Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
Dominic
She was leaving.
I leaned against the doorway of her room, arms crossed, watching as she packed the last of her things.
She moved with practiced efficiency, folding clothes, tucking weapons into hidden compartments, double-checking the weight of her duffel bag before zipping it shut.
Every action was controlled. Measured. Like she had done this a thousand times before. Like walking away was easy for her.
But it wasn’t.
Not this time.
I could see it in the slight hesitation in her movements, the way her hands lingered on the zipper of her bag, the way her shoulders tensed every time she exhaled. She wasn’t looking at me, but I knew she felt me there.
The air between us had been heavy since last night.
Neither of us had spoken about what had happened.
About the way she had fallen apart in my arms, about the way I had held her like I never wanted to let go, about the way I had touched her like I was trying to memorize every inch of her before she disappeared.
Because she was disappearing.
And I couldn’t stop her.
"So, that’s it?" My voice was low, rougher than I intended.
She finally turned to face me, her expression unreadable. "Yeah." A pause. "Guess so."
But she didn’t sound sure.
I stayed where I was, not moving, not closing the distance between us. If I did, I wasn’t sure I’d let her go.
Her gaze flickered over me, scanning, searching, like she was waiting for me to say something, to give her a reason to stay.
But I didn’t.
Because she had already made up her mind.
I didn’t go to the airport with her. I knew she wouldn’t want that.
But the band did. Riley had made a big deal about it, saying if she was going to abandon them, the least she could do was accept their dramatic farewell.
Ezra had just smirked, muttering something about how we’d see her soon, like he knew something the rest of us didn’t.
Theo had been the only one who looked like he understood how much this goodbye actually meant.
Grace took it all in stride, rolling her eyes at Riley’s antics, shoving Ezra when he teased her, giving Theo a rare, small smile when he told her to at least call if she ever needed something.
Then she turned to me.
She was at the door. One step away.
Her eyes met mine, and for a second, the rest of the world faded.
"Dauntless."
Her breath hitched. Just barely. But I caught it.
I stepped forward, closing the distance, my hand lifting on its own. My fingers brushed against her cheek, just lightly, just enough to feel the warmth of her skin, the way her pulse ticked a little too fast beneath her jaw.
"You know where to find me," I murmured.
She swallowed hard. "Yeah." Her voice was quieter now. Softer. "I do."
Neither of us moved.
Neither of us looked away.
I could have kissed her.
I could have said something to make her stay.
But I didn’t.
Because this wasn’t the end.
I knew it.
And so did she.
She took a slow step back, her fingers curling around the strap of her bag like it was the only thing keeping her steady.
Then she turned.
And walked away.
I stood there long after she was gone, staring at the door, my chest tight, my hands clenched at my sides.
I had let her go.
But this wasn’t over.
Not even close.