- D O M I N I C • P O V -
The second I saw her, my entire body locked up.
Not Raven-her.
The woman standing a few feet away. The woman I was tied to in ways I never wanted to be. The woman who, at one point, I was supposed to care about.
But looking at her now?
I felt nothing.
Nothing but disgust.
And Raven was in my arms.
I wasn't letting her go. Not for anyone.
My grip tightened around her, staking my claim, feeling her small frame against mine, like I needed to remind myself what real felt like.
The woman's gaze cut straight to Raven. Her eyes trailed down, landing on the red lace lingerie in Raven's hand before flicking back up with a slow, smug smirk.
She knew.
Of course, she fucking knew.
"Shopping for your little mistress?"
I felt Raven tense in my arms.
Jamie let out a dramatic gasp. Lila's jaw dropped.
I didn't react.
I just exhaled sharply.
The sound alone had shut men up before.
My head turned slightly, my eyes narrowing at the woman who had the audacity to still be standing here.
"Watch your mouth."
My voice was low, controlled-deadly.
Raven shivered against me.
But the woman in front of me? She laughed.
Soft. Mocking. Like she had the upper hand.
"Relax," she drawled, her eyes flicking back to Raven. "It was just an observation."
I didn't respond.
Didn't blink.
Didn't fucking let go.
Silence stretched between us, thick with unspoken threats.
I could feel Raven trying to shrink against me. Trying to make herself smaller.
She didn't deserve this.
She didn't deserve any of this.
And the longer she stood here, the more I wanted to tear this entire store apart.
Then she whispered, barely loud enough for me to hear-
"We should go."
My gaze snapped to hers.
And for one second-just one fucking second-I let her see it.
The only person in the world who could pull me out of this rage.
But I wasn't done yet.
"Wait outside."
Not a suggestion.
Not a request.
A fucking order.
Raven hesitated, like she wanted to say something. Like she didn't want to leave me alone with her.
Jamie didn't hesitate.
He grabbed Raven's arm. "Yeah, we're leaving. Now."
Lila shot me a look before following them out.
But Raven?
She glanced back.
And what she saw?
It changed everything.
I could feel it in the way her breath hitched, the way her lips parted just slightly, the way her body stiffened before Jamie pulled her the rest of the way.
Because when she looked back at me-
She saw the truth.
I wasn't just angry.
I wasn't just indifferent.
I fucking hated this woman.
Every smile in that picture?
Every happy moment we were supposed to have?
A fucking lie.
And now?
Raven knew it.
The second Raven walked away, my patience snapped.
I turned to the woman standing before me, her arms crossed, her lips tilted into that smug little smirk that used to irritate me beyond belief. It still did. But now? Now it was downright infuriating.
She shouldn't be here. She had no fucking reason to be here.
The second Raven disappeared around the corner, my patience died.
Not snapped.
Not cracked.
Died.
Because the woman standing in front of me did not belong here.
Nothing about this place fit her.
The flickering fluorescent lights. The cheap tile floors. The racks of low-quality fabric that wouldn't survive a single wash.
She hated places like this.
She'd said it herself once-called them "desperate people stores."
Yet here she was.
Standing in the middle of it like she had every right.
My eyes dragged over her slowly. Designer heels. Tailored coat. Jewelry worth more than this entire fucking store.
She didn't come here to shop.
She came here for me.
Which meant she'd been watching.
Following.
Stalking.
I felt something dark curl in my chest.
I stepped closer, my voice low. Controlled.
"Say whatever the fuck you came to say," I said flatly, "and leave."
Her lips curved like this amused her.
"No hello?" she asked softly. "No 'good to see you'?"
I stared at her.
Blank.
Unmoved.
"I don't have time for games."
Her eyes searched mine, calculating.
"I've been calling you," she said.
I didn't respond.
Because I knew she had.
I just never answered.
Her gaze flickered past me briefly. Toward the direction Raven had gone.
There it was.
Confirmation.
I let out a slow breath through my nose.
"You followed me."
It wasn't a question.
Her jaw tightened slightly.
"I was in the area."
I let out a quiet, humorless chuckle.
"The area," I repeated, glancing around deliberately. "You don't even breathe near places like this."
