The Secrets of Heaven by Reni Stankova

Author:Reni Stankova [Stankova, Reni]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-23T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Raphael

Gabriel handed Raphael the legendary diary. It was an old notebook with leather bindings and the sigil of the Crown branded on the cover and title page. One could still find those in the main guest rooms of Elden Palace. This unremarkable old thing had caused this entire fiasco.

“I hope this diary gives you some clarity,” Gabriel said.

Raphael was so adamant to get this notebook, but now that he had it in his hands, it reminded him too much of Elden Palace, and his initial instinct urged him to throw it away. It was a historical artifact, probably the youngest one, no older than thirty-five years.

“Dante had a point. We could have just talked, instead of—” Gabriel paused to consider his words with care “—destroying the local mafia.”

Raphael shrugged. “Everyone faces judgment. It was their time.”

“You’re terrifying, little brother.”

“Father said the same.”

When Raphael met Gabriel five years ago, his brother had asked him who had killed their mother, and he’d hidden the truth. He wanted to spare his brother the pain, but that only served to protect his father’s dignity in the eyes of his second son.

His father did not deserve this courtesy. And besides, Gabriel’s hope about a shred of goodness in their family was already shattered to pieces.

“He murdered our mother,” Raphael said. “I witnessed it. He didn’t even order anyone to do it for him. He murdered her with his own hands in their sleeping quarters.”

Gabriel squeezed his eyes shut. This must have crossed his mind at least once, Raphael figured. Gideon had desperately run away from the palace, circled the world for new memories and experiences to toss on top of whatever pain and guilt he had, and pretended they didn’t exist. But after years of running away, they were still here, still intense and excruciating.

“Did you know?” Raphael asked.

“I think I did,” Gabriel said. “But I had no proof, and I didn’t want to find any proof. If I confirmed my suspicions and stayed there not saying anything, then I’d be…”

“His accomplice,” Raphael finished, and Gabriel’s face paled.

Yes, this was exactly what Raphael had been for a long time. He hated himself and his uselessness. The problem with having a logical mind was that knowing the solution to a problem didn’t mean he could fix what was broken. He needed motivation and the right emotional boost. They might have never come, but fortunately, they did.

“The then High Dominion chose your first lover to be their scapegoat because she was an orphan and had no parents to vouch for her,” Raphael continued his story. “But it wasn’t enough for her to be the murderer. She also had to be a demon, so the public would hate the demons even more than before. This caused a cleanse in the ghetto, which a nine-year-old Dante survived by some miracle. That was when I decided to kill our father, but I didn’t have the courage. So I tried to kill myself, but I was too cowardly for that, too.

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