Between The Next Morning and the Consequences

Between The Next Morning and the Consequences
Maggie’s Point Of View

I woke up in the middle of the night with a strange feeling, as if something were still holding me back in the dream I had just emerged from. My eyes opened slowly, heavy, lost in a fog of exhaustion and sluggishness; for a few seconds, I lay motionless, staring at the dark ceiling of the room, trying to figure out where I was… and what had been real.

I was alone in bed.

If it weren’t for my body still bearing the marks of what had happened hours earlier, I would have believed it was all just a dream, but it hadn’t been; I felt it in every aching muscle, in every inch of skin Dominic had touched—my body remembered everything.

It was real.

I let out a long yawn, feeling as if I could sleep for another ten hours without effort, but even so, I brought my hand to my bare stomach, caressing it instinctively, and forced myself to get out of bed; the air was cold against my skin, making me shiver slightly. I looked at the alarm clock next to the bed, which read four in the morning.

I sighed softly, then walked slowly to the armchair in the corner of the room and grabbed my robe, wrapping it around my body before stepping out. My steps were slow, still heavy with sleep, and another yawn escaped me, making my eyes fill with tears for a moment, but the drowsiness vanished the second I looked down the hallway.

Jamie’s bedroom door was open.

I took a few more steps, almost in silence, and then I saw him. Dominic was there, wearing only pants, sitting in the rocking chair now next to the crib, his body leaning forward, his chin resting on the safety rail as he watched our son sleep.

Motionless, silent, and absorbed.

Something inside me snapped in that instant; I let out a low sigh, and felt my nose sting as the urge to cry hit me hard. God… I had taken that away from him, had taken away his right to experience that moment, to be there, to watch his own son grow up. I had taken Jamie away from him. No matter how much Dominic might love me… he would never forgive me for this.

I walked to the door and leaned my shoulder against the frame, standing there, watching that scene that should have been ordinary… but wasn’t. Not for me, not for us.

But the moment was short-lived; as if sensing my presence, Dominic looked away from Jamie and looked directly at me—the contrast was immediate. The eyes that had been soft, filled with something that could only be love for his son… hardened. They became cold and empty.

My chest tightened.

Dominic let out a low, heavy sigh and looked back at Jamie for one more moment, as if saying goodbye to that moment, then rose from his chair, leaned over the crib, and placed a gentle kiss on Jamie’s forehead, running his finger across his cheek with a tenderness that was almost painful to watch. Then he stepped back and walked toward me, stopping right in front of me and staring at me.

“You hate me, don’t you?” I murmured, forcing myself to hold his gaze. It was the least I could do; he deserved it. He deserved for me to bear every consequence of what I’d done.

Dominic didn’t answer right away; his jaw was tense.

“I can’t understand…” his voice came out low but heavy. “What reason did you think was greater and more important to me than having my son… and you with me.” Each of his words seemed to pierce my chest. “Why, Maggie?” he continued, his eyes fixed on mine. “What right did you have to decide to take my son away from me?… my children away from me?”

I swallowed hard; the pain in his voice was undeniable, but I didn’t back down.

“I did what I thought I had to do,” I replied, even as I felt my throat tighten. “And I’ll accept whatever you give me now, Dominic.”

The silence that followed was heavy and thick, almost suffocating.

“That’s the thing, Maggie…” he said at last, running a hand wearily over his face. “You left me with nothing. There’s nothing left.”

My heart sank in my chest. He looked at me for another second, one last look, then looked away. He walked past me without saying another word and headed down the hall toward the bedroom. I stood still for a moment, unable to move, unable to breathe properly, then turned slowly, walked to Jamie’s bedroom door, and closed it carefully, as if I were protecting that little world inside, and followed the same path as Dominic. I entered the room and found him sitting on the edge of the bed; he already had his shirt on, his fingers steady as he put on his shoes with precise, almost mechanical movements. The room still held the heat of what had happened hours earlier, but now everything seemed cold… distant. I stopped a few steps behind him, feeling the weight of everything that needed to be said build up in my throat.

“We need to talk,” I murmured, my voice low, almost cautious.

Dominic didn’t look at me.

“We’ll talk,” he replied curtly, finishing tying his shoe. “But when I feel like I can.”

I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his words.