She didn't deny it.
Because she couldn't.
Because we both knew the truth.
She'd been watching long enough to see Raven.
Long enough to see where she shopped.
Long enough to understand that I'd followed her here.
My voice dropped.
"You lost?"
Her eyes flashed.
"I'm your wife."
The word meant nothing.
Less than nothing.
I leaned in slightly.
"And?"
She inhaled sharply.
"My birthday is coming up."
I stared at her.
Waiting.
Unimpressed.
"And?"
Her fingers tightened around the handle of her bag.
"I thought," she said carefully, "we could spend it together."
I didn't respond.
Didn't blink.
Didn't react.
Because she still didn't understand.
Still didn't realize she'd already lost.
She took a step closer.
"I even bought something," she added quietly.
She opened the bag slightly.
Red lace.
Cheap.
Poor imitation of something she thought I wanted.
My stomach turned.
Not because of the lace.
Because she thought she could replace Raven.
She thought she could compete.
She couldn't.
She never could.
She took a step closer, lowering her voice like she was about to say something intimate. "I thought we could have a night together. Just the two of us. Like we used to... when we loved each other."
Old times?
I let out a harsh, humorless laugh, the kind that cuts through any illusion of warmth. "There were no old times," I muttered, my jaw tight.
Her eyes flashed, hurt and disbelief. "Dominic-"
"What love?" I snapped, voice low and sharp, stepping back as if her words burned my skin. "Since when did we... ever love each other?"
She sucked in a breath like I'd just hit her. "You don't have to be an ass."
"No, see, I do," I shot back. "Because you standing here, pretending like we have some kind of relationship, is the dumbest shit I've heard all year."
Her jaw tightened. "We've been married for six years."
"On paper."
She blinked, but I kept going.
"We fucked once-the night we signed those damn papers. And you know what?" I leaned in slightly, lowering my voice just enough. "It was trash."
She flinched, and for a second, just a flicker of a moment, I saw her mask slip.
But I didn't give a fuck.
"That's what this is about, huh?" I said slowly, dragging my tongue over my teeth as the realization settled in. "You saw me with her."
Her expression hardened instantly. Defensive.
"I don't care about-"
"Then why the fuck are you in Lower Ash?" I cut in, my voice dropping into something darker. Sharper. "This part of the city you never step foot in."
Her jaw tightened.
She hesitated.
There it was.
The crack.
"Like I told you," she said, forcing casual into her voice, "I was in the neighborhood."
I stared at her.
Just stared.
Then I let out a quiet scoff.
"Bullshit."
The word hit between us like a slap.
"You don't come here," I continued, my voice calm now. Too calm. "You don't shop here. You don't breathe here. You hate this part of the city."
Her fingers tightened around her bag, but she didn't speak.
Because she couldn't.
Because we both knew I was right.
"You never gave a fuck about where I was," I went on, my eyes locking onto hers. "Never cared who I was with. Never asked questions."
My voice dropped lower.
"But now you're here."
Silence.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
"But the second you see another woman standing next to me-" I stepped closer, watching the way her breathing faltered, "-my woman-"
Her eyes flashed.
"She's not your woman."
The words came out sharp. Bitter. Possessive in a way she had no right to be.
Something dark curled in my chest.
Because she was.
She fucking was.
Not by paper.
Not by law.
But by instinct.
By claim.
By the way she looked at me like she didn't know she already belonged to me.
And the fact that this woman standing in front of me could see it?
That meant it was already too obvious.
Too real.
Too late to undo.
I tilted my head slightly, studying her like she was nothing more than a problem waiting to be removed.
I stepped closer, towering over her. "Let me make something clear," I murmured. "I don't give a fuck about your birthday. I don't give a fuck about whatever bullshit fantasy you have about us. You and me? It never existed. It never fucking will."
She swallowed, her throat bobbing as she held my stare.
"And if you ever-ever-bring up that pathetic excuse of a night we spent together again," I added, voice deadly calm, "I swear to God, I'll make you regret it."
She exhaled sharply, nostrils flaring. "You're a bastard."
I smirked. "Yeah? And you're still here."
