Chapter 52: The Secrets We Keep

The silence between us stretched on, thick and suffocating. I could hear the rapid beating of my own heart, each thump loud in my ears as I fought against the maelstrom of emotions crashing inside me. What had just happened? What was I supposed to feel? Was it relief that Dominic was here, standing in front of me, or was it something else—something deeper and more dangerous?

I glanced up at him, his face unreadable, his eyes still holding mine with an intensity that made my stomach twist. There was something vulnerable in his expression now, something I hadn’t seen before. As if, for the first time, Dominic wasn’t playing a game.

“Why didn’t you tell me the truth?” I finally asked, my voice shaky but strong. “Why didn’t you tell me about your father’s role in all of this? About my father’s role? About everything?”

Dominic ran a hand through his hair, frustration and guilt swirling in his eyes. “I was trying to protect you. Trying to keep you from getting caught up in the mess. I didn’t want you to have to carry the weight of everything, Elena. I thought… I thought if I kept you away from it, you wouldn’t have to choose between me and your family.”

My breath hitched, the sting of his words cutting deeper than I cared to admit. “And now? Now that it’s too late to protect me, Dominic?”

He closed the distance between us in two long strides, and before I knew it, his hands were cupping my face, his thumbs brushing away the tear I hadn’t even realized had slipped down my cheek. His touch was gentle, almost reverent, and I felt the warmth of it seep into my bones, making the coldness that had settled in my chest start to fade.

“Now,” he murmured, his voice low, raw, “I’m asking you to choose. Choose me, Elena. Choose us. I know I’ve made mistakes. I know I’ve lied to you. But I swear to you, everything I’ve done has been to protect you. To keep you safe.”

I swallowed hard, the words catching in my throat. Could I really do this? Could I really choose him, knowing what he had done? Knowing what my father had done? The past few months had turned my world upside down, and now, here I was, standing in the middle of it all, unsure of which way to go.

“You want me to choose you,” I whispered, looking up at him through the veil of my hair. “After everything? After the lies, the betrayal… the war between our families?”

Dominic’s grip on my face tightened slightly, his eyes darkening with an emotion I couldn’t name. “I want you to choose us, Elena. Not just me. Not just you. Us. We’re stronger together than we ever will be apart.”

The sincerity in his voice sent a shiver down my spine. The rational part of me screamed to walk away, to leave him behind and never look back. But the other part of me—the part that had been pulled toward him since the moment we first met, the part that burned with longing and frustration and something darker, something more primal—didn’t want to let go.

“I don’t know if I can,” I said, my voice trembling. “I don’t know if I can forgive you. I don’t know if I can trust you again.”

Dominic’s eyes softened, his thumb brushing over my lip as if he could soothe away the pain that was threatening to overtake me. “I don’t expect you to forgive me right away. But I need you to believe me when I say that I’m doing this because I love you, Elena. Everything I’ve done, everything I’ve fought for… it’s been for us. For this.”

For a moment, I stood there, frozen in the heat of his gaze, torn between the past and the future, between the truth and the lies, between love and betrayal.

I didn’t know how long we stood there, the world outside seeming to fall away, leaving just the two of us. But then, the sound of footsteps interrupted the moment. The door to the study creaked open, and a voice—a familiar, aggravating voice—cut through the silence.

“I hate to break up your little moment, but we have a problem.”

I turned, startled, to find Liam standing in the doorway, his arms crossed, his gaze calculating. The familiar smirk was back on his lips, though there was something darker in his eyes now. Something that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Dominic sighed, his hands falling away from me, his expression shifting into something colder, more guarded. “What is it, Liam?”

Liam’s eyes flicked from me to Dominic, and he leaned against the doorframe with an air of casual arrogance. “The situation with your father—it’s escalating faster than we thought. There’s a meeting tomorrow. Your father’s people are coming in to discuss the next steps. And I don’t think we have much time before everything unravels.”

I felt my heart drop into my stomach. “What do you mean, unravels?”

Liam pushed himself off the doorframe and took a step into the room, his gaze flicking over both of us as though he were sizing us up for something more than just a conversation. “I mean that your family, Elena,” he said, addressing me directly, “has more to lose than you realize. The evidence your father thought was buried? It’s resurfacing. And it’s not just about him anymore. It’s about you, too.”

The weight of his words settled over me like a storm cloud. My mind raced. “What are you talking about?”

Liam’s lips curled into a smug smile. “Let’s just say that your father has been playing both sides. And I’m not talking about Dominic and me. I’m talking about some very… unsavory people. People who don’t take kindly to being betrayed.”

Dominic’s jaw tightened, his fists clenched. “Who are you working with, Liam?”

Liam didn’t flinch, his gaze steady. “I’m working with whoever I need to work with to make sure we all get what we want. And right now, Elena, that includes you.”

I couldn’t breathe. This was more than I had bargained for. More than I could have ever imagined.

Dominic took a step toward Liam, his body radiating tension. “You’re not using her, Liam.”

Liam didn’t even flinch. “I’m not using her, Dominic. I’m just telling her the truth. The truth that you’ve been trying to keep hidden.”

I looked between the two of them, my heart racing. The secrets, the lies, the manipulation—it was all coming to a head. And I was at the center of it all.

“Tomorrow,” Liam continued, his voice low and serious, “is going to change everything.”