Adora
Iwake up more rested than I’ve felt in years. My body hums with a delicious ache. Muscles heavy. Skin warm. A haze of satisfaction clings to me like silk and sin.
Then it hits me like a truck.
My eyes snap open. Fuck. Dominic. I fucked Dominic!
I stare at the ceiling, hand searching blindly across the sheets. Empty. He’s not here.
Why does that twist in my chest? Why do I feel… disappointed?
No. No. This isn’t happening. I’m fine. I’mfuckingfine.
“You’re up.”
I scream. Actually scream. My whole body jolts, heart slamming into my ribs as I twist toward the voice.
He’s there, leaning against the doorframe like he owns the world and everything in it. Arms crossed. Face unreadable. Eyes razor-sharp, slicing right through me.
I pull the sheets up to my neck, suddenly aware that I’m naked. Exposed and fucking vulnerable.
His expression doesn’t shift. He doesn’t react at all to my obvious freakout. He just watches me, analyzing andscrutinizing my every twitch. Like he’s trying to decide what I’m worth.
Then he turns, walks casually into the closet and comes out with a bundle of clothes. Tosses them onto the bed.
“Get dressed. We have shit to talk about.” Flat. Cold. Not a hint of emotion.
My stomach sinks. Ice spreads inside my veins. What the hell has he been planning while I slept like a goddamn fool?
I nod. That’s all I give him, and that’s all he needs. He turns and walks out without another word.
I drag on the clothes slowly. Sweatpants. T-shirt. Takes seconds, but I stretch it out like it’s a holy ritual. Like every breath is a silent scream. I need a minute to steady my hands, to cage the panic crawling in my brain.
I’m not ready for this conversation. I’m not ready to face Ghost. I don’t want to leave Dominic behind.
It’s been years since the love we had between us died. Since it was buried deep under pain and my betrayal. There’s not even a corpse left. Just dirt. Dust. But my body still remembers him. My heart still wants to whisper his name. That’s the sickest part of all.
I know why I feel like this. It’s because of the guilt. I never fully let him go because I always felt like I owed him something. And I did. I do. I owe him for the lie I told.
But life’s not that simple. It’s not black and white. It never is.
I hang my head, breath shallow. If I hadn’t betrayed him, we would’ve been married by now. With at least ten little hellions running wild, at the rate we were going at it. I just know it. I can feel it without a shadow of a doubt.
I force those thoughts down. Bury them deep.
I need to find a blade. A knife. A damn razor.
Not to hurt him — I already did that. I hurt him in ways no blade ever could.
But if he takes me back to the dungeon… if he drags me there again, I need a way out. I need something sharp. I won’t go through that again. I can’t.
He said he wouldn’t. That the dungeon part was over. But that was Dominic talking. If Ghost is back, he won’t have any qualms about breaking promises.
My chest aches. Liz flickers in my mind. Her eyes. The sound of her laughter. She’ll be okay though. She’s far away now, on another continent. Safe. She has a new life ahead of her, a job, a home, freedom. She’ll live, even if I don’t.
I walk into the bathroom and start searching. Quiet, controlled. But desperate.
Nothing. Not even a fucking razor.
