My Childhood Bully is a Mafia Boss-Chapter 73

Aidan

I looked up from my coffee to look at Ellie. She emerged in the doorway, Lucas clutching the hem of her jeans like a lifeline.

"Morning," she said, her smile brittle as thin ice.

"Hey," I replied, setting down the mug, the ceramic clack echoing too loud in the silence. "How’ve you been?"

It was a lame attempt at normalcy, but what do you say to someone who’s walked back into your life like the ghost of a past you tried to bury? There was a tension between us, thick enough to cut, yet here I was, fishing for small talk.

Ellie’s gaze flickered, her discomfort apparent. She shifted, toeing off her shoes as if grounding herself. "Surviving," she admitted.

"Come sit down," I commanded. "And who is this little man?" I asked, pointing at the boy behind her.

"Lucas," she started, her voice softly trembling. This is Aidan, your uncle."

The boy—Lucas—didn’t move at first, just studied me, his gaze an unsettling mirror of Ellie’s. He had the same eyes as Ellie and looked nothing like Slava. Thankfully. He looked more like me if anything.

"Hey there, champ," I said. I dropped to one knee, bringing myself down to Lucas’s level, and offered him a smile—one I hoped looked more genuine than it felt. My hand reached out, open and waiting.

He hesitated, uncertainty flickering across his face, a small frown crinkling his brow. It was clear that he had a hard time trusting people.

"Go on, Lucas," Ellie nudged him gently.

A moment passed, two, then Lucas stepped forward, his tiny hand slipping into mine. His grip was tentative. His small hand vanished in my grasp and my chest tightened.

"Nice to meet you, Lucas." The words came easier now, warmth seeping into them as I locked eyes with the boy. His eyes were identical to his mother’s.

"Nice to meet you too," he replied quietly, the ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"How old are you, Lucas?" I asked.

"Six," he replied swiftly.

"Got any favorite superheroes, Lucas?" I kept my tone light and inviting as he pondered the question with all the seriousness a six-year-old could muster.

"Spider-Man," he declared after a moment, his voice gaining confidence. "He climbs walls and swings from webs." A tiny hand mimicked the action, air-swinging across imagined cityscapes.

"Spider-Man, huh?" I chuckled. "That’s pretty cool. You know, I used to climb trees back when I was your age. Not quite the same as skyscrapers, but it felt like it." I winked, leaning in conspiratorially.

Lucas’s eyes widened, impressed or at least willing to entertain the thought that the man before him could be just a little bit heroic. It was endearing since I was far from being a hero.

"Did you fall?" His question was blunt, curious.

"Once or twice," I admitted. "But I always got back up. That’s what heroes do, right?"

"Yeah!" He was animated now.

From the corner of my eye, I caught Ellie watching us. She was seated beside Ivy, who offered Ellie some orange juice.

"Mommy makes them with faces," Lucas said and pointed at his pancake, his eyes darting to Ellie as if seeking permission to share their secret world of pancake art.

"Does she now?" I kept my tone easy, my smile genuine. "I bet they’re the best faces this side of town."

"Better," Lucas corrected me with the seriousness only a child can muster over the subject of food art.

After breakfast, I signaled Ivy to take Lucas away so I could talk to Ellie. I had questions she needed to answer.

"Ellie," I started after we were finally alone, "do you know who killed Slava?"

She froze, a deer caught in headlights. Slowly, she looked up at me. "Men from some Italian Mafia," she whispered.

"Do you know who their leader is?" I asked.

"No. Slava and I didn’t discuss his business," Ellie said.

I nodded, taking in her haunted eyes and the twitch in her jaw.

I leaned forward, elbows on the table, closing the space. "You will be safe here. I think I know who it is."

Ellie nodded. "Thank you for letting me stay here, Aidan. I know...I know you must hate me now."

"I don’t hate you, Ellie," I said, my voice gentler now. "I was angry, hurt, but I don’t hate you. You’re my sister, and family comes first."

