Chapter 4 - THE BARGAIN
Dominic made her an offer. He didn't offer her money; he offered her protection. He knew the Valentis were still looking for loose ends from the fire, and Elena was one.
"Come back," he said. "Not as a housekeeper. As a consultant for the girls’ care. You have full authority over their schedule. You have a salary that will keep you safe for the rest of your life. And I will stay out of the way. I won't interfere."
Elena looked at him, searching his eyes for the lie. "You won't interfere? Can you really do that?"
"I’m learning," he said. "I’m realizing that every time I intervene, I make things worse."
She returned the next day. The reunion in the garden was something Dominic watched from behind a heavy velvet curtain in his study. The girls didn't run to her—they were too damaged for that—but they moved toward her, circling her like small, cautious birds.
Over the next few months, Dominic began to change. He fired his security detail from inside the house. He stopped wearing his suit jackets in the evening. He spent hours sitting in the corner of the playroom, just watching, reading a book, being present without demanding their attention.
Elena began to bridge the gap. She didn't force the triplets to speak. She talked to them. She told them about her life, about the fire, about how she struggled to find her own voice again. She turned her pain into a bridge, and slowly, the girls started to cross it.
May you like
One evening, while the four of them were drawing, Mia reached out and took Dominic’s hand. She didn't say anything, but she held it.
Dominic didn't pull away. He didn't shout. He didn't demand a word. He just held her small, fragile hand and felt his entire world shift.
