Chapter 77 Chapter 77:

Chapter 77 Chapter 77:
Gia:

Dom woke up today, the doctor already predicted that he was going to today, however for Enrique’s case, the doctor said a few more weeks, it’s really hard to look into Irene’s eyes, sometimes, it feels as though her bright eyes are losing their colour. But, I know her well enough; she will not give up on anything.

She and Linda have been working on their project for the past few days, at least it’s keeping her distracted. Dom didn’t want to stay in the hospital, so he’s already back home. I am a nervous wreck as I stand in front of the full length mirror.

Dom, Nixie and I are having dinner together; my emotions are all jumbled up. Do I hate him? Do I want to hate him? I am wearing a white overall with brown sandals, I breathe in and out, checking my phone when a ding from Tyler comes in.

Tyler: I have told you before; you don’t have to have dinner with that bastard, why are you still with him? Just because you got drunk married in a chapel doesn’t mean you have to stay with him.

Me: That bastard saved Enrique’s life, the least we can do is show some gratitude.

His reply comes in immediately.

Tyler: Are you still staying with him, Gia?

I don’t have any response for this, so I drop my phone on the bed and make my way to the dining room. Tyler and the rest still haven’t forgiven Dom because of everything he caused, and at some point I don’t even know what to do.

When I reach the dining room, Nixie is the first person I spot; she gives me a gentle smile as I take my seat, staring at the food. Platters piled high with roasted meat, bowls of chicken salads, and English muffins arranged in a breakfast bowl makes it seem like a feast and not a dinner for three.

“Should I pour in some wine?” Nixie says timidly, holding the bottle. I guess it’s a bit weird that Nixie is my sister-in-law and we haven’t spent so much time together, can this even work?

“Yes.” I say warmly, she smiles again and I realize that she’s beautiful, her champagne blonde hair pours in waves down her back and her silver eyes glinting against the light. I look around, is Dominic not having dinner with us?

Just then, Dominic walks in and my chest thuds, he’s dressed in a comfortable white crisp shirt, unbuttoned at the collar, I force myself not to stare at his refined collarbone, despite the exhaustion lingering in his eyes, he still possesses his usual confidence.

We stare at each other for a brief moment before he sits down. Everyone starts eating, during the middle of our food, Dom says. “I want a divorce.” His voice is low, yet firm.

The clatter of cutlery halts, shock flickering across Nixie’s pale eyes. “Fuck.” She mutters under her breath, before standing up. “I will excuse myself, give you guys time to talk.” She grabs her plate and stumbles out of the dining room, leaving me and Dom alone.

My hands tighten around the fork, as I try to process everything. “Divorce?”

He cranes his head, staring right at me. His dark eyes melting into my gray ones.

“Isn’t that what you have always wanted?” He grabs the napkin and wipes the corner of his mouth. My mouth suddenly grows bitter as I force myself to speak, but no words come out.

For the first time, my wolf starts to surges out, I grip the edge of the table forcefully. Is this what I want? Hell, this man is freaking impossible to read!

“What next?” I ask sharply, “What next after the divorce?”

“We go our separate ways, I go back to my pack, and you get to stay with your brother.”

Anger flickers across my eyes, “My brother does not own me.”

He doesn’t say a word; instead he drops his cutlery on the plate and stands up. “The divorce paper is ready; you even get half the property I own. We can sign it whenever you are ready, but it has to be tonight, I leave for my pack permanently tomorrow.” That’s it, no backwards glance, not a single freaking thing.

For unknown reasons, tears start to well in my eyes as I grind my fist hard under the table, do I deserve this? One time, I got a glimpse of happiness and as cliché as that sounds, I wanted to keep that happiness. Those small days we spent as husband and wife, I loved it.

I loved having someone to sleep close to at night, someone perhaps to even cuddle, I loved catching glimpses of his tattoo, I just loved being around him, a tear slid down my cheeks and I roughly swipe it away.

Why am I acting this way? If I sign these divorce papers, I may never get to see him again. I am going to get married to a man that isn’t him, have children that aren't his, and he....will he get married and have kids?

“Hello, love.” I hear a soft voice behind me, and I turn to look at a middle-aged woman, her champagne blonde hair is braided at the side, and her eyes, a deep set of sky-blue are sharp, there’s a confidence that she carries, something rarely seen in people.

It strikes me that I am talking to Dom and Nixie’s mother.

“You must be Gia, right?” She speaks, even her voice is gracious. She shifts the chair, and seats down, staring right at me. “Nixie called me and told me about the divorce,”

That blabbermouth.

She reaches over, taking my hands into hers. “He’s always been difficult to understand, hasn’t he?” She begins, her tone soft yet firm. “My son deals with abandonment issues, it’s not easy for him to trust people, even the closest.”

I swallow, my fingers trembling under her warm touch and I feel a pang of empathy. “He said he wanted a divorce.”

