18. Dominic
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Dominic
Consciousness comes back in fragments.
Beeping machines. Antiseptic smell. Sophie’s voice, distant and worried, saying my name over and over.
I try to open my eyes.
Everything hurts.
“Dominic?” Sophie’s face swims into view, pale and tear-streaked. “Oh God, you’re awake. You’re awake.”
“Anna.” My voice comes out as a croak. “Is Anna-”
“She’s fine. She’s with Alexa.” Sophie takes my hand, clutching it like a lifeline. “You saved her. You saved us.”
I try to remember what happened. The study. Caleb. The gunshot.
“Andrea,” I manage. “She-”
“She shot you.” Sophie’s voice is hard. “She grabbed a gun from your father’s desk and shot you. Max tackled her before she could fire again.”
“Max?”
“He followed us. Said he had a bad feeling.” A ghost of a smile crosses her face. “He called the police. They arrested Caleb and Andrea at the scene. It’s over, Dominic. It’s finally over.”
I close my eyes, letting the relief wash over me.
It’s over.
“The truth came out,” Sophie continues. “Everything. Your identity, Caleb’s crimes, all of it. Your parents-” She hesitates.
“What about them?”
“They’re cooperating with the investigation. Apparently, once they realized how bad it looked - harboring a kidnapper, covering for a violent son - they decided to save themselves.”
Of course they did. That’s always been their priority.
“I don’t care about them,” I say. “I only care about you. About Anna.”
Sophie’s eyes fill with tears. “You almost died.”
“But I didn’t.”
“Because Max was there. Because the bullet missed your heart by two inches.” Her voice breaks. “Two inches, Dominic. I almost lost you.”
“Hey.” I squeeze her hand weakly. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”
“You better not.” She leans down and presses her forehead to mine. “You promised, remember? No more secrets, no more lies. You didn’t promise anything about dying.”
“I promise not to die.”
“Damn right you do.”
We stay like that for a long moment, just breathing together.
“I love you,” I say.
“I love you too.” She pulls back, wiping her eyes. “Even when you’re stupid and reckless and get shot trying to save my daughter.”
“Our daughter.”
Sophie stills. “What?”
“Anna.” I meet her eyes. “If you’ll let me. I want to be her father. Her real father. Not Caleb - he’ll never be more than a biological donor. But me. I want to raise her. With you.”
“Dominic…”
“I know it’s a lot. I know we’ve only known each other a few weeks. But I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.” I try to sit up, wince at the pain, settle back. “Marry me, Sophie.”
She laughs - a wet, surprised sound. “You’re proposing in a hospital bed?”
“I’m proposing wherever I can. Say yes.”
“You’re insane.”
“Say yes anyway.”
She looks at me for a long moment. At the bandages on my shoulder, the IV in my arm, the monitors tracking my heartbeat.
“Yes,” she says.
“Yes?”
“Yes, I’ll marry you.” She kisses me, soft and careful of my injuries. “Yes to all of it. The ring, the wedding, the parenting, everything.”
I’ve never felt this happy. Never knew I could.
“I need to tell you something,” I say.
“If it’s another secret, I swear to God-”
“It’s not a secret.” I take her hand again. “It’s just something I should have said a long time ago.”
“What?”
“Thank you.” The words are simple, but I mean them with everything I have. “For trusting me. For staying. For giving me a chance when I didn’t deserve it.”
“You did deserve it.”
“I lied to you.”
“And then you told the truth.” She touches my face gently. “That’s all I ever wanted. Someone who chooses honesty even when it’s hard. Someone who fights for me even when it hurts.”
“I’ll always fight for you.”
“I know.” She smiles, and it’s like the sun coming out. “That’s why I said yes.”