Chapter 208
Ellie's POV
"What kind of a question is that?"
Dominic let out a quiet snort.
I shrugged.
"I don't know. I'm curious."
I hesitated for a moment.
Then asked:
"What did it feel like?"
For some reason, Dominic didn't answer immediately.
He went quiet.
And honestly...
I understood why.
Because I knew exactly what it felt like.
The sharpness.
The shock.
The horrifying realization that something had pierced your body.
I had experienced it before.
In my past life.
And if everything continued down the same path...
I might experience it again.
But I didn't tell him that.
Finally, Dominic spoke.
"Honestly?"
His voice was thoughtful.
"It wasn't as bad as you'd think."
I turned slightly toward him.
"It was less about the pain and more about the realization."
A pause.
"It was more like... 'Holy shit, there's a knife inside me.'"
I almost laughed.
"Noted."
"Yeah."
The room went quiet again.
Then I heard his pillow shift.
He was looking at me.
"You said you had a traumatic incident involving men and knives."
My body instantly tensed.
"Did you get stabbed?"
My throat tightened.
I closed my eyes.
Immediately, memories tried to force their way back.
The pain.
The fear.
The helplessness.
I could almost feel it again.
Even after all this time.
"I really don't want to talk about it."
My voice came out quieter than I intended.
The bed shifted.
Dominic rolled over, facing me.
I could feel his eyes on me from across the pillow barrier between us.
"Why not?"
I swallowed.
"Because I'm not..."
My voice faded.
Because how could I explain?
How could I tell him the truth?
That I wasn't just traumatized.
That I remembered another life.
That I had already lived through losing him once.
I knew exactly what he was capable of.
The words wouldn't come.
So I chose the closest thing to honesty.
"I'm not sure if you'll believe me."
There was a pause.
"What?"
Dominic sounded genuinely confused.
"What makes you say that?"
I didn't answer.
Because there was no answer he would accept.
After a moment, he sighed and fell back onto his pillow.
"If I tell you something personal..."
His voice softened.
"Would it make you comfortable enough to tell me?"
I looked at him.
Surprised.
Dominic was still watching me.
In the darkness, the moonlight slipped through the window, catching his blue eyes and making them seem brighter.
For just a moment...
Just one moment...
Something inside me softened.
"Maybe."
The word came out barely above a whisper.
But apparently, it was enough.
Dominic took a slow breath.
Like he was preparing himself.
Curious despite myself, I turned my head fully toward him.
"Earlier..."
His voice was quiet.
"At dinner. When you and my mom were talking..."
My stomach dropped.
Oh no.
"Ellie..."
He paused.
"I do want to be intimate with you."
The air seemed still.
"And I'd be lying if I said I didn't."
My heart skipped.
"So when you two were talking about it..."
He looked away briefly.
"It made me want it even more."
Silence filled the room.
I stared at him.
At the honesty in his expression.
At the slight flush on his cheeks.
Dominic looked almost embarrassed.
Like admitting this was difficult for him.
And for a moment...
A very small moment...
I felt happy.
Because this was what I had wanted.
For two lifetimes.
To be wanted by him.
To be held by him.
To feel like his mate instead of a stranger standing beside him.
To feel safe in his arms.
To believe that nothing could take us away from each other.
But that was exactly the problem.
Because I didn't know if intimacy would give me those things.
Maybe in my previous life, Dominic and I had never crossed that line physically.
But I had still given him everything else.
My loyalty.
My heart.
My trust.
My entire existence.
I had sacrificed every part of myself to make him happy.
I had ignored my own pain.
My own desires.
My own needs.
And what had Dominic done?
He accepted it.
All of it.
Like someone receiving flowers after a performance.
Like my devotion was something expected.
Something owed.
He took and took until there was nothing left.
Until the only thing I had left to give was my life.
And I gave that too.
I refused to make the same mistake again.
Not this time.
I had already given him more than I should have.
My trust.
My patience.
My heart, despite everything.
But my body?
No.
Not yet.
Because I didn't know if this was real.
I didn't know if his words meant something.
Or if they were just another way to make me lower my guard.
Another way to convince me to stay.
Another way to make me believe in something that would eventually be taken away.
The thought alone made my stomach twist.
That small spark of attraction I had felt disappeared.
Replaced by fear.
By anger.
By self-preservation.
"Goodnight, Dominic."
My voice was cold.
Before he could respond, I rolled over, turning my back to him.
The pillow barrier remained between us.
For a long time, I could feel his gaze on me.
I knew he was still awake.
I knew he wanted to say something.
But I didn't turn around.
Eventually...
The room grew quiet.
And sometime later...
Dominic fell asleep.
So did I.
But the distance between us remained.