Alfred raised his right hand, and all the members of the Allamino mafia emerged. Beckett did the same, and his men who were hiding in the trees and bushes earlier also came out.
Seeing how the two leaders are determined to clash with each other, it only means one thing: this place will be in bloodshed soon.
And indeed it happened. The people between Beckett and Alfred started fighting. Blood flowed, and many lives were lost. It was a long-time war between the two of them, and Beckett won.
Now they are face to face. Alfred is sitting on the ground, his body full of wounds and bruises from Beckett's beating, while Beckett is standing. His gun is pointed at Alfred.
“I know you want to kill me… But why can’t you fucking pull the trigger?” Alfred asked, grinning. “Has your fear of killing people returned?”
“Hah.” Beckett clicked his tongue, annoyed.
But he didn't answer the question. The reason he didn't shoot Alfred was because of Vivianne. She was still sitting in the grass, but the ropes binding her were now removed. Even though Alfred was a bad person, the pain in the eyes of the girl was evident.
“Fuck it.” Beckett lowered his gun and tucked it into his pants. “Spend the rest of your life in jail.”
He walked towards Vivianne to check on her condition, causing her to smile.
But that smile quickly disappeared when she saw Alfred pick up the gun from the ground and point it at Beckett.
“Beckett!” Vivianne suddenly panicked. She quickly drew the gun from her husband's pants and aimed it at her father.
And she pulled the trigger. The sound of the gunshot echoed throughout the area, accompanied by Alfred falling to the ground, his eyes wide open, looking at her.
“Daughter…” Alfred weakly called out to Vivianne, disbelief in his eyes. “Why…” He didn't finish his sentence because he took his last breath.
Alfred died with his eyes wide open, his other hand clutching his chest. That's where everything ended, but it was also the moment when Vivianne completely broke down.
“A-Alfred…” She finally let go of the gun and fell to her knees from weakness. Beckett quickly supported her to prevent her from collapsing completely. “Dad…”
As she uttered those words, Vivianne's tears flowed uncontrollably. She kept her gaze on her now lifeless father. She knew it was what she had to do to save her husband… But she couldn't help but feel the pain.
Everything was over, yet her heart was breaking into pieces.
“It’s over now… It’s over…” Beckett comforted her, gently patting her back. “It’s okay. Let it all out.”
Beckett felt shattered too as he held Vivianne in his arms while she cried. He knew how much pain she was in.
She had killed her own father just to save herself, and even though their relationship had been far from perfect, Beckett knew that Vivianne still valued Alfred—because he was still her family.
So he let her cry as she released the pain she was feeling.
He did the same. He didn’t cry, but he closed his eyes and tightened his embrace around Vivianne… like he was holding onto his sanity.
They remained embraced while Beckett's other men cleaned up the bodies around them. The cleaning team was one of the perks of being a Foedus member.
After a few minutes, when Vivianne stopped sobbing, Beckett opened his eyes. He released her from their embrace and gently wiped away her tears.
“Let’s go home?” he said in a soft and affectionate voice.
“Yeah.” Vivianne nodded and smiled. “Let’s go home, Beckett… I love you.”
And both of them went home… but in separate ways.
It's been a year since it all happened; Ella's rescue, Alfred's death, the downfall of the Allamino mafia, and even Beckett and Vivianne's separation.
They are still married on paper, but they haven't been living together or seeing each other. After that traumatizing event, both of them realized they needed to heal… but individually.
It's still painful for Vivianne. She had a horrible and traumatic childhood, and only now was she able to do what she wanted in life. Aside from being a dress stylist, she didn't know what else she wanted.
It's been a long time since she had been with her mother, so she was making the most of her time with her… Especially since she had been healed by the medicine Beckett made.
"Vianne, can I have the driver take me home instead? I have a headache from the journey," Ella said as they both sat in the passenger seat of Vivianne's car. "You should rest too; we've been doing nothing but traveling lately."
They've been traveling a lot lately, going to different countries. Vivianne continued her father's company. She looked for start-up companies to invest in.
