Chapter 20 - The Unbreakable Bond
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“I didn't ruin my life, Andrew,” Marin continued, her voice echoing with quiet, undeniable power. “I built a new one. Out of the pieces you left behind. And my life does not include you.”
She stood up from the leather chair, looking him dead in the eye.
“I am not giving you a dime. You are not my responsibility. Leave this house, and do not ever contact me again.”
Andrew’s face flushed with anger and humiliation. He took a step forward, his fists clenching. “You arrogant bitch, you think because you’re sleeping with a mobster you’re suddenly untouchable—”
He never finished the sentence.
Before Marin could even blink, Dominic moved.
He grabbed Andrew by the throat with terrifying speed, slamming him violently backward against the heavy oak doors of the study. The thud shook the walls.
Dominic’s forearm pressed hard against Andrew’s windpipe, cutting off his air. The lethal, freezing fury in Dominic’s eyes was absolute.
“You are breathing in my house because she allowed it,” Dominic whispered, his face inches from the terrified man. “If you ever speak to her with disrespect again, if you ever even look in the direction of this estate, I will ensure that your business is not the only thing buried in the ground. Do you understand me?”
Andrew, his face turning purple, nodded frantically, clawing weakly at Dominic’s iron grip.
Dominic released him in disgust. Andrew collapsed to the floor, gasping for air, before scrambling backward out the doors and fleeing down the hallway.
The study fell silent, save for the heavy sound of Dominic’s breathing as he reigned in his violent instincts.
Marin watched him, her heart swelling with an overwhelming, consuming love. He wasn't a monster to her. He was her absolute shield.
She walked over to him, placing her hands gently on his chest.
Dominic looked down at her, the dark fury instantly melting into soft, fierce devotion.
“Are you alright?” he asked, his voice rough.
“I’ve never been better,” Marin smiled, leaning up to kiss him.
Six months later, the quiet chapel in Newport was filled with sunlight. It wasn't a grand, terrifying mafia wedding. It was small, intimate, and perfectly theirs.
Isabella sat in the front row, tapping her board happily, wearing a beautiful silk shawl. Eli stood at the altar, wearing a tiny tuxedo, holding the rings with immense, serious pride.
As Marin walked down the aisle, she didn't look at the expensive flowers or the few loyal friends gathered. She looked only at Dominic.
He stood at the altar, the scar on his jaw visible, the shadows of his past entirely vanquished by the light in his eyes as he watched her approach.
He wasn't a king surrounded by vipers anymore. He was a man who had finally found his home.
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And as he took her hand, sliding the ring onto her finger, the silence in the church wasn't tense or terrified.
It was the beautiful, unbreakable silence of peace.
