Chapter Twenty Three: Dominic’s Realization

Dawn arrived without ceremony.

A thin line of pale light crept across the penthouse windows, turning the city below from shadow to steel. The storm had washed everything clean, but inside Hale Tower, nothing felt settled.

Dominic hadn’t slept.

He stood just outside Eli’s bedroom, leaning one shoulder against the wall, watching Lila where she’d finally succumbed to exhaustion. She sat on the floor beside the bed, back against the frame, head tilted slightly, one hand resting on the blanket as if she might lose Eli if she let go.

Eli slept peacefully now. His breathing was slow. Even. Innocent.

Too innocent for the things he’d said.

Forgetting was safer.

The words echoed again, steady and relentless.

Dominic straightened slowly, careful not to wake either of them, and turned toward his office.

Inside, Dominic closed the door without engaging the automatic lock. He didn’t want the sound. He wanted silence.

The phrase replayed in his mind, not as fear, not as panic, but as language.

Forge