Chapter 10 - The Sound of the Sea
Three months later.
The small coastal village of St. Andrews sat on the eastern shore of New Brunswick, Canada, where the dense green pine forests met the cold, dark waters of the Bay of Fundy.
The morning air was crisp, smelling of salt, wet earth, and woodsmoke.
Dominic stood on the wide wooden deck of a newly restored two-story cottage overlooking the bay.
He wore a simple grey wool sweater, jeans, and brown leather boots. His dark hair was slightly longer, catching the sea breeze, and the faint scar near his left ear had faded into a thin, white line.
He didn't wear an earpiece.
The sound of the world was no longer a harsh, screeching storm inside his head. His auditory cortex had adapted, filtering the rustle of the wind through the pines, the rhythmic swish-shhh of the tide against the pebble shore, and the distant, lonely call of a sea gull circling above the water.
A wooden door opened behind him.
Nora stepped out onto the porch, carrying two large ceramic mugs of steaming coffee.
She wore an oversized blue flannel shirt over her clothes, her dark hair tied back in a loose braid. Her skin was healthy, the dark circles beneath her eyes completely gone, her face restored to the bright, fierce beauty that had been stolen from her three years ago.
She walked up to the railing, handing one mug to Dominic.
"The medical board in Ottawa confirmed the license reinstatement this morning," Nora said, her voice soft, carrying a quiet, radiant joy. "The clinic in town wants me to start as Chief of Outpatient Surgery in October."
Dominic turned his head to look at her.
He set his mug down on the wooden railing, reached out, and gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
"They're lucky to have you, Dr. Beckett," Dominic said, his voice rich, warm, and completely natural now.
Nora looked into his eyes—the eyes that had watched her in the dark when no one else in the world believed she existed.
"And you?" Nora asked, leaning her hip against the railing beside him. "What will the former king of Oyster Bay do with his days?"
Dominic looked out over the vast, blue expanse of the ocean.
The Ferraro Shipping Corporation was gone—its assets liquidated, its crooked board members serving long federal sentences in Pennsylvania, its dark history buried beneath court orders and asset forfeiture agreements.
Bellaro House had been sold to a nature conservancy, its high stone walls torn down to allow the public access to the shore.
"I think I'll build boats," Dominic said softly. "Small ones. Wooden ones. Boats that don't carry secrets."
Nora smiled—a breathtaking, genuine smile that lit up the morning light.
She reached out, her hand finding his against the wooden railing. Their fingers intertwined, their skin warm against the cool coastal breeze.
May you like
They didn't need to sign. They didn't need to read lips.
They simply stood together on the edge of the sea, listening to the quiet, beautiful, untamed sound of a world that was finally free.
