18. Lena
Lena
“ D ominic’s on his way here. To the Shelter,” Lexi blurts out as Valerie opens the door for her.
I frown. “And you didn’t text me first?”
“I did! And I called! You didn’t pick up.”
I shove my hands in my pockets as the three of us step into what used to be my grandmother’s office.
My phone… I probably left it in the car when I got here.
I’ve been here with Valerie for the past few hours, inside my grandmother’s old house, now turned into a shelter.
A place full of voices, movement, and a kind of hope that actually feels alive.
Valerie had called this morning. She needed cash, and fast. A woman and her five-year-old daughter had fled from a violent husband. When it’s serious, Valerie doesn’t hesitate. She moves quickly, quietly. Women are relocated out of town with cash to avoid being tracked digitally.
Partner shelters in other cities take them in, helping them disappear safely. For their protection, relocations are handled quietly, through a tight-knit network of dedicated volunteers offering transport and temporary housing in safe places.
Since Valerie started this, the shelter has grown into something bigger. It’s more than a safe house. It’s a full-on support system: therapy, legal help, reintegration plans. All powered by women from different cities. Invisible angels who shine hope into the lives of those who’ve lost it.
Lexi lets out a dramatic sigh, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“Anyway… Dominic was super suspicious. He called me the second you didn’t answer. And yeah, he made a point of saying that. He said he knows you’re here. Security told him, but he doesn’t get what you’re doing.”
She rolls her eyes. “What’s the deal with all the security?”
“I’ve got people around all the time. Dominic arranged it to keep Anton away. Apparently, he’s been doing that for a while. I only found out recently.”
Lexi stares at me, stunned. “Why aren’t you pissed?”
I shrug. “What’s the point? If I push back, he’ll lock me up in that hotel. I’d rather accept this.”
She pulls me into a quick hug. My best friend, always showing up for me.
“But why’d you come here today? Is everything okay with Valerie?” she asks, lowering her voice.
“Forget that. Tell me what you told Dominic,” I insist, already feeling that twist in my stomach.
Lexi sighs. “I told him you were fixing up the house to rent it out. It just came out fast but I don’t think he bought it. He was tense. Pretty sure he’s going to come and check for himself.”
“Shit. Perfect,” I mutter through clenched teeth. The last thing the Shelter needs right now is some random, unannounced man showing up.
Lexi nudges me, smirking. “Speaking of… what is going on with you two?”
The last few days flash through my mind like a fast-forward reel.
Intense, messy, nothing like I imagined when I first became Mrs. Monti.
The nights with Dominic. The days here, full of hustle and work, everything changing, his generous cards funding the relocation.
It’s all new. Overwhelming. Hard to believe this is actually my life.
I tuck my hair behind my ear and mumble, “We’re fine.
” Lexi gives me a look, clearly not satisfied with that vague excuse of an answer.
I let out a sigh. I’m not telling her everything.
How could I? How would it sound, tossing out the fact that I snuck out of our absurdly big, overly-discussed bed this morning while he was still sleeping?
Of course, Dominic’s pissed and looking for me.
“I disappeared like a thief after our night together.” The words slip out before I even register I’ve said them.
“What did you just say?!” Lexi nearly shouts, eyes wide. “You slept with Dominic?!”
“Maybe yell a little louder, make sure the moms, the kids, the walls, and the neighbors all hear you,” I grumble, flushing red.
Lexi slaps a hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh as I drag her into a tiny bathroom, tucked away from the world.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she hisses. “I could’ve handled him better when he asked about you. Wait, weren’t you the one who hated him? Because he was… what? Too full of himself, too hot, too impossible, too many women chasing him?”
“Thanks for the reminder. Very funny.”
“I’m not trying to be funny! I’m thrilled! Girl, you have no idea how happy I am right now. Gabe’s going to lose his mind when he hears this.” She elbows me, grinning.
“Don’t you dare tell him!” I say quickly.
“Tell him what? That you didn’t actually confirm anything?” she says, fake-offended.
“How many times? How was it? What did he say? What did you say? How did he get to you?”
She fires off questions, waving her hands like she’s conducting a chaotic orchestra. I can’t help but laugh. Lexi is in full sparkle mode. Unfiltered, joyful, a little unhinged.