“You asked me why I did it…” I continued, taking a step forward, even though my legs felt heavy. “Don’t you want to know… why?”

He got up from the bed and began buttoning his shirt, one button at a time, as if he needed to keep his hands busy so he wouldn’t explode.

“I do,” he said, his voice heavier now. “And I’m going to find out…” He let out a short, humorless laugh. “Damn… you have no idea how I’ve spent all these months searching for answers…” He continued before I could say anything. “But after all… at this moment…” he took a deep breath, running his hand through his hair. “None of them will really satisfy me. None of them matter that much, Maggie.” Each word seemed heavier than the last. “Because the result, in the end, was the same.” He finally looked at me. “You decided to leave me. To erase yourself… and erase my son from my life and go on with your lives as if I’d never existed.”

My hands trembled slightly at my sides; I felt as if the ground had vanished beneath my feet.

“You did this, Maggie.” His voice dropped, but grew even more intense. “No answer from you will change this reality that tears my heart apart every time it crosses my mind.”

Silence fell between us like an unbearable weight. Dominic looked away, picked up the remaining pieces of his tuxedo that were on the bed, and walked past me without stopping, without looking back.

I stood frozen in place, not knowing what to do… or say. There were no words, no defense. He was right, and I had promised myself… that I would accept whatever he said to me now, so I let him go…

I didn’t go back to bed; I couldn’t, even though exhaustion still weighed on my body. I went through my morning routine almost on autopilot, as if I were merely following a script my body knew by heart. After that, I wandered aimlessly through the house, like a ghost trapped between walls that no longer felt like my own. The silence was deafening. I spent some time like that… until I tried to keep myself busy. I cleaned the kitchen, organized what was already organized. I made Jamie’s breakfast as if each gesture kept me minimally functional, and then I took a large mug of decaf coffee out to the balcony and sat down. The sky was beginning to lighten; the sun was slowly rising on the horizon, painting everything in soft shades of gold and orange. I sat there, watching, thinking, feeling… and, for the first time in a long time… I didn’t know where my life was headed.

It was as if I had put together an entire puzzle… only to realize that some pieces had never belonged to that picture, and now… nothing fit anymore.

Jamie woke up after eight, and the first thing he did was call for his dad. My heart, already shattered, was breaking a little more. It had been a while since he’d done that; before going to sleep, he always called for me and Dominic… it was an old habit. But waking up calling for his dad… that hadn’t happened in months. I didn’t know if he’d woken up at some point during the night… if he’d seen Dominic… or just sensed his presence, but now, awake… that was all he said.

“Yes, sweetheart… Daddy’s coming to see you,” I said, forcing a smile as I watched him chew his pancake.

“Daddy’s coming to see Jaime,” he said, his voice small but full of certainty.

“Yes, sweetheart. Daddy’s coming,” I repeated, swallowing the lump forming in my throat.

“Daddy and Jaime,” he insisted.

I let out a low sigh. The guilt I already carried… now felt a thousand times heavier. Seeing Dominic broken away from his son… and seeing Jamie reacting just to the possibility of his presence… made everything more real, more painful, more irreversible.

The ring of my cell phone cut my thoughts short. I turned my head and looked at the screen on the kitchen counter; Marco’s name was flashing there, and my stomach churned. It wasn’t the first time he’d called; when I’d picked up the phone earlier, there were four or five missed calls. I’d ignored them all, but now… now it didn’t seem like I could keep doing that.

Consequences.

I looked at Jamie.

“Eat up, baby. Mommy’ll be right back,” I said, leaning down to kiss his hand, still sticky with fruit and yogurt.

I picked up the phone and took a few steps back before answering.

“Are you avoiding me?” The deep, gravelly voice came from the other end of the line.

I took a deep breath.

“Why would I be avoiding you? Did I do something wrong?” I asked, keeping my tone as neutral as possible.

“Is Dominic with you?” Marco asked, bluntly.

“No, he’s not,” I replied without hesitation because I really didn’t owe him anything for that.

I held the phone away from my face for a second, taking a deep breath before pressing it back to my ear; my gaze was still fixed on Jamie, sitting in his high chair, completely oblivious to anything other than his food.

“Are you happy, little lamb? That the gate to your pen has finally opened and you can escape my clutches?” Marco’s voice was laced with sarcasm, as if he were savoring every word.

