Chapter 188
Ellie POV
A crimson river ran down Dominic's side.
The blood spread across his white shirt in a dark, terrible bloom.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
He simply stood there.
Looking down at the dagger buried in his waist.
Then, slowly, his eyes lifted.
And met mine.
The pain in his expression wasn't just physical.
It was betrayal.
Confusion.
Something that hurt far worse.
"Ellie..."
His voice was barely a whisper.
"What have you done?"
I tried to answer.
I tried to explain.
That I hadn't meant to.
That I hadn't chosen it.
That it had been instinct.
Fear.
A reaction from somewhere deep inside me that I couldn't control.
But when I opened my mouth...
Nothing came out.
What could I possibly say?
That I hadn't seen him standing in front of me?
That for one terrifying second, I wasn't at our wedding reception.
I was somewhere else.
Somewhere colder.
Somewhere filled with memories that weren't supposed to exist.
That I saw another version of him.
Another life.
A blade.
My death.
The same weapon.
The same fear.
I couldn't say that.
I couldn't tell him that my body had reacted to a nightmare that only I remembered.
So I stood there.
Silent.
Staring at the dagger in his side.
Just as shocked by what I had done as he was.
But it didn't matter.
Because the room had already erupted.
Screams filled the hall.
Women jumped away from their tables, champagne glasses crashing as they scrambled back.
Men moved forward.
Guards.
Everyone reacted at once.
Everyone except Dominic.
He didn't stop them.
He didn't tell them to leave me alone.
He simply stood there with one hand pressed against his wound, watching me.
Like I had betrayed him.
And I had.
Across the room, I saw Lucas pushing through the crowd.
His face was pale.
His eyes were wide with shock and fear.
He looked like he wanted to reach me.
But it was already too late.
The guards grabbed my arms.
Dragged me away.
And I didn't fight them.
My body felt numb.
They pulled me through the hallway, away from the chaos and noise, toward the half-open door of Dominic's study.
The sounds behind me faded.
Or maybe they didn't.
Maybe the blood rushing through my ears had simply drowned everything else out.
I had stabbed him.
My husband.
The man who, despite everything...
Despite every reason I had to hate him...
A part of me had started to love.
And the worst part?
I couldn't completely regret it.
Because Lucas's words kept repeating in my head.
The vow.
The bond.
The possibility that Dominic had trapped me.
Again.
How could he do this?
After everything.
After every moment when I had tried to trust him.
He had found another way to control me.
Just like before.
Just like my past life.
Bitterness washed over me.
A cold, familiar feeling.
Maybe Dominic hadn't changed.
Maybe I was just foolish enough to believe he had.
The guards shoved me into the room.
I stumbled and fell to my knees.
My hands pressed against the carpet as I caught myself.
I swallowed back the tears burning my eyes.
"You're lucky you're not being taken straight to the cells."
One of the guards stood over me.
His voice was harsh.
"But Alpha Dominic ordered that you be questioned here first."
I looked up.
He was massive.
Broad shoulders.
A presence meant to intimidate.
But I refused to shrink.
"It was an accident."
His expression didn't change.
"An accident."
Not a question.
"You stabbed the Alpha with a weapon hidden beneath your wedding dress."
My throat tightened.
"I thought..."
The words caught.
"I thought he was going to hurt me."
I looked away.
"So I reacted."
The guard stared at me.
"I don't believe that."
My chest tightened.
"Alpha Dominic has never shown any intention of harming you."
The words hurt more than they should have.
Of course he would say that.
They all would.
They saw Dominic.
The Alpha.
The leader.
The man everyone trusted.
They didn't know what I knew.
They didn't know what had happened before.
They didn't know what he and Vivian had taken from me.
"It's true."
My voice was quiet.
But certain.
The guards exchanged looks.
They didn't believe me.
And honestly?
I understood why.
To them, I was a contract bride who had just stabbed her husband moments after becoming Luna.
It looked planned.
It looked calculated.
Like I had waited until the marriage was official before making my move.
But I knew the truth.
It had been an accident.
A terrible, unforgivable accident.
A few moments later, the guards received a mindlink.
Their expressions changed.
They turned toward the door.
"Wait here until the Alpha arrives."
The larger guard pointed at me.
"And don't try anything."
Then they left.
The door shut.
A lock clicked.
I stared at it.
And then I noticed the shadow beneath the door.
Someone was standing there.
Watching.
For a while, I remained on the floor.
My mind is replaying everything.
Lucas's warning.
Dominic's vow.
The contract.
The healing.
The bond.
My chest tightened.
I pushed myself up.
I needed proof.
I couldn't keep assuming.
I couldn't keep letting fear decide everything.
My feet carried me to his desk.
I opened the drawers.
One after another.
Searching.
Until finally—
I found it.
The contract.
It was sealed inside a large yellow envelope.
My fingers trembled as I pulled away the string and removed the papers.
I spread them across the desk.
My breath stopped.
There it was.
Fourth page.
Hidden among the other clauses.
Clear.
Simple.
Impossible to misunderstand.
"Upon being marked by Alpha Dominic, I understand that my symptoms will improve only for as long as we stand together. Any breach of contract will result in immediate regression of symptoms.
I understand that only Alpha Dominic may decide when the contract will officially terminate."
My hand flew to my mouth.
Tears blurred the words.
No.
No.
How had I missed this?
How had I overlooked something so obvious?
It was right there.
Written plainly.
If I tried to leave...
If I tried to break the contract...
My illness would return.
And worse—
Only Dominic could decide when the contract ended.
I had no control.
No power.
I felt sick.
When I signed this contract, I thought I was protecting myself.
I thought I was being smarter this time.
I thought I was avoiding the mistakes of my past life.
But I had been blinded.
Blinded by the possibility that Dominic was different.
That maybe we could actually be happy.
That maybe the moments between us had been real.
The smiles.
The tenderness.
The promises.
The passion.
All of it.
It felt like ash now.
Maybe it had all been a performance.
A way to pull me back into the same trap.
Even if he didn't remember the past.
Even if he didn't know what he had done before.
He had still found a way to control my life.
But I wouldn't give up.
Not this time.
I refused to die quietly as I had before.
There had to be a way out.
Some loophole.
Some way to force him to end this.
Some way to make Dominic divorce me.
Before I could think further—
The door slammed open.
Hard.
The impact shook the room.
A painting fell from the wall.
I turned.
Dominic stood in the doorway.
His shirt was gone.
White bandages wrapped around his waist.
His chest rose and fell heavily.
His nostrils flared.
His eyes locked onto me.
And the look there froze my blood.
He wasn't looking at me like his wife.
Not like his mate.
Not even like someone he loved.
He looked at me like I was a stranger.
No.
Worse.
Like I was an assassin.
And judging by the way I looked at him...
I suppose I wasn't seeing him any differently.