“Shhhhhh…,” she said, her voice a soft, tender whisper, as she put her fingers over Marianne’s mouth. “Don’t speak, honey. Welcome back.”
34
Marianne had to remain hospitalized, as her doctor wanted to monitor her condition. Coma patients can relapse back into one and she was no exception to that rule. Naturally, the first question Rachel asked Dr. Murphy was if her sister could see her newborn son, but she received a negative answer. Although she insisted, he remained adamant: under no circumstance could Marianne experience an extreme emotional situation. Rachel was disappointed, but she didn’t mind. Marianne had made a miraculous recovery. At long last, she was back in this world. She could wait a few days to see little Dominic.
Of course, Dr. Murphy’s words also meant that Rachel could not discuss her failed romance with Dominic, either. Although she was dying to confide in her, she could not bring it up. Luckily for her, Marianne could not speak much. Being on strong medication, she could communicate, but, more often than not, she was too drowsy to have a proper conversation. Rachel might have been eager to talk about Dominic, but she couldn’t deny that part of her was relieved. She had gotten into a relationship with a man her sister had had a crush on. Confessing her feelings for him could lead to a disaster. Rachel had been waiting for Marianne’s recovery for too long; the last thing she wanted was to get into a heated argument with her that would jeopardize her health.
Eventually however, the day of Marianne’s release from the hospital came and the two sisters could not be happier. They were all smiles on their way to Rachel’s apartment and, even though she was anxious about her reaction to her story, she was happy that her sister was finally going to meet her son. Rachel also had to handle Marianne’s continuous questions throughout the drive, but not even that was enough to wipe the smile off of her face.
The two sisters stepped out of the elevator, before Rachel pulled her keys out of her purse. Her heart was pounding in her chest; for the first time in a while, they would share a happy moment.
“Okay, are you ready?” She asked, with a silly grin on her face.
“I can’t wait,” Marianne replied in a shaking voice, as Rachel turned the key in the lock. Kate was standing next to baby Dominic’s bassinette, a few feet to the left, as she opened her front door.
“He just woke up,” She announced. “I don’t know, maybe he sensed you were coming or something.”
“Oh, my God!” Marianne cheered, sprinting across the living room. “Oh, you’re so gorgeous, my baby! Ooh, I could bite those chubby little cheeks!” Sliding her left hand under his neck and his head and her right under his bottom and his hips, she picked him up. Marianne spread her fingers, as she lifted him to her chest. Then, she gently slid her left hand along his back, looking deep into his brown, playful eyes. Baby Dominic’s head slid along her forearm, as they made their way into the crook of her arm and elbow. Marianne brought him closer to her body, her smile widening by the second.
“He looks fantastic,” she remarked, a blissful tone in her voice, as she rolled her gaze up at her sister. “You’ve done a wonderful job. He looks healthy. He’s clean.”
“Thank you,” Rachel smiled. “I would have snapped if it hadn’t been for Kate, though. She helped a lot.”
“Thanks, Kate,” Marianne gave the brunette an appreciative nod. “So, how has it been so far?”
“Well, terrifying,” Rachel gave a small laugh. “Sleepless nights; long walks in Central Park; hundreds of dirty diapers…”
“Don’t say that,” Kate playfully slapped her hand. “Little Dominic’s been a great little boy.”
“Oh, God…” Rachel whispered, closing her eyes, as she slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand.
“Oh, crap!” Panic was lingering in Kate’s voice. “I think you guys should talk. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”
“Dominic?” Marianne squinted at her. “That’s a beautiful name. Isn’t that what that king is called?”
“Yeah,” Rachel said with a sigh. “Could you please sit down? There’s something you need to know.”
“Rach, you’re scaring me,” Marianne intensified her stare. “What’s wrong?”
“Please, have a seat,” Rachel politely requested. “This is going to take a while.”
