Chapter 6
481words
I stepped through the prison gates into emptiness.
I knew he wouldn't show, but seeing it with my own eyes still felt like a thousand tiny needles in my heart.
No cab would come in this weather, so I trudged through the drifts back to our old place.
The little house Dominic had bought years ago for our secret meetings.
Two bedrooms and a living room. I'd once foolishly called it home.
The lock was rusted over, fighting me as I turned the key.
When the door finally swung open, I froze in the threshold.
Nothing had changed. Not one damn thing.
Even the clothes I'd tossed on the couch six years ago lay exactly where I'd left them.
In the bathroom, our toothbrushes still stood together in the holder.
For one crazy moment, I could almost believe I'd just returned from a long trip.
As if tonight he'd walk through that door, kiss the tip of my nose, and bitch about some difficult client.
My eyes burned. I sank to the floor and sobbed until I couldn't breathe.
I don't know how long I stayed there before someone knocked.
It was Jack.
"Liv, heard you got out today. You looked after me plenty back then. Thought I should return the favor."
His eyes were soft with sympathy.
"Sorry I'm late."
"…You're not."
He tied a red cord around my wrist, his voice gentle.
"Liv, I ain't good with words… but congrats on your freedom. It's a fresh start now."
He set down a small metal basin with burning coals.
"Step over it. Burns away the bad luck. New beginning and all that."
When I just stared, he gave me a sad smile.
"Don't be stupid, Liv. He's done with you."
"He wouldn't…"
"You know when he got out?"
Jack stepped closer, his face grim.
"Less than two months after they locked him up. Made bail and walked."
I felt the blood drain from my face.
"Two months. But he never visited you. Never contacted me either. I was his right hand, you were his woman, and he just ghosted us both. When I got out and started asking around, I found out he'd skipped town months ago."
"Liv, after all those years with him, did you ever think he could be this cold?"
His words hit me like a physical blow. Like being dunked in ice water, my whole body going numb.
My chest felt wrapped in steel bands, my heart struggling to beat.
I'd always known Dominic was cold. Known he never stayed for anyone.
But I'd always thought I'd be different. At least, I thought he still needed me.
Jack pressed a piece of paper into my hand.
"You won't believe it till you see it yourself. Go find him. I'll be here when you get back."
