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She comes to me.
Valentine squares her shoulders, and she comes to me.
And when I extend my hand and she places hers in mine, I feel the weight of all the expectations I carry lessen. I feel her share them.
I feel her join me. Not just in this moment. Not just for show. But she joins me in this fight.
And when she turns to the sea of faces, I witness their acceptance.
Their acceptance of her. Of my decision to join with The Alliance. Of my promise.
I squeeze her fingers in mine and nod.
Then, together, we walk down the aisle and away from the sadness.
CHAPTER28
Val
I understand now.
I don’t like it. I’m not okay with it. But I understand it.
It doesn’t fix anything, but being able to put a reason behind it all… it helps.
If Dominic had been open with me, told me about his family, told me who he was, I would’ve talked to King. Because I wouldn’t have known any better. And if I’d told King that Dominic Gonzalez wanted me to marry him so he could have The Alliance’s help, King would have locked me away. He would’ve saved me from this situation. And in doing so, he would have doomed another one of Dom’s cousins. Or uncles. Or… Dominic himself.
The handkerchief is already balled tight in my fist, but I grip it tighter.
My eyes don’t focus as the city blurs past us as we head back home.
Home.
I stay quiet because I don’t know the men in the front seat, and there are things I need to say to Dominic, but I don’t know who can hear them.
Obviously, there are people in his life who know everything. People who had to help him coordinate his plan. And I’m guessing the men who wander the condo with guns are part of that group, so I don’t care if they see me angry or hurt or upset. But the people outside that circle, if they’re exposed to my true emotions, their newly found hope will wither. And if that happens, what was the point of any of this?
If my loneliness can help save even one person, it’s worth it.
It’s more than I was doing with my life anyway.
The vehicle pulls to a stop in front of a massive building, and when Dom reaches for his door, I realize this must be the building we live in.
“Wait for me,” Dominic commands, just as he did outside the church, then he exits the SUV.
And just like before, I wait.
Maybe I’ve watched too many movies, but I always thought someone else opened doors for the man in charge. But Dom takes care of himself.
He circles around, then pulls my door open, and I climb out.
Before he shuts the car door, he leans in and says something to the driver. Something about waiting.
I keep my lips pressed together as we walk into the building, flanked by four men in black suits.
A few people are passing through the lobby, and a man sits behind a desk next to the bank of elevators, but no one even raises their eyes to us. I’m not sure if it’s because of wariness or if they’re used to the spectacle, but either way, I’m happy not to have any more attention on me.
Dom leads us away from the elevators to cut in front of the desk.