Marianne listened intently, as her sister narrated the whole story, from the moment she set foot in Dominic’s castle, until the day of Colette’s arrest. Tense and concerned about Marianne’s reaction, Rachel faltered a few times and needed quite a while to finish telling her everything. And, by the time she finished narrating, she could not hold back her tears. Guilt-ridden and heartbroken, she turned her back to her sister, expecting an angry outburst. Marianne kept her mouth shut and preferred to take baby Dominic to the kitchen. She gave him to Kate and then went back to her living room.
“Rach, look at me,” She urged, her voice calm and steady.
“I can’t,” Rachel sniffled. “I screwed up, Marianne. I shouldn’t have done that to you.”
“What did you do, exactly?” Marianne asked, spinning her sister around to face her. “Follow your heart? That’s not a sin in my book.”
“Excuse me?” Rachel said, curiosity written all over her face.
“Okay, I had a crush on him,” Marianne confessed. “But it was physical. I loved the guy’s looks. Seriously, who wouldn’t? I was never in love with him. And you…” She leaned forward, lowering her tone, as she gazed deep into her sister’s watery eyes. “You put your life on hold for my boy. You were prepared to sacrifice yourself to give him a mother. That’s the noblest, most selfless thing anyone can do. Do you really think I’d be mad at you?”
Unable to utter a single word, Rachel collapsed in Marianne’s embrace, bursting into tears, as she wrapped her arms around her back. She put her head on her shoulder, her body shaking, as her sister enfolded her own arms around her neck.
“Thank you…” Rachel sniffled, her grip becoming tighter by the second. “Thank you so much.”
“No, sweetheart,” Marianne whispered, leaning back. “Thank you. You were willing to raise my baby all by yourself. I’ll never forget that.”
“I wouldn’t abandon my blood,” Rachel stated.
“Now…” Marianne drew in a sharp breath. “We really have to do something about your situation with him.”
“Later,” Rachel spoke her mind. “First, you need to learn a few things about little Dominic. I have to talk to you about his habits, his sleeping schedule, diapers… The works. You’ll be swamped if you have to learn all this all by yourself. I know I was.”
“I’ll be fine,” Marianne smiled. “Go to him.”
“This is not negotiable,” Rachel said, her voice sweet, as she smiled back at her. “You just got out of the hospital. You need all the help you can get.”
“Fine,” Marianne reluctantly agreed. “You can start by showing me how not to put the diapers on backwards. I’m terrified of that.”
Rachel lightly squeezed her sister’s back and went off into such fits of laughter that she buried her face in Marianne’s shoulder. A weight had been lifted off her shoulders. The revelation she had been dreading the most had not upset her at all. On the contrary, Marianne was more supportive than she could have ever hoped for. Finally, Rachel was free to pursue her dream of getting back together with the love of her life; she could not be happier.
You have no idea how much this means to me, honey. I can be with Dominic again. My God, I still can’t believe it. It may take me a while to show you the basics, but I don’t mind. All that matters is that I’m free to follow my heart…
35
Locked in his castle, the young king was still trying to pick his pieces, but his efforts were fruitless. He still bore the mental scars of his ordeal and his failed romance. Dominic spent hours on end, working on his paintings, but not even that was able to take his mind off Rachel. Most of the time, he flipped his canvases over and threw his brushes up against the wall
, frustrated and on the brink of tears. He even had two tattoos done: Her initials on his left wrist and a yellow canary on his right one. It was the only way for him to feel closer to the woman who had captured his heart, his unfulfilled dream.
Dominic did not even visit Jean. And, to his relief, his friend did not dare set foot in his castle, either. He couldn’t deny that the Frenchman was faced with an impossible decision. Still, his betrayal hurt him and put Rachel in harm’s way. Dominic had not decided if he could forgive him or not and running into him would put him in a difficult position.
The only one who visited him was Linda. She looked genuinely concerned about him: incredibly enough, she had not tried to take advantage of his vulnerability. Indeed, the redhead acted more like a friend than the woman who had been pursuing him over the last year. They had dinner together; she gave him her opinion on the – few – new paintings he had managed to finish; and made sure not to bring up New York. Moreover, she did not dress provocatively at all. Dominic did appreciate her change; but, even so, the thought of getting back together with her did not even cross his mind. Broken and still very much in love with Rachel, he could not even think of getting into a new relationship so fast.
