Chapter 162
Ellie POV
This is manageable.
This is a strategy.
Not destiny.
Not love.
Just a deal.
And I’ll get out of it just fine.
That’s what I keep telling myself.
The drive to the prison is quiet.
I already miss Sarah’s laughter. The way she makes everything feel less terrifying just by being herself.
But now, all I can think about is my mother.
How am I supposed to make her believe this wasn’t something I did only for her?
How do I make her believe I wanted this?
Because if she finds out the truth…
If she realizes I’m sacrificing myself just to save her…
She’ll never accept it.
She’ll spend every day blaming herself.
And I can’t let that happen.
Beside me, Dominic drives silently.
Both hands are steady on the wheel. His eyes stay focused on the road ahead, his expression unreadable.
Like, this is just another responsibility.
Another problem to solve.
Except I know better.
He canceled his meetings after seeing me limp past his office window toward the gates.
I told him he didn’t have to come.
He didn’t argue.
He didn’t question me.
He simply picked up his keys and followed.
The prison appears ahead.
Gray concrete.
Heavy gates.
Cold walls.
My stomach tightens instantly.
I’ve walked through those doors too many times.
Every visit feels the same.
The metallic smell in the air.
The endless waiting.
The feeling of being trapped somewhere I don’t belong.
And every time I leave, I have to pretend I’m strong enough not to fall apart.
But today is different.
It has to be.
Dominic pulls into a parking spot near the entrance and shuts off the engine.
“I’ll wait outside,” he says.
I nod.
Already reaching for the door handle.
My fingers wrap around it.
Then I stop.
Because the nausea has been creeping back in.
Slowly.
Quietly.
The way it always does when anxiety starts eating away at me.
The bond between us feels stretched when we’re apart too long.
Like an invisible thread pulling tight inside my chest.
I hate that I notice.
I hate that I need it.
And I hate even more that there’s only one thing that will make it better.
But there’s no way I’m asking him.
Absolutely not.
I keep staring at the door.
Then Dominic speaks.
“And you’re waiting… why?”
I glance at him.
One eyebrow is slightly raised.
Heat creeps up my neck.
I look away immediately.
“Can you just…”
I pause.
“Do the thing?”
There’s a moment of silence.
Then I hear it.
The amusement in his voice before I even look at him.
“Do the… thing?”
I turn and glare.
He’s smirking.
Actually smirking.
Which somehow makes everything worse.
“You know what I mean.”
His smile grows.
“So I can have enough strength to go inside.”
He leans back slightly, studying me like he’s enjoying this far too much.
“You could ask properly.”
My eyes narrow.
“Dominic.”
“I’m just saying. A simple please—”
“Dom.”
I sigh.
“Kiss me.”
The second the words leave my mouth, I regret them.
But before I can take them back, he moves.
One hand slides behind my neck, pulling me closer.
His lips meet mine.
And the sound that escapes me is completely embarrassing.
I expected a quick kiss.
A simple one.
Maybe on my cheek.
Not—
His lips move against mine, warm and impossible to ignore.
My thoughts scatter instantly.
My eyes close.
Then I feel him tease the edge of my lip.
I pull back slightly.
“Dom—”
My voice doesn’t sound like mine.
But his hand stays at my neck, keeping me close.
His lips brush along my cheek before moving toward my ear.
A faint nip.
A sharp little spark shoots through me.
I yelp and finally find enough sense to push him back by the shoulder.
“Ah! What is wrong with you?!”
He laughs quietly.
“You said ‘just do it.’”
His eyes hold mine.
“So I did.”
I glare at him.
But the dizziness is gone.
The nausea has disappeared.
The tightness in my chest has loosened into something warmer.
Something heavier.
Something I refuse to name.
God.
Why him?
“Just stay here,” I mutter, opening the door.
“Woof,” he replies completely deadpan.
I freeze.
Then slowly turn back to look at him.
A laugh almost escapes me.
Almost.
I shake my head and step out.
But I can’t stop the small smile pulling at my lips.
He’s been different lately.
Stranger.
Lighter.
And I don’t know what to do with that.
The visiting room is smaller than I remember.
Or maybe they moved us to a different room.
It’s hard to tell.
Everything inside this place looks the same.
Sterile.
Gray.
Cold.
Ugly.
But today, because Dominic’s name is attached to the paperwork, nobody questions my requests.
Nobody delays.
Nobody makes things harder.
When they finally bring my mother in, my heart nearly breaks.
For a second, I barely recognize her.
She’s thinner.
Too thin.
Her clothes hang differently.
But her eyes…
Her eyes are the same.
Soft.
Searching.
Full of hope.
The moment she sees me, she smiles.
And that almost destroys me.
I cross the room before I can think.
We collide in a hug.
Tighter than usual.
Longer than usual.
I bury my face against her shoulder and let myself breathe.
Just for a moment.
She smells like cheap soap.
Like the faint medicine they use here.
Like home.
I hold on longer than I should.
Because I don’t know how many more moments like this I’ll get.
Finally, I pull back.
My throat tightens.
I came here with a plan.
A script.
But the second I see her face, everything becomes harder.
“I have news,” I whisper before I lose my courage.
Her expression changes immediately.
Concern.
Hope.
Fear.
“About your case.”