Chapter 13 - The Unspoken Wall|
The morning sun broke over Chicago, casting long golden beams across Clara’s private recovery room.
She had been moved out of the ICU and into a high-security suite on the top floor. Four Valente guards stood outside her door, while specialists checked her vitals every hour. Her physical recovery was progressing, but emotionally, a impenetrable wall had built up around her.
Dominic sat in a chair near the window, wearing a clean shirt, looking exhausted. He hadn't slept in nearly forty-eight hours.
"Clara," Dominic said softly, breaking the silence that had stretched between them for hours. "Please speak to me. Tell me what you need."
Clara rested against her pillows, her gaze fixed on the blue sky outside. Her face was still bruised, but her posture had returned to that familiar, graceful poise that defined her.
"I need my life back, Dominic," she said flatly, her voice calm and devoid of anger. "The life I had before I became your wife."
Dominic flinched. "I killed Lorenzo Moretti. The men who hurt you are dead, Clara. You're safe now."
Clara turned her head slowly, looking at him with an expression of pure pity.
"You think this is about Lorenzo?" she asked softly. "You think I'm broken because of a car crash?"
"Then what is it?" Dominic pleaded, standing up and taking a step toward her bed. "Tell me, Clara! I spent five years taking you for granted, I know that! I was an idiot! I was blind! But I love you!"
Clara let out a small, hollow laugh that cut through Dominic's soul.
"You don't love me, Dominic," she said quietly. "You love control. You love the idea that I was always waiting for you at home while you played with your mistress. You only realized you wanted me when you almost lost me."
May you like
Dominic opened his mouth to protest, but no words came out.
"I didn't go to the South Side to meet Lorenzo," Clara continued, her eyes locked onto his. "I went there to meet a lawyer. I was going to serve you with divorce papers this morning."
