Chapter 3 - The Fortress on the Hudson
Dominic didn't take me back to my ruined apartment in Hell's Kitchen. He took me to his grand brownstone estate overlooking Riverside Park.
For the first three days, I felt like a ghost walking through a palace. The house was quiet, filled with high ceilings, warm mahogany wood, original oil paintings, and security guards stationed discreetly at every exit.
Dominic provided me with a private guest suite on the third floor, complete with a deep soaking tub, soft silk robes, and fresh meals prepared daily by his personal cook.
Every evening at 8:00 p.m., Dominic returned from his business dealings across Manhattan. He would shed his heavy coat, walk up to my room, and knock gently on the door before entering.
He never touched me inappropriately. He never demanded anything in return. He simply sat in the armchair near the fireplace, drinking tea, and asking about my day.
"You look better today, Maya," Dominic said on the fourth night, looking across at me as I sat wrapped in a blanket on the sofa. The cut on my lip was fading into a faint pink line, and the dark bruise on my jaw had softened.
"I feel better," I admitted softly. "I haven't slept eight hours straight in three years, Dominic."
"You can sleep as long as you want here," he said softly.
I looked down at my hands. "I need to go back to work. I have rent to pay, and—"
"Your rent has been paid for the rest of the year," Dominic interrupted smoothly, setting his teacup down. "Your things have been moved out of that apartment and placed in storage. The Brass Grill has been compensated for your absence."
I gasped, looking up in shock. "Dominic! You can't just buy my life!"
Dominic stood up, walking slowly toward me until he stood before the sofa. He looked down at me, his eyes burning with an intense, unyielding sincerity.
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"I didn't buy your life, Maya," Dominic said gently, reaching down to take my hand in his large, warm palm. "I freed it. You spent twenty-nine years surviving. Give yourself permission to live."
I looked up into his handsome, rugged face, feeling a dangerous warmth bloom in my chest—a feeling of absolute safety and belonging that I had never experienced in my entire life.