“Okay, fine, I’ll stop,” she says, holding up two fingers in a mock oath. “I’m good just knowing you guys are…”
Of course, she doesn’t stop. She makes an outrageously obscene hand gesture, clearly meant to mimic me and Dominic doing stuff.
I burst out laughing again. Ever since she got with Gabriel, her personal god and total wild thing, Lexi’s been preaching the gospel of liberating sex every chance she gets.
There’s a knock at the door. “Sorry, girls,” Valerie says as she walks in, looking all serious.
“Lena, you might want to head to the front. Dominic’s outside.”
My stomach flips. I shut the bathroom door behind us and take a studying breath. Lexi and Valerie give me those silent, knowing looks, equal parts support and good luck, before slipping quietly down the hall, leaving me to face this on my own.
I step into the front hallway and spot him immediately.
Dominic. Standing in the doorway, tall, broad, and calm in that dangerous way of his.
White shirt, unbuttoned at the top, sleeves rolled to his elbows, showing off tanned, veiny forearms. Black jeans perfectly fitted over long, strong legs, like the whole damn outfit was designed to make my life harder.
His dark eyes sweep the room, focused and measured. He doesn’t look rushed. Or threatening. But the slight lift of his brow tells me he’s already seen more than I want him to.
I swallow hard but keep it together. “Dominic? What are you doing here?” I ask, doing my best to sound casual. Like my pulse isn’t spiking in my throat.
“I could ask you the same.” His voice is low, clipped. Not sarcastic. He seems upset.
“You moved in here? With who? With Mario?” he adds, the way he says Mario making me wince.
“Mario? Seriously?”
I was ready with a comeback, but before I could say a word, a kid wanders into the hallway.
A little boy with wide eyes and messy hair slips between us, staring up at Dominic with open curiosity.
Dominic’s face shifted. For a moment, his perfect control drops, just enough to let something startled shine through.
He leans in slightly, like he’s not sure he’s seeing it right.
“Is he… yours?” He whispers it so serious it almost makes me laugh.
“What?! No!” I shoot back, totally thrown by the question.
Right then, a young woman appears, gently grabs the boy’s hand, and pulls him away while giving us an apologetic smile.
“Sorry. He’s very curious,” she says before disappearing around the corner with him.
We both freeze for a second. I’m still a little amused by his question, but he’s watching me differently now. With a new kind of intensity, like he’s quietly reassessing everything he thought he knew about me.
Valerie steps in from the house and gestures toward the back.
“Maybe you two want to talk in the office,” she offers, with the faintest hint of a smile.
I follow her into what used to be my grandmother’s study, now converted into an admin space with a new purpose. Dominic comes in behind me, taking it all in quickly.
Valerie steps forward, extending a hand. “Valerie West, thank you for supporting our shelter.”
Dominic blinks, clearly confused. “Pretty sure I missed something…”
“It’s okay,” I cut in, touching his arm lightly. “I’ll explain.”
Valerie slips out, closing the door behind her. Dominic stands still for a moment, then steps toward me. His eyes lock on mine, intense.
“I missed you,” he says softly, warmth threading through his voice in a way that melts me. “I was worried. And… yeah, jealous. Very jealous.”
He lowers his arm and gently brushes the back of his fingers against my cheek, like he’s checking if I’m real. Then his hand slips into my hair, his fingers moving slowly through it, so tender I have to close my eyes for a second. The wave of feeling is too much to fight.
“Please, Lena…” His voice is low, almost pleading. “Don’t run off like that again. I want to know what’s going on with you. With us.”
His hand stays in my hair, and his eyes stay on mine.
I look back at him, and for a second, I don’t know what to say.
Knowing he’s here, that he came looking for me, that he actually cares…
it unravels something deep. Last night comes flooding back in pieces, with touches, whispers, and heat.
And somewhere in all that noise, I thought I heard him say something close to I love you.
But I don’t bring that up now. I take a breath and start the story he’s earned the right to hear.
“The shelter… my grandmother helped Valerie keep it alive. She left some money for it, but it didn’t last long.”
Dominic listens without interrupting. One brow slightly raised, focused on every word.
“Valerie took it further. She turned the shelter into something bigger. A real place. Where women can find safety and hope for a new beginning, and it’s not only her. There’s a whole network of women across cities working together. It’s honestly incredible what determined women can do.”
I pause, matching my breath to his without even meaning to.
“The shelter was one of the reasons I said yes to the fake marriage.”