Chapter 8 - SHADOWS OF THE PAST
Waking up in Dominic's massive king-sized bed felt like a dream.
The morning sun filtered through the sheer white curtains, casting soft golden light across the dark wooden floor. I lay beneath the heavy down duvet, watching Dominic sleep beside me. Without his usual stern expression, he looked younger, calmer, his dark hair messy against the white pillow.
He moved, his strong arm reaching out instinctively to pull me tight against his side, burying his face in the crook of my neck.
"Good morning," he murmured, his voice thick with sleep.
"Good morning," I smiled, tracing the sharp line of his jaw with my finger. "What time is it?"
"It doesn't matter," he mumbled, pressing a warm kiss to my shoulder. "No one enters this room without my permission."
We spent the morning wrapped in each other's warmth, enjoying a quiet intimacy that felt entirely disconnected from the dangerous world outside.
However, reality returned at noon when Marcus knocked on the inner study door.
Dominic pulled on a black silk robe and stepped out to speak with him. I wrapped myself in a white linen bathrobe and followed quietly, standing near the doorway.
"What is it, Marcus?" Dominic asked.
"It's about Maya's late husband," Marcus said quietly, holding a thick yellow envelope.
My heart stopped. I stepped into the study. "David? What about David?"
My husband had died four years ago in a hit-and-run accident in Queens. It was the reason I had been forced to seek employment at the Moretti estate in the first place—to pay off his remaining medical bills and support my unborn child.
Marcus looked at Dominic nervously before turning to me. "When we liquidated Valenti's private safe in Brooklyn yesterday, we found a file on your late husband."
I gripped the edge of the desk for support. "Why would Valenti have a file on David?"
Dominic stepped beside me, taking my cold hand in his. "Read it, Marcus."
"David didn't die in an accident," Marcus revealed softly. "He was an accountant for a logistics company that Valenti used for laundering money. David discovered the illegal transactions and tried to go to the federal prosecutors. Valenti ordered the hit."
Tears spilled over my eyelashes. Four years of pain, confusion, and grief suddenly crystallized into a terrifying truth.
"He died because he tried to do the right thing," I sobbed, hiding my face in my hands.
Dominic pulled me firmly into his arms, wrapping his robe around me, his chest heaving with silent rage. He rested his chin on top of my head, holding me tightly while I wept against his chest.
"Valenti didn't just target my son," Dominic whispered, his voice vibrating with absolute, terrifying fury. "He destroyed your life years ago."
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He looked up at Marcus, his dark eyes flaring with lethal intent.
"Call the warden at the federal facility where Valenti is being held," Dominic commanded coldly. "Tell him Carmine Valenti will not survive his first night in prison."
