After Rejection Divorced Luna Becomes A Famous Doctor (Hailey and Dominic) novel Chapter 147

CHAPTER HUNDRED TWENTYTWO-2

Clann

CHAPTER HUNDRED-TWENTYTWO-2

I looked back at Hailey, who was now laughing with Felicia, completely unaware of the storm brewing just a few feet away. Maxine was right. I was handling it, but maybe not firmly enough. Tricia’s “truce” was a lie, a temporary ceasefire. She wasn’t giving up. And Hailey didn’t deserve to be caught in the crossfire of this drama.

“You’re right,” I admitted, the words tasting like ash. “I’ll take care of it. For good.”

“Good. Now go back to your woman. She looks like she needs you.”

I nodded, giving my sister a grateful look. I walked back to the fire, my mind made up. The party would end, the guests would leave, and then I would have a final, unequivocal conversation with Tricia. One that left no room for misinterpretation.

Tricia has caused me more trouble than I can tolerate in just a couple of days, and I can’t imagine what she would do if she is left unchecked. She has a very unhealthy obsession with me, and I’m

going to put a stop to it.

I wasn’t going to let her ruin my New Year.

I wasn’t going to let her ruin my relationship.

And I definitely wasn’t going to let her ruin my future with Hailey.

I loved her, but if she would always read my affection to her as my friend to be romantic, then she needed to stay away. We couldn’t be friends anymore.

It was a painful decision, but it was the right one. I had to protect my family, my present, and my future. And if that meant cutting ties with someone I once considered a friend, then so be it.

I returned to Hailey’s side, my earlier tension replaced by a new resolve. My mind was already made up, and I hated to admit how relieved I felt after making that decision.

“Everything okay?” she asked, her eyes searching for mine.

“It will be,” I said, the promise for myself as much as for her. I pulled her into my arms, holding her tight. “Come on. Let’s go to bed. It’s late.”

I didn’t want to wait until the party was over. I wanted to leave now. I wanted to take her to our room, to our sanctuary, and shut the door on the rest of the world.

“What about the guests?”

“They’ll manage. Giovanni and Felicia have everything under control. I need to be alone with you.”

CHAPTER HUNDRED TWENTYTWO-2

Clam

She didn’t argue. She just nodded, a soft smile on her lips. We said our goodbyes, making up an

excuse about Liam having an early morning. He was already fast asleep upstairs, a perfect alibi.

I took her hand, and we walked back to the house, leaving the music and laughter behind us. The

silence in the house was a welcome relief. It was just us, the moonlight streaming through the

windows, and the promise of a new beginning.

Once we were in the privacy of our bedroom, I locked the door, a symbolic gesture. I turned to face

her, my heart pounding in my chest.

“I love you, Hailey,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “And I will do whatever it takes to protect

what we have.”

“I know, Dom. I love you too.”

I closed the distance between us, my lips finding hers in a kiss that was desperate and hungry. It wasn’t about passion or desire; it was about reaffirmation. It was a promise that no matter what storms we faced, we would face them together.

I led her to the bed, my hands tracing the curves of her body, reacquainting myself with every inch of her. The dress was gone in a matter of seconds, a pool of black fabric on the floor. Her skin was soft and warm, a stark contrast to the cold resolve that had settled in my heart.

I made love to her with a slow, deliberate intensity, worshiping her body with my hands, my lips, my tongue. It wasn’t about the pleasure, although there was plenty of that. It was about connection. It was about grounding myself in her, in us, in the life we were building together.

Afterwards, we lay tangled in the sheets, the room bathed in the soft glow of the moon. Her head was on my chest, her breathing slow and even.

“Dom?”

“Hmm?”

“What did Maxine want to talk to you about?”

I should have known she wouldn’t let it go. She was too perceptive, too attuned to me.

I sighed, running my fingers through her hair. “She saw me talking to Tricia.”

Hailey tensed, her body going rigid against mine. “Oh.”

“She warned me about her, Hailey. She said… she said Tricia has always been manipulative. That she’s not my friend.”

Silence. A heavy, suffocating silence. I could feel her walls going up, the trust we had so carefully rebuilt beginning to crumble.

23

CHAPTER HUNDRED TWENTYTWO-2

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