Quite often, he would turn up the volume on his stereo and watch the sunset from the terrace. One particular song dominated his playlists: Within Temptation’s “Shot in the dark”. Dominic would listen to it, over and over again, reflecting on the past.
A cloudy, spring afternoon found him gazing out on the snowy, Alpine peaks, with that loud music ringing in his ears. Daylight was slowly fading away, as Mont Maudit peak broke through the white mist. He smiled upon the breathtaking spectacle, at the same time feeling blessed for living in the ragged wilderness.
“There’s that song again,” Linda’s feminine voice interrupted the moment, as she stepped beside him. “I could hear it on my way over.”
“It grows in you,” Dominic croaked, reluctant to take his eyes off the view. “The echoes make the experience much more…”
“Painful,” She finished his sentence. “Excruciatingly painful. You need to stop living backwards, Dominic.”
“That would be the right thing to do,” he agreed with a nod. “Maybe I will, eventually. Just not yet.”
“I understand you’ve been traumatized,” Linda made her voice sound sweeter. “You’ve suffered great loss over the past weeks, but…”
“That’s a major understatement,” Dominic interjected, turning his head to the right to face her. “I’ve lost everything, Linda.”
“Yes, you have,” She furrowed her brow. “But, it’s time you found something new. Look behind you.”
Obliging, he noticed a black, electric guitar in its box, leaning against the far wall.
“Thank you. That’s very thoughtful of you,” He said, smiling down at her. “I don’t know if I can ever learn to play, though. It takes a lot of patience and I’m quite short of that right now.”
“You will,” Linda spoke, her voice firm. “You’d feel much better if you played, instead of just listening to music.”
“And you know this, because…?” Dominic raised an eyebrow.
“My brother’s been playing for seventeen years,” she replied. “He says ‘music can heal your soul, if you’ll let it’. I’ve also bought you an amplifier. It’s quite heavy; I couldn’t carry it up here.”
“Well, thanks again,” He winked at her. “Not just for the guitar. You’re the only who visits me.”
“I couldn’t let you go through this alone,” Linda declared, her voice softening, as her hand brushed his wrist. She wrapped her fingers around it, but, as she pressed them to his new tattoo, her gaze shot down to his arm. Using her left hand to hold his forearm up in the air, she rolled his sleeve up.
“A canary tattoo?” Her voice became high-pitched. “When did you get that?”
“Four days ago,” Dominic said with a hint of sadness in his voice.
“You did this for her, didn’t you?” Linda asked, lifting her gaze to his face.
“Yeah,” He admitted, looking away from her.
“I’m so stupid,” she whispered, shutting her eyes, as she eased his arm down. “I thought I’d win you over by being your friend. I guess I was wrong.”
“I’m sorry, Linda,” Dominic spoke in lazy tones. “I should have been straight with you.”
“Well…” Linda let out a huff of frustration. “Don’t be. You needed a friend. Anyway, I’m throwing a fundraiser on Saturday night, down at ‘Louis’ diner. I’ve left an invitation downstairs. After that, it’s all over. No more visits. I won’t bother you again.”
“Bother me?” He exclaimed, once again turning to her. “Who said you were bothering me? I loved you being here, Linda.”
“But you can’t give me more, can you?” She inquired, her voice wobbly, as she blinked back tears. Her simple question put him in a difficult position. Dominic could not come up with a rebuttal. He simply stared at her, clenching his jaw. “That’s what I thought. I’ll see you on Saturday. Goodnight.”
