Chapter 146
Dominic POV
I don’t move from my spot outside the office.
Not once.
The walls in this house were built for privacy.
Thick enough to keep conversations hidden.
Thick enough to keep secrets contained.
But not thick enough to stop me from hearing my father destroy someone’s life with the same calm voice he uses when discussing business.
I knew this was coming.
My father never gives anything away.
Not advice.
Not help.
Not protection.
Everything is a transaction.
Every favor has a price.
And with him, you’re never asking for a favor.
You’re negotiating a deal.
A deal that always benefits him more.
My hands curl into fists at my sides.
Because I know exactly what he’s doing.
Marriage.
He didn’t say it outright.
He didn’t need to.
My father is too calculated for that.
But Ellie is smart.
She understood.
She knows the only door he’s offering her is the one that leads directly to me.
My nails dig into my palms.
The anger burns through me.
Because the worst part?
He could help her.
That’s what makes me furious.
He absolutely could.
One phone call.
One order.
One conversation with the right people.
He could reopen the case.
He could make accusations disappear.
He could bury the evidence so deep no one would ever find it.
I’ve watched him do things that were far less important for far less meaningful reasons.
But he won’t help her.
Not unless she gives him what he wants.
Not unless Ellie is forced into the exact position he’s wanted her in from the beginning.
My eyes lock onto the office door.
For a moment, I honestly consider breaking it open.
Then I hear her voice.
“Is there really no other way?”
Quiet.
Not angry anymore.
Just tired.
Like she already knows the answer.
But she’s asking anyway.
Because hope is a dangerous thing.
My father’s response is immediate.
“Apologies, child.”
A pause.
“But I am tied to the same world you are.”
His voice remains calm.
Controlled.
“Though I must say, you are very brave for trying to save your mother’s fate.”
Silence.
Then—
“I wish…”
A pause.
“I could have gotten to know her more.”
That’s it.
Final.
A polite refusal dressed up as sympathy.
The door opens moments later.
And Ellie steps out.
The second I see her, I know exactly how this went.
The hallway feels colder.
She’s furious.
Her eyes burn.
Her jaw is locked.
Her shoulders are tense.
But underneath all that anger…
There’s pain.
She moves past me without a word.
Too quickly.
And she’s trying to hide it.
The limp.
The weakness.
The way every step is clearly costing her.
“Ellie.”
I follow immediately.
“Hey. Slow down.”
She doesn’t listen.
Her breathing changes.
Too fast.
Too shallow.
I know that look.
I know where this ends.
On the ground.
Unconscious.
Back in a hospital bed.
A place she hates.
I reach for her arm.
“Hey.”
My voice softens.
“Breathe.”
She doesn’t stop.
“Let me help you.”
“We should go back.”
I keep my hand steady.
“You shouldn’t be walking around like this.”
The moment my words leave my mouth, she jerks away.
She shoves my hand off.
“Just stop.”
Her voice shakes.
Not from weakness.
From anger.
“I don’t want anything from you.”
The words hit harder than they should.
“Not you.”
She looks away.
“Not your family.”
Her breathing becomes uneven.
“Not any of this.”
I freeze.
Because I don’t know what to say.
What can I say?
That I’m sorry?
That I didn’t choose this?
That I’m not my father?
None of it changes the fact that every option she has somehow leads back to me.
And she hates that.
Maybe she hates me.
Maybe she just hates what I represent.
I don’t know anymore.
She turns away and walks toward the garden doors.
I follow.
But slower.
Because chasing her feels wrong.
Like I’m just another person trying to control where she goes.
She pushes outside.
The cold air rushes in.
I stop at the doorway.
Watching her disappear into the gardens.
My hands slip into my pockets.
She’s angry.
And honestly?
I can’t blame her.
She has every right.
Her mother is imprisoned.
Her choices are disappearing.
And the only person who can help her is someone she never wanted to need.
Me.
The irony isn’t lost on me.
The wind moves through my hair as I stand there.
For the first time in a long time…
I feel completely useless.
Then—
She stumbles.
My entire body goes still.
“Ellie?”
She tries to catch herself.
But she doesn’t.
Her knees give out.
And she falls.
My heart stops.
I move before I even think.
“Ellie!”