Chapter 8 - The Price of a Miracle
As the months passed, their life began to take on a new rhythm.
Claire left the nursing profession, using her savings and the trust fund Dominic had set up for her to open a clinic in Pilsen, a free medical center that focused on the kind of cases the big hospitals ignored.
She treated people who had been failed by the system.
And Dominic became her strongest supporter. He used his resources to fund the clinic, providing security and supplies, ensuring that no one would ever be turned away because they couldn't afford a miracle.
Leo was thriving. He was a bright, curious child, fascinated by the world around him.
They were happy, in their own complicated, imperfect way.
But the past was never far away. The scars on Dominic’s chest, the trauma that lived in the back of their minds, the knowledge that they had made enemies who would spend their whole lives trying to reclaim the power they had lost.
One evening, Claire was working late at the clinic. She was alone, the lights dimmed, the city outside quiet.
She felt a presence.
She didn't turn around. She knew who it was.
“You’re still here,” she said.
Dominic stepped out of the shadows. He looked tired.
“I couldn't sleep,” he said. “I was thinking about the first time I saw you. In that room. With the gun to the doctor’s head.”
He walked over, his hand touching the silver cross at her neck.
“I was so angry,” he said. “I was so lost. And you were just… there. Shining.”
“I was terrified,” she said.
“You didn't show it.”
“I’m a nurse,” she said. “We don't get the luxury of being terrified.”
He smiled, a rare, genuine smile.
“I love you, Claire Bennett.”
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“I love you, Dominic Moretti.”
It was the first time they had said it.
