Chapter 8 - The Truth About Dominic Was The Hardest Secret Of All
Bellini's arrest should have ended everything.
It didn't.
The investigation uncovered a final truth.
Dominic's father had been the original informant.
He had been working with federal investigators.
Elena had helped him.
Marco had betrayed them.
Teresa had known.
And Dominic had grown up believing his father had been a criminal.
Maya watched him read the files.
He sat in silence for nearly an hour.
Finally he said,
“I hated him.”
Maya sat beside him.
“I know.”
“I spent my whole life believing he chose this world.”
“He didn't.”
“He tried to leave.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't anyone tell me?”
“Because they were protecting you.”
Dominic laughed bitterly.
“They protected everyone except themselves.”
Maya took his hand.
“You can stop now.”
“Stop what?”
“Carrying dead people's guilt.”
He looked at her.
She continued.
“You didn't kill your father.”
“I didn't save him.”
“You were a child.”
“I was still his son.”
“You are more than that.”
He looked away.
Maya touched his face.
“You can choose who you become.”
His eyes filled.
He pulled her close.
She held him.
For the first time, Dominic Russo cried in front of another person.
Not because he was weak.
Because he was finally allowed to grieve.
The months afterward were difficult.
Trials began.
Families collapsed.
Businesses were seized.
Several corrupt officials were arrested.
The Russo organization transformed.
Dominic left the underground world.
He sold illegal operations.
Opened legitimate businesses.
A security company.
A restaurant.
A community fund.
Maya returned to the Obsidian Room.
But not as a waitress.
Dominic had offered her a management position.
She refused.
Instead, she used her savings and the money she'd earned from years of work to open a small café with Sophie.
Sophie was healthier now.
The treatment worked.
Their café became popular.
Maya hired people who needed second chances.
No one was allowed to disrespect the staff.
Henry would have hated it.
Maya loved that.
Dominic visited every morning.
He always ordered the same coffee.
Maya always made him wait.
“You are intentionally slow,” he accused.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because you used to make me wait.”
“I never made you wait.”
“You made me wait for nine months before admitting you loved me.”
“I was cautious.”
“You were terrified.”
He smiled.
“Of you.”
“Good.”
One evening, Dominic appeared after closing.
He held a small box.
Maya looked at it.
“What is that?”
“Open it.”
Inside was a ring.
Not enormous.
Not flashy.
Simple.
Elegant.
She stared.
“Dominic.”
“I know what you're going to say.”
“What?”
“That I'm too dramatic.”
“You are.”
“I am.”
She laughed.
He knelt.
“Maya Bennett.”
She covered her mouth.
He smiled up at her.
“You were the first person to speak to me like I was simply a man.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“You were the first person who saw me as more than a waitress.”
“You were never just a waitress.”
“I know.”
He opened the box.
“Marry me.”
Maya stared at him.
For years, she had learned to expect disappointment.
She had built her life around preventing it.
Now she finally had something she could not control.
Love.
She whispered,
“Yes.”
He stood.
She kissed him.
The café lights glowed behind them.
May you like
Outside, Chicago moved around them.
For once, neither of them needed to run.
