C526 The Endless Cycle Of Revenge

Darry nodded, his expression firm. "Even death won't stop me from avenging my brother." Miller stared at him for a long moment before finally nodding. "Fine. Do whatever you think is right." Darry looked at him, surprised by his sudden change of attitude. However, Miller wasn't finished. "But there's something you need to understand. If Hanna dies, you can no longer blame Alicia or Victor for what happens. You're the one insisting on a war that could still be prevented. Whatever consequences follow will be yours to bear." He paused, his expression growing stern. "And if the Mooney family comes after you and your family, I will not intervene. They may destroy everything you've built, including your family and the daughter you've spent years keeping secret." Darry's expression changed. "They wouldn't dare." Miller shook his head. "Keep provoking them, and you'll find out." He leaned forward slightly in his wheelchair. "Mark Mooney is the Police Minister. Do you honestly believe it would be difficult for him to uncover your secrets, especially with Victor helping him? You may think you're protecting yourself, but you're only making it easier for your enemies to find you." Miller paused, giving his son one final warning. "Let this go, Darry. I'm asking you as your father. Don't force this family into another war."

Darry remained silent, his determination seemingly unshaken. Miller sighed. "I've warned you. What you do next is your responsibility." With that, he turned his wheelchair towards the door and pushed himself out of the villa, leaving Darry alone with his thoughts. But whether Darry would heed his father's warning remained uncertain. One thing was clear, he had no intention of abandoning his revenge easily. Meanwhile, at the Mooney residence, I sat beside Alicia in our bedroom. Ever since her conversation with Miller and Victor, she had seemed lost in thought. I had given her time to process everything, but I could no longer ignore the concern weighing on her face. "Wife, what's wrong?" She looked at me. "You still haven't answered my second question," I reminded her gently. "Why didn't you tell everyone in our family about the assassination attempt?" Alicia lowered her eyes briefly before answering. "Because I don't want them to know about every hardship we face." I remained silent, allowing her to continue. "Last time, I went too far when I interrogated John Kinlore in front of everyone. I could see the way they looked at me afterwards. They were uncomfortable with what they saw, and I don't want them to keep looking at me differently." I nodded slowly. "I understand." I reached for her hand. "But you don't have to carry everything alone. We're your family. We're supposed to face these things together." Alicia gave me a faint smile but didn't respond.

I remembered what she had said during her conversation with Miller and Victor. There had been something in her voice that I couldn't ignore. "Wife, are you really tired of this endless revenge?" She nodded. "Yes." For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then Alicia turned towards me, her expression unusually uncertain. "Husband, would you be angry with me if I decided not to kill Hanna?" I stared at her, surprised by the question. "What do you mean?" She took a deep breath. "Hanna killed Emmanuel. I know that, and I haven't forgotten it. But I'm talking about revenge, Mike. I'm tired of waking up every day wondering who will come after us next." Her eyes met mine. "Look at what's happening now. Darry wants to kill me because I killed Hanna's father. Meanwhile, we're hunting Hanna because she took our son from us. If Darry succeeds in killing me, you'll want revenge. If we succeed in killing Hanna, Darry and the people loyal to him may come after us again." She paused, her voice becoming quieter. "And if our families continue answering every death with another death, when will it end? How many more people must suffer before someone finally decides that enough is enough?" I shook my head. "Wife, I understand that you're tired. You've just survived an assassination attempt, and now you're questioning whether all this fighting is worth it. But what makes you think Hanna will stop if we spare her?" Alicia remained silent. "Do you believe she'll simply forget that we killed her father? Do you think she'll wake up one morning and decide that everything is forgiven?"

I tightened my grip on her hand. "And what happens if she discovers the whole truth about Laura? What if she learns what Laura did to her father? Do you think she'll leave the Gomez family alone?" Alicia's expression changed. She had no answer. I continued, my voice softening. "I want this to end too. Believe me, I do. But we can't make that decision based on the hope that Hanna will suddenly change. She's already shown us what she's capable of, and we have no guarantee that she'll stop coming after us." Alicia looked down at our joined hands. For a long moment, she said nothing. Then she slowly shook her head. "I just want all of this to end, Mike. Is that too much to ask?" Her voice carried a sadness that I had rarely heard from her. I pulled her into my arms. "No, Wife. It's not too much to ask." I held her close, wishing I could give her the peace she wanted. "But until we know whether Hanna is willing to stop, we have to protect ourselves and the people we love." Alicia rested her head against my chest. For once, she didn't argue. And for once, I didn't know what else to say. We had spent so long fighting to protect our family that we had barely stopped to consider what our lives would look like if the fighting ever ended. Perhaps Alicia was right to question the path we had chosen. But after everything Hanna had done, I couldn't bring myself to believe that forgiveness alone would keep us safe. The fact that we did not know where she was hiding made things worse. Meanwhile, late that night, Frank Potter picked up his phone and called the woman he knew as Ann Smith. The call connected after several rings. "Ann," Frank greeted.