Her lips pressed together so tightly they turned white.
But she didn't leave.
Instead, she straightened her spine, lifting her chin in that defiant way that used to piss me off.
"What does she have that I don't?" she asked, voice laced with bitterness.
I exhaled sharply, running my tongue over my teeth.
She really wanted to go there.
She really wanted me to fucking say it.
I leaned in, my lips close to her ear.
"She's real, she sees the real me unlike you," I murmured. "And that pussy of hers?" I licked my lips at the memory. "So fucking sweet. So tight. The way she wrapped around my cock-" I let out a dark chuckle. "You could never compare."
She sucked in a sharp breath.
And then I straightened, meeting her wide-eyed stare with nothing but cold amusement.
"Now get the fuck out of my sight," I finished. "Before I make you."
She stood there for a long second, like she wanted to say something, like she wanted to fight.
But she didn't.
Because she knew she already lost.
With a sharp turn, she stormed away, her heels clicking against the tile, her entire body radiating pure rage.
I let out a slow exhale, rolling my shoulders.
And then, without another look back, I walked out of the mall.
Because there was only one woman worth my time.
And she belonged to me.
She waited for me.
The moment I stepped out of the mall, I saw her. Standing just outside, gripping the shopping bag like it was the only thing keeping her grounded.
Raven.
Fuck.
I expected her to be long gone, to keep running from me like she had all week. But there she was, her green eyes locked onto mine, something unreadable flickering behind them.
"You waited," I muttered, more a statement than a question.
She swallowed. "I... yeah."
I dragged a hand down my face, exhaling slowly. I should tell her to leave. Should let her walk away. But I couldn't.
"Get in the car."
She blinked. "What?"
"My car." My voice was softer, but firm. "Now. We need to talk."
Her hesitation was obvious. But after a long pause, she nodded.
Minutes later, we were parked in my sleek black car, silent. She sat next to me, gripping her bag like it was a lifeline, her breathing shallow.
I hadn't started the engine. Hell, I hadn't even moved.
Because I knew once I opened my mouth, once I said the words, there was no turning back.
I inhaled deeply, my fingers tapping against the steering wheel. Then I exhaled sharply and said the words I never planned to explain.
"She's my wife."
Raven flinched, her grip tightening on the bag.
I turned my head, watching her, waiting for her reaction. "I married her when I was nineteen."
She stared at me, stunned. "But-"
"It wasn't for love," I cut in. "It was arranged. A deal to save my company. A contract signed before I was even old enough to understand what I was doing."
She looked like she was struggling to process it, her lips parting slightly.
"So you-" she hesitated. "You don't love her?"
I scoffed. "Love?" I repeated bitterly. "I barely know what that means."
Raven swallowed hard, her throat bobbing as she absorbed my words.
I dragged a hand through my hair, sighing again, but more controlled this time. "She's my wife on paper. Nothing more. We don't sleep in the same bed. We don't even live in the same house."
Something in her shoulders relaxed slightly, but she quickly masked it.
I smirked. "You don't have to hide it."
"Hide what?" she shot back.
"That you're relieved."
She glared at me. "I'm not."
"Liar," I muttered, watching her cheeks darken.
She turned away, staring out the window, but she didn't try to leave. That was enough for me.
"Why are you telling me this?" she finally asked, her voice quieter than before.
I reached over, brushing my fingers against her chin, tilting her head toward me.
"Because you need to know the truth," I murmured, my thumb trailing over her jaw. "And because I don't want you to run from me anymore."
Her breathing hitched, her lips parting slightly.
That mouth.
That perfect fucking mouth.
I still remembered how she felt clenching around me, how her nails dug into my back, how her eyes fluttered shut as she milked my cock-
I clenched my jaw.
I needed to calm the fuck down.
But I couldn't.
Not when I had tasted her.
Not when I had fucked her.
And not when I knew-knew-she was the best thing I'd ever had.
That pussy. That fucking pussy.
So tight. So sweet. The way she clenched around me, like she was made for me. The way her body trembled, her thighs shaking, her whimpers turning into full moans as she lost control.
I licked my lips just thinking about it.
Fuck, I needed her again.
I didn't just want her-I needed her.
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