“No, Marco, I’m not happy,” I replied curtly, without taking my eyes off my son.

“Well,” he continued, his tone hardening, “don’t think that just because Dominic found you, you’re free of me.”

My jaw clenched.

“Are you threatening me?” I asked, coldly.

“No,” he said, almost amused. “I’m reminding you that my help always comes at a price… and you haven’t paid it, Maggie.”

I gripped my phone tighter.

“Are you sure I haven’t already paid?” I retorted, without fear. I was tired, tired of everyone thinking they could demand something from me, as if I were a walking debt.

“Little lamb,” he murmured, his voice low and venomous, “don’t think you’re safe just because your Prince Charming came to your rescue.”

I rolled my eyes, even though I knew he couldn’t see.

“Marco, you better just say what you want. My son needs me; I’m not going to waste time with you.”

I heard a snort on the other end of the line.

“Such a defiant little lamb…” Silence fell between us for a moment; my heart was pounding in my chest, but my expression didn’t change. “Dominic won’t be happy when he finds out I helped you with your little Machiavellian plan to run away from him…”

I pressed the phone against my ear.

“Are you afraid of Dominic, Marco?” I taunted, letting the venom seep into my voice. “I thought you prided yourself on being a big Boss… and that you’d face the consequences of your actions.”

I knew exactly where I was stepping, and yet I pressed on. On the other end, there was a brief pause.

“People who aren’t afraid of anything… are stupid, little lamb.”

I closed my eyes for a second.

I’d heard that before; it was almost like a motto in that world. They didn’t deny fear… they only denied stupidity. Making a mistake was unforgivable. To appear weak, acceptable; to appear foolish… never.

I took a deep breath.

“What do you want from me, Marco?” I asked, bluntly. “You know I’m not exactly Dominic’s favorite person right now.”

“And yet,” he replied immediately, “he’ll move heaven and earth to have you by his side… even if he hates you.”

My stomach churned. I didn’t know if I could believe that, not after seeing the way Dominic looked at me—he wanted to stay away from me, he said that looking at me caused him pain.

“You’re going to make sure Dominic doesn’t back out on my debt.”

Furrowing my brow, my eyes narrowed.

“What? What debt?”

“He owes me,” Marco said, as if it were obvious. “For helping him end his little war with Belova and the old guard. But, surely, knowing what I did to get us to this point… he’ll want to back out.”

My heart raced.

“What debt?”

“You don’t need to know…”

“What debt, Marco?” I insisted, firmer, more incisive.

The silence that followed was longer.

“Don’t think you’re a bigger piece of the puzzle than you are, Margaret Alice Sullivan.”

I smiled without humor.

“I don’t think I’m any pawn,” I replied, keeping my tone controlled. “But if you really want me to do anything… you’re going to tell me what I want to know.” I took a step to the side, resting my hand on the counter, trying to keep my body steady. “You say things haven’t changed now that Dominic knows the truth,” I continued, each word carefully measured. “But you’re calling me. You’re asking me for things, so I guess yes… things have changed, Marco.” I looked at Jamie again. “I’m no longer your secret little lamb that you were keeping… waiting for the right moment to be slaughtered.”

The line went silent again, this time for longer. I could almost picture his face on the other end… calculating, weighing his options.

“He would release Massimo Esposito from jail for me.”

The world seemed to stop; my body went rigid.

“Are you crazy?” I blurted out, unable to hold back.

“I have my reasons,” he replied, coldly. “Which I won’t share with you.” I narrowed my eyes, trying to organize my thoughts. “But I know you’re friends with my niece,” he continued. “And having Massimo in my hands might help her get the answers she’s risking everything to obtain.” My heart pounded harder. “So do as I said, because I may not have any more tricks up my sleeve… but I can still make moves that will hurt the people you care about, Maggie.”

The line went dead; he had hung up.

I slowly pulled the phone away from my ear, my eyes still fixed on the blank screen, and let out a long sigh, feeling the air escape heavily from my lungs.

My life had collided with Dominic’s world once again, and I could already feel it. I was being swallowed up by him again, but this time… this time I wasn’t the naive, foolish girl I’d been before. I’d been there before and knew exactly how it worked.