36
The glasses sparkled under the ample chandelier light in “Louis” restaurant, as dozens of Linda’s guests chattered with one another. For Dominic however, this Saturday night was nothing more than pure torture. It was his first public appearance in a while. Within minutes, most of the people were gathered around him, asking him questions about that day in Westchester or expressing their sympathies. He had to relive those few, painful moments and, worse than that, he also had to tolerate Linda’s occasional glares. The discovery of his tattoo had turned the sweet, understanding Brit into a cruel person who did not even welcome him like she did with all of her guests, eerily reminding him of the woman who had screamed at him on the night of their breakup.
Indeed, Dominic couldn’t wait for the night to be over. As a local posed yet another question though, he spotted two familiar figures, out of the corner of his eye. Melanie and Jean had just entered the restaurant. They were to talking to Linda, close to the front door.
“Excuse me,” He said, starting forward. Their gazes met, as he began to push through the small crowd. Linda noticed him and glared at him once more, but he paid no attention to her. Dominic hadn’t seen his friends in some time; he couldn’t care less about the way Linda treated him.
“Hi,” he croaked, as Jean averted his gaze from him. “It’s been a while.”
“Bonsoir, Dominic,” Melanie murmured, a hint of tension in her voice. “This is, um…” She paused, clenching her teeth, “awkward.”
“Hold this, will you?” Dominic requested, handing his drink over to her. Turning his gaze to the right, he moved towards Jean, arms open, as his friend looked up at him. “Come here, you stupid son of a bitch,” he grinned, as he put his arms around him. With a puzzled look on his face, Jean returned the hug, as a broad smile spread across Melanie’s face. “It’s okay, man,” Dominic sighed. “You had to make an impossible decision,” He added, leaning back. “The more I think about it, the more I believe I would have done the same thing.”
“I really don’t know what to say,” Jean spoke, shaking his head sideways, as Dominic dropped his arms.
“Merci, Dominic,” Melanie interjected. “It takes a lot of courage to forgive someone. I’m sorry we didn’t visit you all this time.”
“How could I face you, after New York?” Jean wondered.
“What’s done is done,” Dominic strove for a firm tone. “Don’t mention it again, will you?”
“Were you giving a speech back there?” Melanie asked, casting a quick glance down the hall. “There were a lot of people gathered.”
“Sort of,” Dominic gave a snort of amusement. “They wanted to know more about New York.”
“It must have been very hard for you,” Melanie lowered her voice, giving him his drink back.
“It took every ounce of restraint not to kill her,” Dominic spoke in emphatic tones, looking down at her over his left shoulder. “Let’s not
talk about that, shall we?”
“You’re different, Dominic,” Jean voiced his opinion. “You’ve been acting differently since you met her. The man I know wouldn’t even think of hurting someone.”
“No, Jean, I’m not,” Dominic disagreed, returning his attention to him. “I’m still the same. Every man can turn into a wild animal, in order to protect his loved ones.”
“Well said,” Melanie commented. At that moment, her cell phone rang. “I need to take this,” She smiled.
“Wild animal…” Jean muttered while nodding at the same time, as his fiancé headed towards the glass door. “Maybe you’re right.”
“Ok, picture this,” Dominic urged. “Someone tries to have Melanie killed. What the hell would you do to him?”
“I don’t know,” Jean shrugged. “I just hope I never have to face this dilemma.”
“I hope so, too, but, I think you’d change your mind about it, the moment someone you love was threatened,” Dominic stated.
“May I have your attention, please?” Linda’s voice turned the heads of most of the people in the restaurant. Dominic swept the hall, but, before he could spot her, he heard the sound of a ring, being tapped against glass. Melanie was standing just outside the door, as she curled her index finger to him.
“What is it?” He inquired, pushing it open as she took a step back.
“It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?” She spoke in a sweet tone, looking up into the sky. “Don’t you just love springtime in Mont Blanc?”
“Springtime?” Dominic’s voice became high-pitched. “Is that why you asked me to come outside? To talk about springtime?”
“I wasn’t expecting to find you here,” Melanie confessed; her gaze shot down to meet his. “I thought you wouldn’t be on Linda’s guest list.”
Filthy Desires: A Romantic Suspense Collection Page 205
