Chapter 18 - The Healing
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The next morning, the estate felt like a ghost town. The bodies were gone, the blood scrubbed from the marble, but the shattered windows and bullet-riddled walls remained as silent witnesses to the violence.
Clare sat in the master bathroom, carefully wiping the grime and dried blood from a deep laceration on Gabriel’s arm. He sat on the edge of the bathtub, stripped to the waist, submitting quietly to her nursing skills.
“You need stitches,” Clare murmured, her hands steady as she applied antiseptic.
“I’ve had worse,” Gabriel replied, his gaze fixed firmly on her face.
He had been agonizingly quiet all morning. The playful, attentive father was gone, replaced by a brooding, burdened king. He winced slightly as she tightened the bandage, but he didn't pull away.
“There is a private jet waiting at the Opa-Locka executive airport,” Gabriel finally said, his voice flat and devoid of emotion.
Clare paused, her hands freezing on the medical tape. “What are you talking about?”
“I have set up offshore accounts in your name. Five million dollars. Completely untraceable,” Gabriel continued, staring at the floor. “The jet will take you, Maya, and Leo to a secure estate I own in Switzerland. It’s a fortress, completely off the books. The Navarros will never find you there.”
Clare stared at him, the reality of his words hitting her like a physical blow. “You’re sending us away?”
“I am protecting you,” Gabriel corrected, finally looking up at her. His dark eyes were swimming with unshed tears. “I watched you hold a gun to save your children last night, Clare. I watched you tremble while I slaughtered a man in front of you. You are a good person. You don't belong in the dark with me.”
“You are coming with us, right?” Clare asked, her voice shaking.
Gabriel shook his head slowly. “I have to stay. I have to finish the war with the Navarros. If I leave, they will slaughter everyone in this city who is loyal to me. I cannot abandon my men.”
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“So you’re just going to abandon us instead?” Clare demanded, stepping back, anger finally breaking through her shock.
“I am saving you!” Gabriel roared, standing up, his massive frame towering over her. “I love you, Clare! I love you enough to let you go before this life destroys you completely!”
