Chapter 13 - Scars Bound by Silk and Whispered Vows
The estate was completely secured when they returned under the afternoon sun.
Dr. Rossi, the family physician, treated Chloe’s cuts and bruises in the master bedroom, while Dominic sat quietly in the corner, his gaze never leaving her for a single second.
Once the doctor departed, silence fell over the vast room.
Chloe sat on the edge of the king-sized bed, wearing a soft silk robe. Dominic approached slowly, his own bandages visible beneath his open black shirt. He knelt down in front of her, placing his hands gently on her knees.
“I let them take you,” Dominic said, his deep voice cracking with raw guilt. “I promised I would protect you, and I failed.”
Chloe looked down at the most feared man in the city, kneeling at her feet with tears glistening in his dark eyes.
She reached out with both hands, gently cupping his face and tilting it up to meet her gaze.
“You fought an entire army and tore down a city to bring me back,” she said softly, her thumb brushing away a speck of dried blood near his eyebrow. “You saved me, Dominic. Just like I saved you.”
Dominic leaned his face into her palms, closing his eyes and taking a deep, shuddering breath.
“I was so afraid of losing you,” he whispered. “I’ve never been afraid of anything in my life, Chloe. But when they took you, I felt like the world had ended.”
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“I’m right here,” she promised, leaning down to press her lips tenderly against his forehead, then his cheek, and finally against his waiting mouth.
That night, beneath the canopy of silk and the soft glow of the fireplace, they came together not with violence or fear, but with an overwhelming, tender passion that bound their souls permanently together. Every touch was a vow, every kiss a promise that no darkness in Boston would ever tear them apart.
