Chapter 10 - The False Victory
The nightmare was finally over.
Dominic's loyal men arrived at the rail yard to clean up the bodies and erase all evidence of the shootout.
We returned to the penthouse, which had already been cleaned and secured.
I gave Lily a warm bath and tucked her into the massive guest bed.
She fell asleep instantly, completely exhausted by the terror of the night.
I walked out into the living room, wearing a borrowed silk robe.
Dominic was sitting on the leather sofa, pouring two glasses of wine.
He looked up at me, his dark eyes filled with genuine affection.
"You were incredibly brave tonight, Emma," he said, handing me a glass.
"I had to be," I replied, sitting close to him.
He reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear.
The chemistry between us was undeniable, forged in the fires of danger and survival.
He leaned in and kissed me, soft and lingering.
It felt like the beginning of a beautiful, peaceful new life.
A few hours later, Dominic fell asleep on the sofa.
I could not sleep, the residual adrenaline still buzzing in my veins.
I walked into his private office to find a book to read.
I noticed one of his desk drawers was slightly open.
Inside was a thick manila folder with my name printed on the tab.
Curiosity overwhelmed me, and I opened the heavy file.
Inside were dozens of surveillance photographs of me and Lily.
The dates on the photos were from six months ago, long before the car explosion.
Beneath the photos was a contract signed by my ex-husband, Mark.
Mark had sold Lily to Dominic's rivals to pay off his debts, and Dominic had known about it all along.
The final document was an order authorized by Dominic himself.
It was a direct command to orchestrate the car bombing outside the diner to trap me in his debt.
May you like
Dominic Salvatore did not accidentally meet me that night.
He had engineered the entire explosion just to own me.