That's why she's now called an 'Angel Investor'.
"Are you getting tired of traveling, Mom?" Vivianne asked in a gentle voice. "You can tell me if you are. I won't bring you along next time."
"It's not that, but I'm the only one who enjoys going out when we travel. You, on the other hand… all you do is work. When you're not looking for companies to invest in, you're busy with your modeling agency."
Vivianne laughed again. Aside from the start-up company, she also started a modeling agency. She wanted aspiring models to achieve their dreams.
It might be tiring, but it was her way of seeking forgiveness for what they did with Alfred, and to thank Beckett.
Beckett… She felt a pang in her heart when she remembered the man she loved the most.
"I'll get out of the car, Mom. I'll just stay here for a while and take a walk," Vivianne said, pointing to the park outside.
Ella furrowed her brow. "Is that true? You might end up working again, huh? We just got back from Bali."
"No, Mom. I promise, I'll just rest," Vivianne replied, still looking out the window. "I think… It’s time for me to give myself some rest."
Ella nodded and smiled. She held Vivianne's hands before speaking. "We're no longer in the past, and we're here in the present. Don't beat yourself up."
"I know…" Vivianne smiled back before kissing her mother on the cheek. "Take care on your way home, Mom! Jeffrey, take good care of my mom, okay?"
"Yes, Ma'am." Jeffrey, their driver, saluted.
Vivianne got out of the car after that, and as the car drove away, she walked towards the park. She smiled while feeling the fresh breeze hitting her face, and her hair flowing behind her.
For the first time, she felt peace. Truth be told, she's content with her life now. Everything's settled. The mafia is gone. The noose around their necks, hers and Ella's, is gone too.
But something's still missing… And she knows what it is.
"Look here." A man spoke beside her, so Vivianne turned to him. Just in time, the man pressed her camera and smiled. "Nice picture."
Even though the man wore a hat and a face mask, Vivianne immediately recognized him. It was Beckett… The man she hadn't seen for a long time.
"I thought you're working overseas. It's surprising to see you here," Beckett said before approaching her. He released the DSLR since the strap was around his neck. "How are you?"
"I'm fine. And you?" Vivianne asked as his gaze drifted to the DSLR. "So the rumors were true, huh? You're a photographer now?"
"Yeah… I didn't realize I like taking pictures so much," Beckett replied with a smile. "But I just came from Agrianthropos City, too, since I need to take care of some business."
He’s still a Foedus Member. He just stopped modeling. He didn’t want to live in the spotlight anymore. He had no reason to do that anymore.
“Oh, I see…” Vivianne nodded, and even though their conversation was over, she didn’t leave the young man's side. “D-Do you have plans after this?”
“Why? Are you going to ask me for a coffee date?” Beckett teased and grinned.
“Hmm… Why not?” The girl's smile widened before meeting her husband's gaze. “Shall we have coffee?”
Beckett's jaw dropped, and he didn't immediately speak. It took him a few seconds to internalize the statement. “Does this mean… You’re already healed? And you’re willing to come back to me?”
“Yes.” Vivianne answered without hesitation, but there was fear in her eyes. “Are you still willing… to accept me?”
“Damn, baby. You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this day to come,” Beckett replied, and before his wife could say anything, he quickly lowered his face mask and pulled Vivianne closer to him.
They kissed in the park, not minding the people watching them now. They hadn't seen each other in so long, and Beckett couldn't hold back anymore. He had been dying to touch and kiss her all those months they were apart.
When they released each other from their kiss, Beckett's lips landed on Vivianne's forehead. “I love you, my wife.”
“I love you… And I won’t leave you. Never again,” Vivianne said before wrapping both her hands around Beckett's neck to kiss him again.
Vivianne would never regret putting herself first to heal the pain in their hearts with Beckett. Because love is not selfish. It is not controlling either.
Instead, love is selfless and it has freedom.
And seeing how the two of them are willing to accept and love each other despite the pain they experienced before made her realize one thing…
She and Beckett are bound to be together.