Ellie nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "I never wanted it to be like this. I was just so lost, Aidan. I thought I could handle things on my own, but I was wrong. So wrong."

I reached out, covering her hand with mine. "It’s okay. You’re here now, and we’ll figure this out together."

She took a shaky breath, steadying herself. "Thank you, Aidan. I promise I’ll do whatever it takes to make things right."

"But Ellie...I have to ask this...where did Lucas come from?" I asked.

Ellie looked at me wide-eyed. "What do you mean? Lucas is my son," she breathed.

"Ivy told me Slava is not the father," I took a deep breath before continuing.

"He is not," she said curtly.

"Who is Lucas’s father, Ellie?" I asked. My heart was beating fast, and somewhere in the pit of my stomach, I had a feeling I didn’t want to know the answer.

Her voice trembled as she spoke, her words catching in her throat. "It’s... it’s our father," she whispered brokenly.

My heart dropped to my stomach as I processed her words. The room spun and my mind raced with disbelief. "What?" I demanded, unable to believe what I was hearing even though I knew it was true.

Ellie flinched at the force of my response, tears streaming down her face. "Lucas is his," she confessed, her voice barely audible through her sobs.

A heavy silence hung between us, the weight of our shared trauma suffocating us both. Our father had been a monster, but I never thought he would do something so despicable to his own daughter.

"You can’t tell anyone about this," Ellie pleaded, her voice trembling with fear.

"I won’t," I promised, my heart breaking for my sister and the child she carried. Lucas would never know the truth about his biological father.

Ellie sobbed again and nodded her agreement through blurred tears.

A profound sadness washed over me. There was so much damage our father had done, but I won’t let him destroy Lucas’ life, too.

I stood up and walked over to Ellie, and before she had the chance to say anything, I pulled her into a hug.

Ellie didn’t pull away and sobbed into my chest. "I was already pregnant when Slava took me. He said he would protect me from him."

"And did he really?" I asked.

"He did...to some extent. I mean, he was not a good man by any stretch, but he didn’t exactly beat me. At least not like how our father did," she said.

We clung to each other while Ellie sobbed uncontrollably as years of suppressed pain and anger erupted from within us. In that moment, all that mattered was each other and the bond we shared as brother and sister.

"Slava wanted to give Lucas away to someone else, but I begged him not to," Ellie said as she slowly released herself from the hug. "I think he would’ve done it eventually if I didn’t get pregnant with his child too. That softened him up a bit," she laughed dryly.

"I can’t believe it," I said, my voice hollow as I rubbed comforting circles on her back. "I wish you had come to me sooner."

She gave a helpless shrug, tears still staining her cheeks. "I was ashamed, Aidan. So, so ashamed. And scared, too"

"Scared of what?" I asked.

"Scared that you would still abandon me. Like you did before," she sobbed.

"Ellie," I began, my voice thick with emotion. "You have to trust me from now on. Give me the chance to be a proper big brother."

She nodded slowly, but the pain and fear in her eyes told me that it would take more than just words to convince her.

"And I am sorry about Slava," I said. "He was a bastard, but he at least took care of you and protected you."

Ellie’s lips curled into a small smile. "He was a total asshole, wasn’t he? Makes me scared of how this kid will turn out to be," she said, pointing at her pregnant belly.

I couldn’t help but chuckle, though it was tinged with sadness. "Yeah, Slava was something else," I agreed. "But this kid has you for a mom, Ellie. And you’re stronger than you think."

Ellie wiped her eyes, trying to compose herself. "Thank you, Aidan."

"And I will make sure he will be raised strong alongside my son," I said.

Ellie’s eyes sparkled. "So I am going to have a nephew?"

"Yes," I replied, a warm smile spreading across my face. "Ivy and I are expecting a boy."

For the first time in what felt like ages, Ellie’s face lit up with genuine happiness. "That’s wonderful news, Aidan. I’m so happy for you both."

"And you?" I asked.

"A baby girl," Ellie said, still smiling.