Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask (by Silver Spoon) novel Chapter 388

Chapter 388: Chapter 172 Shadows of Doubt

Dominic’s POV

When I returned to our secured bedroom, Gemma had already fallen into an uneasy sleep. I thanked Ryder for maintaining watch over her while I debriefed the rest of our crew about the afternoon’s bloody chaos. Settling beside her, I observed the subtle rise and fall of her breathing until exhaustion finally claimed me. I awakened to darkness enveloping the room and an empty space where she should have been.

Alarm coursed through my veins as I bolted upright. I found her in the bathroom, standing motionless beneath the scalding shower spray, her body shaking uncontrollably with her eyes sealed shut. The sight made my chest constrict painfully. How long had she been torturing herself like this?

I immediately shut off the water and enveloped her trembling form in a thick towel. Only when I lifted her into my arms did her eyes flutter open, distant and glazed. I carried her back to our fortified bedroom, carefully dried every inch of her skin, and tucked her beneath the heavy blankets before sliding in beside her and drawing her against my body heat.

"What are you doing?" Her whisper was barely audible as she attempted to put distance between us.

I tightened my grip, my voice gentle yet immovable. "I’m protecting my woman."

"I’m not your woman," she replied, and I felt something cold settle deep in my chest. Something had been wrong since she’d ordered me to escort Beatrix to the emergency room, but I couldn’t identify what had shattered between us.

"Yes, you are. I don’t need a marriage certificate to know what lives in my heart," I declared, refusing to release my hold on her.

Then I felt them – warm tears dropping onto my bare chest. I reached for the lamp, bathing her face in light as I tilted her chin toward me.

"I intended to wait until morning, but I can’t any longer. What’s tearing through that beautiful mind of yours?" I asked, desperate to understand the source of her anguish.

Gemma sniffled, avoiding my gaze. "There’s nothing to discuss, Dominic. I witnessed how you reacted when you saw Beatrix bleeding in that wreckage. I saw your devastation. Release me, please."

"No, I won’t let you go," I insisted firmly. "Whatever twisted thoughts have infected your head, we’re going to destroy them together. And until that happens, I’m not letting go of you."

Her body convulsed with fresh sobs, and I massaged soothing circles across her back until she could speak again.

"You realized you still love her," she managed between ragged breaths. "I saw it all. I witnessed your desperation."

I couldn’t comprehend what I was hearing. "Are you serious, Gemma? You’re this destroyed because you’re jealous of a deranged woman who nearly killed herself trying to murder you?" Disbelief and frustration sharpened my tone. "I don’t know what’s worse – your baseless jealousy or your lack of faith in my devotion to you."

"I saw it with my own eyes," she protested weakly.

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