Chapter 156
Ellie POV
I rush to explain before the silence gets too heavy.
I lift my hand between us.
“Not because I want to.”
The words come out quickly.
“I mean… not necessarily.”
I look away for a second.
“This is more for you.”
Dominic’s expression stays unreadable.
“You’re an Alpha. You’ll have expectations. Responsibilities. Needs.”
My fingers tighten around the armrests.
“I don’t want to trap you.”
For a moment, he says nothing.
Then he nods slowly.
“Yeah.”
His voice is calm.
“That makes sense.”
Relief hits me.
But it tangles with something else.
Something heavier.
Something I don’t want to name.
Because I know what I’m asking him to do.
I know what he’s giving up.
We sit there in silence for a while.
The garden fills the space between us.
Birds singing.
Leaves are moving softly in the breeze.
The sound of water somewhere nearby.
For once, neither of us tries to force the moment into something else.
Then Dominic stands.
The shift is immediate.
Back to business.
Back to plans.
“Sounds like we have a deal.”
My chest tightens slightly.
“I’ll have the contract drafted tonight.”
Tonight.
The word settles strangely.
“You’ll move into my place while you recover.”
I nod slowly.
“And tonight…”
He pauses.
My stomach drops.
“You accept the bond.”
My brain stops.
Tonight.
Tonight?!
The panic hits all at once.
That’s soon.
Way too soon.
Before I can process it, Dominic turns to leave.
And without thinking—
I reach out.
My fingers close around his hand.
He freezes.
Completely.
The reaction is immediate.
Like he wasn’t expecting me to touch him.
I suddenly become painfully aware of what I’m doing.
“I just…”
My voice catches.
Great.
Very graceful, Ellie.
“I wanted to say…”
I swallow.
“Thank you.”
His eyes drop to where our hands are connected.
My grip tightens slightly.
“For doing this.”
My voice lowers.
“It means more than I know how to explain.”
For a moment, he just stares.
Like he’s trying to understand how we got here.
Then he looks back at me.
“Maybe you can hate me a little less now.”
Heat creeps up my neck.
I look away.
“I never really hated you.”
The confession slips out before I can stop it.
“Not truly.”
Dominic goes quiet.
The breeze moves through the trees.
Leaves scrape softly against each other.
He looks out over the garden instead of at me.
His jaw tightens.
Like he’s deciding whether to say something.
When he finally does, his voice is quieter.
“You know…”
His thumb moves slightly against my knuckles.
“Sarah said something similar to me.”
My attention snaps back to him.
“When?”
“The night you almost died.”
I go still.
“What did she say?”
He exhales.
Almost a laugh.
But there’s no humor behind it.
“She said the way you talk about me is…”
He pauses.
“Brutal.”
I wince.
“Yeah.”
That sounds about right.
“She said you made it seem like you couldn’t stand me.”
His eyes lower.
“Like I was the problem in every room.”
I look down.
“That…”
I hesitate.
“Tracks.”
A small smile flickers across his face.
“Yeah.”
Then it fades.
“But she said it didn’t make sense.”
He turns toward me.
Really looks at me.
“She said no matter how badly you made me sound…”
His voice softens.
“You were always somehow connected to me.”
I don’t breathe.
“Like gravity.”
My lips part.
Then close.
Because I don’t know what to say.
I’ve spent so long convincing myself that everything between us was anger.
Resentment.
A fight.
But maybe it wasn’t only that.
Maybe it never was.
Dominic watches me quietly.
Then he speaks again.
“I never hated you either.”
My heart stops for a second.
“Not really.”
The words hit harder than I expected.
He swallows.
“Maybe she was right.”
His gaze holds mine.
“Maybe love and hate really do live closer together than people think.”
I stare at him.
My heart is beating so loudly I’m sure he can hear it.
All the anger.
All the fear.
All the walls I built.
They don’t disappear.
But they soften.
Just a little.
“Maybe.”
I squeeze his hand.
The smallest gesture.
But it feels bigger than it should.
After a moment, Dominic gently pulls away.
Carefully.
Like he’s afraid one wrong movement will break whatever fragile understanding we’ve reached.
“I’ll send a car for you tonight.”
He clears his throat.
“Everything will be ready.”
I nod.
Then, before I can stop myself, I ask:
“You’re not going to push me back?”
His eyebrow lifts.
Then he smirks.
“Don’t pretend I didn’t hear the nurse tell you that you need to work on your strength.”
My face falls.
“Jerk.”
His smile grows slightly.
A real one.
Then he turns.
And he leaves.
I watch him walk back toward the hospital.
His footsteps slowly fading.
And for some reason…
I feel the weight of it more now.
Not the marriage.
Not the bond.
Him.
I can’t imagine what this costs him.
What he’s giving up without hesitation.
What he’s offering me without asking for anything in return.
And what I’m about to owe him.
So much.