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CHAPTER HUNDRED–SEVENTYFOUR–1
HAILEY
The next morning, I woke up feeling a little better. The nausea was gone, and the dizziness had subsided. I
was still weak and tired, but the fever had broken, and I was able to get out of bed and take a shower.
Dominic was already up, a cup of coffee in his hand, a look of intense concentration on his face. He was
on the phone, his voice a low, urgent murmur as he spoke with Giovanni.
“Any leads?” he asked, a hint of frustration in his tone. “Nothing? Not a single goddamn thing?”
I could hear Giovanni’s voice on the other end of the line, a muffled, indistinct sound that I couldn’t quite
make out.
I made a quick mental note to go see Valerie and their baby later today, it’s been over a month of being
away on my honeymoon, I missed them. I have to talk to her about the stripper, about Yasmine. She was
the only person I could trust, the only person who would understand.
“Keep me updated,” Dominic said, a final, curt command before he hung up the phone.
He turned to me, a small, forced smile on his lips. “Morning, wife,” he said, his tone a little too cheerful, a
clear indication that he was trying to pretend that everything was okay.
“Morning,” I replied, a cautious smile playing on my lips. “Any news?”
“Nothing,” he said, a shrug of his shoulders that did little to hide the frustration simmering just beneath the surface. “It’s like the guy was a ghost. No witnesses, no evidence, no nothing. The police are as useless as
ever.”
He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a tight, possessive embrace. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice a low, sincere murmur. “I’m sorry you have to go through this. I’m sorry our honeymoon was cut short.”
I buried my face in his chest, the scent of him a familiar, comforting presence. “It’s not your fault,” I said,
my voice a muffled whisper. “We’ll get through this. Together.”
“We will,” he agreed, a steely resolve in his tone. “I promise.”
We stood there for a long moment, a shared, comfortable silence settling between us. The world outside our little bubble could wait. For now, it was just us, a united front against the darkness. We were in a silent pact, a promise to stand together, to face the unknown, to protect what was ours.
“I’m going to see Valerie today,” I said, my voice a little hesitant.
He tensed, a subtle, almost imperceptible shift. “Okay,” he said, a little too quickly, a little too easily. “Take a guard with you.”
“I don’t need a babysitter, Dominic,” I said, a flash of irritation in my tone.
“I’m not saying you do,” he replied, a calm, reasonable tone that did little to soothe my ruffled feathers.
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“But I’m not taking any chances. Not until we know what we’re up against.”
He was right. I knew he was. But a part of me couldn’t help but feel like a prisoner in my own life, like I was being suffocated by his overprotectiveness.
“Fine,” I conceded, a sigh of resignation escaping my lips. “But I’m choosing the guard.”
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