Chapter 8 - The Sunrise After the Storm
Three months later.
The coast of Maine was bathed in the brilliant, golden light of an early autumn sunrise.
The scars on the cliffside estate had been completely repaired—the shattered glass replaced, the scorched stonework cleaned, and the gardens replanted with beds of white roses and dark green ivy.
Inside the master suite, the world smelled of fresh coffee, warm pancakes, and the sweet laughter of twin boys running down the hallway with a golden retriever puppy nipping at their heels.
I stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of the master bedroom, wearing an oversized silk bathrobe, watching the white crests of the waves roll against the shore.
A pair of strong, familiar arms wrapped around my waist from behind, pulling me backward against a warm, solid chest. Dominic rested his chin on my shoulder, breathing in the scent of my hair.
"You're quiet this morning," he murmured, his lips brushing against the sensitive skin of my neck.
"I was just thinking about that wet little town in Oregon," I smiled softly, leaning back into his embrace. "And how close I came to spending the rest of my life hating the only man who could ever keep me safe."
Dominic turned me around in his arms, his golden-brown eyes searching my face with an intensity that never seemed to fade.
"You had every reason to run, Clara," he said quietly. "I built my life on blood and shadows. I should have told you the truth about Vance from the very beginning instead of trying to cage you away from the storm."
"You were trying to protect me," I said, reaching up to gently trace the faint scar along his temple—the only permanent souvenir from the night of the breach. "And I was too proud to ask questions. But we're past the shadows now, aren't we?"
Dominic smiled—a rare, brilliant, completely unguarded smile that transformed his harsh, dangerous features into something breathtakingly handsome.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, worn, creased piece of paper.
My old ultrasound from four years ago.
He didn't put it back in the desk drawer this time. Instead, he folded it carefully and slid it into the inner pocket of his jacket, right over his heart.
May you like
"The shadows are gone, Mrs. Vain," he whispered, his lips capturing mine in a deep, fierce, unending kiss. "From here on out, we only live in the light."
Down the hall, the twins' laughter echoed through the grand mansion, bright and free, echoing over the ocean like a promise of a future that nothing in this world could ever touch again.
