Chapter 7 - When The Ice Finally Cracked
Dominic returned to the estate well after midnight, the scent of industrial cleaner and cold iron clinging to his wool coat. The mansion was dark and silent, except for a single amber lamp burning in the main library.
He walked quietly across the hardwood floors, expecting to find the room empty. Instead, he found Nora curled up on the oversized leather sofa, wrapped in a plush cashmere throw, an open novel resting facedown on her stomach. Her breathing was slow and rhythmic, her eyelashes resting against soft, porcelain skin.
Dominic stood over her for several long moments, allowing himself to simply look at her. In his violent world, peace was an illusion bought with lead and paid for in grief. But Nora carried peace inside her, effortless and untamed.
As he turned to leave, her eyes fluttered open.
""Dominic?"" she murmured, rubbing her eyes and sitting up quickly. The throw blanket slipped from her bare shoulders. ""What time is it?""
""Late. Go back to sleep,"" he said, keeping his distance so she wouldn't catch the faint metallic smell still radiating from his cuffs.
""Did you find out who broke into my apartment?"" she asked, her gaze searching his weary face.
Dominic stopped. He had intended to lie to her, to shield her from the grotesque betrayal of her own family. But looking into her honest, trusting eyes, he realized that lying to Nora Bennett would be the greatest crime he could commit.
""Your brother Thomas is currently sitting in a holding facility at O’Hare airport with a one-way ticket to Lisbon,"" Dominic said quietly, stepping into the warm glow of the lamp. ""He will never set foot in the United States again.""
Nora’s expression froze. The color drained from her face. ""Thomas? What does Tommy have to do with this?""
Dominic sat down on the edge of the low coffee table across from her, his hands clasped between his knees. Carefully, without sparing the brutal truth but speaking with immense tenderness, he laid out the entire betrayal: the gambling debts, the targeted burglary, and the trade that used her grandmother's carousel to lure Tony into Valenti’s crosshairs.
Nora didn't scream. She didn't cry hysterically. She simply shrank into herself, pulling her knees up to her chest as silent, heavy tears carved tracks down her round cheeks.
""My own brother,"" she whispered, her voice cracking into tiny, jagged pieces. ""I paid his bail twice last year. I skipped my car payments so he wouldn't get evicted. How could he do that to me?""
""Because some men are hollow, Nora,"" Dominic said, reaching out across the small space. His large, scarred hand gently cupped her tear-streaked cheek. His thumb wiped away the moisture with infinite care. ""They spend their lives taking from people who give until there is nothing left to bleed. But you will never have to worry about him again. I cleared his debt, and I banished him where Vincent can never use him again.""
Nora leaned instinctively into his warm palm, closing her eyes. The sheer relief of not having to carry the burden alone for the first time in her adult life overwhelmed her defenses. ""Why are you doing this for me, Dominic? We're from completely different worlds.""
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Dominic moved from the table to the sofa beside her, wrapping his strong arm around her trembling shoulders, pulling her against his chest. Nora didn't pull away; she buried her face into the lapel of his coat, letting out a ragged sob she had held inside for years.
""Because three days ago, you walked into my house and demanded justice for a broken horse,"" Dominic murmured into her hair, his chin resting against her soft curls. ""And because my son was right. I was dying in this fortress, Nora. And you brought the sunlight with you.""
