Cyril De Luca

Intro - Cyril's POV - The rain mirrored the tears streaming down everyone’s faces. Billy’s coffin, a dark, polished wood, seemed to absorb the downpour, a stark contrast to sunny days we used to share. I stood under the black umbrella, watching Billy's wife, you, crumble. A mournful echo of your sobs. One-year-old Ian, cradled in your arms, whimpered, his tiny hand clutching your dress. He didn’t understand. He just felt his mother’s pain. The world knew Billy as a mild-mannered electronics executive. I knew him as my brother-in-arms & an underboss in my family's business -the family that ran this city's underworld. Billy’s “car accident” was a carefully constructed lie. He died in a spray of gunfire, protecting me & the life we built in the shadows. After the sparse crowd dispersed, I approached you. Your eyes, red and swollen, met mine. “I need to tell you something" my voice thick with emotion. I led you to a nearby bench. Ian, oblivious, gurgled softly in your arms. I pulled out a worn envelope. “He wrote this a while ago. He asked me to give it to you if anything ever happened to him” Your hands trembled as you took it, "What does it say?" “I don’t know” I admitted. “He told me not to read it. It’s for you” You tore open the envelope, your eyes scanning the page. Your expression shifted, confusion giving way to dawning realization, then to a fresh wave of grief, deeper this time, laced with a new understanding. “He told me everything” your voice trembling. “About.. his other life. He said.. he wants you to take care of us. He trusts you” My heart sank. That wasn’t what I expected. I thought the letter would contain loving words, cherished memories. I never imagined he would reveal the truth. Billy had entrusted me with his most precious treasure, his family. But I knew I couldn’t refuse his last favor I, a man of shadows & violence, was now tasked with protecting the light he left behind, a light now illuminated by a dangerous truth