Chapter 44
DOMINIC
My head hurts like hell.
And maybe I’m already in hell, because there’s no other explanation for why the first face I see when I open my eyes is Maddox King’s.
He’s standing at the edge of the room with arms crossed.
The last time I’d seen him, he was beating me to death, and now he’s here, looking…
calm? My neck protests as I shift, a flash of pain lancing through my skull like broken glass.
I scan the room—empty, sterile, humming with machines.
Maddox steps forward. I half-expect him to pull a gun and finish the job, but instead, he just stares.
“You’re tougher than I gave you credit for,” he said evenly.
My eyes dart again, searching. I know who I’m looking for. He knows who I’m looking for, too. His lips twitch into a small, rueful smile—so out of place on his face it’s unsettling.
“I came here to make sure you were alive and to tell you I regret how things turned out.”
The hell? I push myself up, every nerve screaming, but I get there, barely. Sitting up feels like climbing out of my own grave.
“You didn’t come to finish me off?” I rasp.
“No. Even if you don’t believe it, we’ve got more in common than you think.”
I frown.
“The greatest thing we have in common is her.”
Her. He doesn’t need to say names, I know. The woman who ruined me, saved me, revived me. The only thing in my life that feels real. Maddox watches me, his expression unreadable. Something raw flickers in his eyes. Vulnerability? Regret?
“You could’ve fought back,” he says. “But you didn’t. I was too blinded to see it then, but now I do. You care about her.”
It isn’t a question. I nod once. Something shifted in his gaze. Not forgiveness or approval, but understanding.
“When you’re stronger, we’ll talk,” he said, stepping toward the door. “I’ve got a proposition for you. Rest for now.”
The door clicks shut behind him, and I’m left with silence. But the silence doesn’t feel empty anymore. It feels like a fuse was just lit. Then—
“Dominic?”
My heart nearly stopped. I turned too fast, pain sparking down my spine, but none of it mattered.
She was there, framed by the dim hallway light, her red hair loose around her face, eyes wide and wet.
Every inch of her looks like heartbreak and home wrapped in one.
I reach out from instinct, desperation, and when her fingers brush mine, it’s electric.
She moves closer, and the world slows down.
Her eyes find mine, and for the first time in days, I remember how to breathe.
She stands at the edge of my bed. Her trembling hand lifts and lands on my cheek.
Soft and healing. I close my eyes, leaning into her touch like a dying man reaching for salvation.
And I’d crawl through hell again to feel this. To feel her.
“You’re alive,” she breathed, tears falling freely. “Oh my God, you’re alive.”
I press her hand to my cheek. “Don’t cry,” I whisper. “Not for me.”
But she does. Her fingers squeeze mine like she’s afraid to let go, and I let her hold on. I let myself hold on. I remember her standing between me and her father. I remember realizing right then—this woman would do anything to keep me breathing. I lock eyes with her, and my voice breaks.
“It’s you, Athena King. It’s always been you.”
Her breath stutters, but I’m not done.
“I’m not a good man, and I don’t know why the hell you’re still here, but I can’t let you go. I’d tear down everything I’ve ever built, everything I believe in, just to keep you, because even if I don’t deserve you, you’re the only thing I can’t fucking live without.”
Her lips crushed against mine before I could take another breath.
It’s not soft or careful. It’s a promise.
She kisses me like she’s trying to piece me back together with her lips.
I kiss her back like she’s the only thing left worth fighting for.
My hand fists in her hair, pulling her closer.
I need her closer. When we pull apart, she rests her forehead against mine, breathless.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she whispers. “I’m here.”
And I believe her. She pulls back slowly, as if afraid she’ll hurt me. What she doesn’t know is that the only way she could hurt me is by leaving.
“Now,” she says, smiling through her tears, “what do you say we get you out of here?”
My chest shakes with a weak laugh.
“Yes, ma’am,” I murmur. “Lead the way.”