All Chapters of Caring For The Mafia Son: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

Rachel POV Our food arrived, brought by the same waiter and a young woman in matching uniform. They set the plates down carefully-Marcus's steak, my salmon, Dad's chicken-and refilled our water glasses before slipping away quietly.The three of us began eating in silence.I glanced over at Marcus watching as he cut his steak with deliberate precision, his eyes fixed on his plate. "It's a fine degree," Marcus said after a long moment, his tone carefully neutral-detached. "I just wish you'd picked something with better job security after graduation."Dad's smile faltered slightly, but he pressed on. "Sometimes people choose careers not just for money or security, but for fulfillment. Rachel loves being part of these children's lives. That matters.""Perhaps," Marcus said flatly, still not looking up.Dad's hand tightened slightly around mine, but he didn't say anything else.I hated this. I hated watching Dad try so hard only to be shut down with a single word. I hated seeing Marcus s

Rachel POVThe bench was cold beneath me, the metal biting through my dress. I sat close to Dad, my arm still around his shoulders as his quiet sobs slowly faded into shaky breaths.The cemetery was eerily silent now. Just the distant rustle of leaves and the faint hum of the city beyond the gates.I glanced toward the parking lot, but I couldn't see Marcus anymore. He'd disappeared into the darkness, heading back to the car.Dad finally lifted his head, wiping at his face with trembling hands."I'm sorry," he muttered, his voice hoarse. "I didn't mean to fall apart like that.""It's okay," I said softly. "It's Mom's birthday. You're allowed to feel however you need to feel."He nodded, but his expression was still heavy-weighted with something more than grief.We sat in silence for a moment. I could hear him breathing-slow, deliberate, like he was trying to steady himself.His gaze drifted to Mom's grave, then to the flowers Marcus had placed so carefully."Your brother..." Dad said

Rachel POVThe sound of sirens cut through the cemetery's silence.Red and blue lights flickered through the trees as two police cars pulled up, followed by an ambulance.I stood beside Dad, my whole body still trembling with adrenaline. My wrist ached where the tall one had grabbed me.But that wasn't what had my mind spinning.It was Marcus.He stood a few feet away, hands covered in blood, staring at the ruined cake on Mom's grave. His chest rose and fell slowly, deliberately, like he was forcing himself to breathe normally.Like he was coming down from something.Officers climbed out of their cars, hands on their belts, eyes sweeping the scene.The two men were still on the ground. One wasn't moving at all. The other was groaning weakly, his face so swollen I couldn't make out his features.Blood pooled beneath them both, staining the grass.One of the officers-a middle-aged man with grey hair-approached slowly, his gaze moving from the bodies to Marcus."What happened here?" he a

Rachel POVI closed the door to my room and leaned against it, exhaling slowly.The silence greeted me in the dark room, curtains still closed from this morning.My heart hurt thinking about Leo's worried face downstairs, but right now I couldn't pretend to be fine in front of him.I moved to the bed and sat down, pulling my phone from my purse with trembling hands.It was still Mom's birthday, and the night had ended so badly. The distance between the people I was supposed to spend time celebrating with felt impossibly large now.I opened my photo gallery and started scrolling, looking for something-anything-to ease the emptiness swallowing me.The first few pictures were recent-Leo grinning at the camera, Scout sleeping on the couch, candid shots of the manor grounds.I smiled reluctantly before scrolling further back.And there they were.Photos of Marcus and me. Dad and me. The three of us together.Marcus looked younger in these-his face less guarded, his smiles almost genuine. D

Rachel's POV"A family portrait!" Leo's voice rang through the dining hall, bright with excitement.Damien paused, his fork hovering above his plate at the sudden volume. "Yes, Leo. That is what I said. Why are you repeating it?"I chuckled softly and set down my fork.Two days had passed since they'd baked me that terrible-yet incredibly sweet-cake to lift my spirits. Things finally felt normal again. Or as normal as they could be.Except for the silence from Dad and Marcus.That still weighed on me. I knew I needed to check on Dad soon, maybe even visit to make sure he was alright. Part of me wanted to call Marcus, too-just to talk-but a nervous flutter held me back.All I knew was that I wasn't ready to let go of the family I'd grown up with. Not completely.But today, the idea of family portraits was a welcome distraction-something happy to pull my thoughts away from that difficult night.I'd known Damien was planning something like this. Vance had mentioned it in passing last wee