My mother-in-law shakes her head, “He has been afraid his whole life, you know, sometimes I think my leaving caused this whole struggle of his. He’s worried that anyone he lets close will eventually leave him; he believes it’s safer to push people away before they have the chance to abandon him.

My heart twists, fresh tears welling up. Every time, I could feel his pain, my wolf could feel his pain, his guarded heart, and that hard frown of his, but there’s something layered deep beneath all those icy appearances.

It’s a soul that loves till eternity.

“What am I supposed to do?” I whisper, my voice low.

“Did you know why Red is still with him?” She asks, laughing softly. “Because Red stayed, countless times Dom has fired him, Red didn’t give a fuck, he stayed. So, give Dom that, show him that you can love him beyond his fears, even if he doesn’t know how to ask for it, he deserves a love that won’t abandon him.” 

I sit there in silence, weighing the options. Can I really do this? Can I stay despite everything? Can I even love him? Then, it strikes me. Being in the same bedroom with him, waiting for him to come home, the kiss we shared. Fuck.

Fuck!

I love him. I really do love Dominic.

I turn to face my mother-in-law, who’s grinning at me. “I love him, and I am going to stay, I will fight for this,” she squeezes my hand affectionately.

“I never doubted you one bit.”

After some chats, my mother-in-law, during those hours, we became so close. Later on, I texted my brother and the rest that I am staying with Dom, though everyone took the news neutral, but my brother, not so well.

I did agree to meet with him in Chiara’s coffee shop and talk things out straight. He needs to know that while we may be twins and have a close bond, I deserve to live my own life. The hardest part about all these was actually waiting for Dom, since he is going to be back at night.

If I am going to confess my love to someone, then I need a dress that’s out of this world. After carefully putting on a dark, sleek dress, I feel a sense of power I haven’t felt in weeks. Waiting for Dom seems like hell.

I keep on twisting my nails, Irene and the girls have sent me countless messages, wishing me luck and damn, I am going to need it.

There seems to be a full moon tonight which is weird because the last one was weeks ago. Our bedroom is dark, except for the moonlight flickering through the open windows. I sit on the edge of the bed, making a prayer to the moon goddess.

The door opens; my heart skips a thousand miles.

Dom walks in, the lines deep in his forehead, it’s noticeable that he’s exhausted, probably angry. His eyes meet mine, and his eyes soften. “Are you ready to sign the papers?” 

I shake my head negatively and he cranes his head to look at me. “What?” His intense stare makes heat rush to my face. Why is it so hard to concentrate when he’s looking at me like that?

Like he wants to devour me and I won’t mind that one bit.

“I said no.” My voice comes out more balanced than I expected, “I am not going anywhere, we are not getting divorced, and do you want to know why? Because, I love you.” The room descends into silence and I can hear the frantic beating of my own heart.

Dom stiffens, his stare more intense on me than usual. “Excuse me?” His tone is slower.

I take a step forward, “I love you, Dom. From the moment fifteen years old me saw you, I just knew you were the one, look I don’t want a freaking prince charming, I just want my dangerous tattooed all over husband. You may have tricked me into marriage, and I am still not over that, but I want you, just you.”

He blinks, he steps backward, “You don’t know what you are talking about, you can’t love me, Gia, I have done horrible things, hell, no one likes me.”

“But I do,” I can feel his fear rising, his issues with abandonment, I want to show him that I will be there for him, no matter what happens. It takes two strides to reach him, looking up into his eyes, my hands reach for his face, but he holds my hands, searching into my eyes.

“You can’t love me,” he repeats. “I am full of darkness.”

“I love you despite your darkness.” My voice is thicker this time, tears welling in my eyes, “I am sorry that you didn’t get to experience love when you were younger, but I am here for you and I promise, I am not freaking go anywhere.”

We both stare at each other, lost in each other's eyes, his hands grips my waist and he pulls me closer, I feel safe in his hands, protected even. 

“Do you love me too?” I finally ask, afraid to know the answer. What if he doesn’t? What if I am meant to die alone?

“I love you more than words, angel.” His low voice sends more tingles to my spine. I feel a pull, like a longing in which my wolf is on fire, it occurs to me that we are......

“Mate.” Dom growls and I freeze, he isn’t just my husband; he’s my mate. Now I know that we were always meant to be together, from our first meeting as teenagers to this moment, I realize that we didn’t have the perfect meet cute that others would die for, but we are here, breathing together.

Dom kisses me then, his lips soft yet demanding, opening up for me, he lifts me up and places me on the bed. “Do you want me to mark you now?”

“No,” I shake my head. “We can do that later, I just want to be with you right now.”

He laughs softly as I reach out to unbutton his shirt, the lines of his tattoo filling my eyes. I stare at his middle finger, where the word ‘Gia’ is wrapped around and damn do I love him the most.