Chapter 9 - The Morning After
The penthouse was filled with the warm, golden light of mid-morning.
Nora stood in the master kitchen, holding a warm mug of black coffee between both hands. She had showered, washed the grime and smoke from her hair, and changed into an oversized cream wool sweater and dark leggings.
Through the glass corridor, she could see Lily sitting on the terrace sofa, wrapped in a plush cashmere blanket, eating strawberries and laughing with Dr. Vance, who had stayed behind to monitor her vitals.
Lily looked safe. She looked innocent again.
"She looks like you," Dominic’s voice sounded from the doorway.
Nora turned. Dominic had also changed into clean clothes—a soft gray sweater and dark slacks, his hair damp from the shower, looking ten years younger without the tailored armor of his mafia persona.
"She has our mother’s eyes," Nora said, offering a faint, tired smile. "I promised my mother before she passed that Lily would finish college without ever knowing the dark side of this city."
Dominic walked across the marble kitchen island, stopping just on the other side of the counter. He carried a leather folder under his arm.
"She won't have to," Dominic said.
He laid the folder down and opened it. Inside were two sets of documents bearing official embossed gold seals from the Columbia University Board of Trustees and the New York State Department of Education.
"What is this?" Nora asked, looking down at the paperwork.
"An endowed fellowship in pediatric medicine at Columbia Presbyterian," Dominic explained smoothly. "Fully funded in perpetuity under the name of Natalie Hughes. It covers full tuition, a research stipend, and a private apartment near campus with twenty-four-hour building security."
Nora stared at the documents, her vision blurring with fresh tears. "Dominic... this costs millions of dollars."
"It costs pocket change compared to what you gave me last night," he replied, his gaze unwavering. "Your sister is untouchable now, Nora. Not because she is hidden in the dark, but because she is standing in the light where everyone can see her."
Nora set her mug down on the counter, her hands trembling slightly. "And what about Natalie Hughes?"
Dominic reached into his pocket and pulled out the forged passport he had confiscated from her canvas duffel bag eight hours earlier.
May you like
He held it up between two fingers. Then, with slow, deliberate precision, he tore the document in half, dropping the shredded pieces onto the marble island.
"Natalie Hughes never existed," Dominic said softly. "There is only Nora. My chief of staff. The only person in this city I trust with my life."
