14
921 Words
Chapter 16
The world blurred as Olivia ran after them, her heartbeat deafening in her ears.
Dominic’s body was limp, his weight too heavy for Leo to fully support alone. The doctor barked orders as the mansion staff scrambled, helping to carry Dominic inside. Olivia followed in a daze, her breath coming in sharp, uneven gasps.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
He was supposed to get her out. Supposed to be untouchable.
Not this. Not this.
They rushed him into a private medical room downstairs, a space Olivia hadn’t even known existed in the mansion. The doctor pushed her back as they laid him on the table. His shirt was soaked with blood, his face pale, his breathing shallow.
“We need to remove the bullet now,” the doctor snapped. “Get the kit, now!”
Leo swore under his breath and gripped Olivia’s arm, pulling her back before she could move closer.
“Kitten, let them work,” he said, voice softer than she’d ever heard it.
She shook her head violently, trying to wrench herself free. She didn’t want to leave him.
Couldn’t.
Leo held firm, his grip gentle but unyielding. “I know. But you can’t help him right now. You’ll only get in the way.”
Her chest heaved, her nails digging into her palms so hard they nearly broke the skin.
Then Dominic groaned weakly on the table, his body twitching.
Her entire world froze.
His dark eyes flickered open for just a second, searching the room in a dazed, unfocused haze. His lips barely moved, but she saw it.
Olivia.
And then—
He was out again.
Her legs gave out beneath her. If Leo hadn’t been holding her, she would’ve hit the floor.
“Come on, Kitten,” he murmured, pulling her back. “We have to let them do their job.”
She didn’t fight him this time.
She didn’t have the strength.
The next five days were the longest of Olivia’s life.
She never left his side.
Not once.
The doctor had removed the bullet. Said Dominic would survive—if his body fought. But there were complications. Blood loss. Infection risk. His body was strong, but he had been pushing it for too long.
So Olivia sat in a chair beside his bed, watching, waiting.
She held his hand when no one was looking.
She wiped the sweat from his forehead when his fever spiked.
She didn’t sleep. Didn’t eat.
Leo tried to convince her to rest. Even the doctor had warned her she was pushing herself too hard. But she didn’t care.
Dominic had saved her.
He had taken a bullet for her.
And now, she would wait for him.
No matter how long it took.
On the fifth day, everything changed.
It started with a twitch of his fingers.
Olivia had been dozing off in the chair, her head resting near his arm. The smallest movement woke her instantly.
She sat up, eyes wide, heart pounding.
And then—
A low, hoarse groan.
Dominic’s head shifted slightly against the pillow, his dark lashes fluttering.
She sucked in a sharp breath, her entire body locking up.
He’s waking up.
His fingers curled slightly against the sheets. Then, finally, his eyes cracked open.
It took him a moment to focus. His brow furrowed, his gaze sluggish as he blinked up at the ceiling. His breathing was slow, uneven.
Then his head turned—just slightly.
And his gaze locked on her.
She choked back a sob, her hands shaking as she grabbed the notepad from the table.
“You’re awake.”
Dominic’s lips parted. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, voice raspy when he finally spoke.
“Kitten…”
She let out a trembling breath, gripping the pen tighter.
His gaze swept over her, hazy but intense. “…How long?”
She scribbled quickly.
“Five days.”
He exhaled, eyes slipping shut for a moment. When he opened them again, they were clearer.
Stronger.
His fingers twitched against the sheets, as if he wanted to reach for her but didn’t have the strength.
“…You stayed,” he murmured.
She nodded fiercely, her chest tightening.
A small, tired smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “Of course, you did.”
Her throat tightened as she grabbed the notepad again.
“You scared me.”
His smirk faded. His dark eyes locked onto hers, serious now.
“…I scared myself,” he admitted quietly.
Her fingers trembled as she wrote.
“Don’t ever do that again.”
Dominic exhaled slowly, then did something that made her entire body go still.
He reached out—weak, sluggish, but determined.
And he curled his fingers around hers.
Her breath caught in her throat.
“…I don’t want you to leave again,” he murmured, voice raw, exhausted. “Not ever.”
Her heart stopped.
Her lips parted slightly, her hands tightening around his.
He held her gaze, eyes dark, unreadable. But there was no teasing this time. No games.
Just honesty.
“…You mean too much to me, Kitten,” he admitted, voice barely above a whisper.
Her vision blurred with tears.
This man—the one everyone feared, the one who built an empire on blood and violence—was looking at her like she was his whole damn world.
And she couldn’t breathe.
She didn’t know how to respond. Didn’t know what to do.
So she just held his hand tighter.
And for now—
That was enough.
- Writer
