7. Dominic
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Dominic
I watch Sophie enter her apartment from the shadows of the stairwell.
Not in a creepy way. At least, that’s what I tell myself. I was coming home from a meeting when I saw her heading toward the building, and I followed at a distance to make sure she got inside safe.
Because Caleb is still out there. Because I saw the tear tracks on her face. Because I know my brother, and I know he’s not done.
He’ll never be done. Not until he gets what he wants.
The problem is, I don’t know what he wants anymore. Sophie? Anna? Revenge for being rejected? Or just the satisfaction of breaking someone who dared to walk away?
I knew my brother was a monster. I’ve known since we were teenagers, since he started dating Celia, since I heard the sounds through the walls and saw the bruises she tried to hide.
But I thought - stupidly, naively - that maybe he’d changed.
That medical school had straightened him out.
That becoming a surgeon had given him an outlet for whatever darkness lived inside him.
I was wrong.
The way he looked at Sophie that night. The way his hand rose. The way his voice went cold and cruel, stripping away all the charm to reveal the truth underneath.
That’s the real Caleb. Everything else is just a mask.
And now Sophie’s in the crosshairs.
I climb the stairs to my apartment, letting the physical exertion burn off some of my restless energy. I’ve been on edge for days, ever since Sophie and Anna moved into the building. Every time I hear footsteps in the hall, I tense. Every time someone knocks on a door, I’m ready to fight.
It’s exhausting. It’s also necessary.
Because I meant what I said to Max. I won’t let Sophie have the same fate as Celia.
Whatever that takes.
I’m just reaching my floor when I hear voices above me. Sophie’s floor. Alexa’s apartment.
My blood runs cold.
I take the last flight of stairs two at a time, rounding the corner just as Caleb emerges from the stairwell on the other side. He doesn’t see me at first - he’s too focused on Alexa’s door, on whatever twisted plan is forming in his head.
Then he turns, and our eyes meet.
“You again.” He sounds almost amused. “The helpful neighbor.”
“You need to leave.”
“I’m not doing anything wrong.” He spreads his hands, the picture of innocence. “Just visiting my wife.”
“Ex-wife.”
“Not yet, technically.” He smiles, and it’s all teeth, no warmth. “The papers haven’t been signed. She’s still mine.”
Something ugly twists in my chest. She’s not yours. She was never yours. You don’t own people.
But I don’t say any of that. Instead, I move to stand between him and the apartment door, blocking his path.
“I did some research on you,” Caleb says, studying me with new interest. “Dominic Rath. Nobody special. Works from home, apparently. No family, no connections, no money.” He tilts his head. “What’s your angle here? What do you want from my wife?”
“I don’t want anything from her.”
“Everyone wants something.” He steps closer, lowering his voice. “I’ll make you a deal. Five thousand dollars to let me into that apartment. Another five to give me access to Sophie. Report her movements, her schedule, when she leaves Anna alone.”
The bile rises in my throat. “You’re trying to bribe me to spy on your wife.”
“I’m offering you an opportunity.” His smile widens. “Think about it. Ten thousand dollars just to be my eyes and ears. That’s probably more than you make in months.”
He has no idea who I am.
The irony would be funny if it wasn’t so sickening. My brother - the golden boy, the family favorite, the one who got everything while I got nothing - stands in front of me offering pocket change, completely oblivious to the fact that I could buy and sell him ten times over.
“I’m not interested.”
“Everyone’s interested in money.”
“I’m not letting you anywhere near Sophie. Or Anna.”
Something shifts behind his eyes. The charm flickers, revealing the cold beneath. “You don’t know who you’re going against.”
“I know exactly who I’m going against.”
We stare at each other, and for a moment I think he might recognize me. We have the same jawline. The same cheekbones. The same darkness in our eyes, though mine came from watching him while his came from something else entirely.
But he doesn’t see it. He’s too self-absorbed to notice anyone but himself.
“Fine.” He steps back, hands raised in mock surrender. “Have it your way. But you’re making an enemy here, neighbor. And trust me - you don’t want me as an enemy.”
He walks away, taking the stairs down, and I don’t move until I hear the lobby door slam shut.
Then I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
Caleb offered me money to betray Sophie. He thinks I’m a nobody. A pawn he can buy.
He has no idea that I’m his brother. That I watched him destroy Celia. That I’ve spent fifteen years building a fortune and a new identity specifically because our parents chose him over me.
He has no idea that this time, I’m not going to back down.
I stand in the hallway for a long moment, listening to the silence, making sure he’s really gone. Then I retreat to my own apartment, pour myself a drink, and think about Sophie.
About the way she looked at me in the lobby. Suspicious and grateful and something else. Something that made my chest ache.
She’s already starting to trust me.
And I’m lying to her.
The realization sits heavy in my gut. She doesn’t know who I really am. She doesn’t know about my connection to Caleb, about the family that threw me away, about the secret identity I’ve built to protect myself.
If she found out…
But she can’t find out. Not yet. The surprise is my only advantage right now. If Caleb realizes I’m involved - really involved - he’ll take measures. Hire security. Move faster. Do something drastic.
I need to keep the upper hand.
Even if it means lying to the first person who’s made me want to tell the truth.
I finish my drink and pour another.
It’s going to be a long night.