkable. Unforgivable."
The brothers just look at one another, something unspoken passing between the four of them.
"Thank you," Adrian says. "For your support. For choosing us."
"We're brothers," Lucian says. "Until the end. Ride or die."
Victor nods as well. "Ride or die."
The room falls silent again, everything sitting heavy over all of us.
Then Victor turns and looks at Lucian.