Chapter 3 - SHADOWS IN THE NURSERY
By the third night, the massive estate had settled into a heavy, midnight hush.
Sophie sat in a plush velvet armchair inside the nursery on the third floor. The room was softly lit by a amber glowing nightlight. In the crib nearby, little Leo was breathing softly, fast asleep after a warm bath and a successful feeding.
For three days, Sophie had immersed herself in caring for the baby. It was a strange, bittersweet balm for her soul. Every touch, every lullaby, and every gentle pat on the back brought back the ghost of her own lost baby, but for the first time in four years, the grief didn't feel like a suffocating anchor. It felt like a bridge.
The door creaked open.
Dominic stepped inside. He had removed his suit jacket, his white dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar, his sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing lean, corded muscle and faint scars that hinted at a violent past.
He walked quietly over to the crib, peered down at his son for a long moment, and then turned to look at Sophie.
“He’s asleep,” Dominic whispered.
“For the next three hours, if we’re lucky,” Sophie replied, leaning her head back against the chair.
Dominic pulled a small wooden stool over and sat down opposite her, resting his elbows on his knees. He looked tired—really tired. The kind of bone-deep fatigue that sleep could not fix.
“You don't sleep much,” Sophie observed quietly.
“When you carry the weight I carry, sleep is a liability,” Dominic answered honestly. He looked up at her, studying her face in the dim amber light. “Mrs. Gable told me today that you haven’t mentioned leaving once since yesterday. She said you spent three hours organizing the nursery supply closet by size and brand.”
Sophie looked away, feeling a faint flush on her cheeks. “The closet was a disaster. Spuls of formula were expired, and the burp cloths were mixed in with the washcloths. It was driving me insane.”
Dominic let out a low, gravelly chuckle—the first real laugh Sophie had heard from him. It transformed his face, making him look less like a ruthless syndicate boss and more like a man of thirty-five who had been forced to grow up too fast.
“You’re a control freak,” Dominic noted.
“You’re a mafia boss,” Sophie countered smoothly. “I think my neurosis is slightly less dangerous.”
Dominic’s smile faded, replaced by a quiet, intense curiosity. “Tell me about the baby you lost, Sophie.”
The air in the room instantly froze.
Sophie stiffened, her hands gripping the armrests of the chair so hard her knuckles turned white. She glared at him, a sudden flash of anger burning in her chest. “You ran a background check on me in three days.”
“I run background checks on everyone who breathes air near my son,” Dominic said without an ounce of apology. “I know about the hospital. I know about the heart defect. I know you lost your son, Leo, four years ago, and that you dropped out of nursing school because you couldn't bear the smell of the sterile rooms anymore.”
“You had no right,” Sophie whispered, her voice trembling with rising emotion.
“I have every right to know who is holding my child,” Dominic replied, his voice remaining low, calm, and steady. He leaned forward, closing the distance between them. “And I know why you looked at my son the way you did in that restaurant. You didn't just see a crying baby, Sophie. You saw a second chance.”
A hot tear spilled over Sophie’s eyelashes and tracked down her cheek. She didn't bother wiping it away.
“He was so small,” Sophie choked out, the dam finally breaking. “Just like your Leo. I held him for three weeks in the NICU while his heart slowly gave out. I sang to him every night, and I couldn't do a damn thing to save him. When I held your baby... for a second, the pain stopped burning. That’s why I hate myself for being here.”
Dominic didn't hesitate. He stood up from the stool, knelt down beside her chair, and gently took her trembling hand in his large, warm palm.
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“Don't ever hate yourself for having a heart, Sophie,” Dominic murmured, his thumb brushing away the tear on her cheek. “My world is cold. It’s filled with betrayal, blood, and enemies who would use my son as leverage against me. But you... you brought warmth into this tomb of a house. You saved my boy when I was failing him.”
Sophie looked down into his dark, fierce eyes, finding a strange, terrifying safety she never expected to find in the arms of a monster.
