Chapter 162
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That proof was exactly what Dominic needed now.
Dom had nodded as I told him, his jaw tightening with resolution. “I’ve already phoned the owner of the hotel,” he said. “I should get the footage from
the cameras soon.”
Standing there now, days later, though, I just couldn’t seem to shake this feeling that something was off. He didn’t look as if he had gotten it yet. Rubbing at my temples, I built up frustration with the silence on the other end of the line.
“Raine,” Alex’s voice cut through my musings, yanking me back to the present.
“Yeah?” I said, really fast, my head shaking violently as if to clear the daze.
“Well, good,” he said again, his tone softer now, “Look, I know what you want. But when I sent you away, there was no one to take my place for them. I know exactly what you’re thinking, but this just isn’t comparable,”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” I snapped, my grip tightening on the phone. “It is the same. It’s all just a misunderstanding. One that needs to be cleared up before it’s too late.”
He was sent for a moment, and I could almost hear the wheels turning in his head. “So,” he said finally, his tone edged with resignation. “I take it you’re not going on the trip.”
Guilt washed over en like a wave, but I shoved it aside. “I can’t, Alex. Not right now.” I heaved a sigh as the weight of everything bore down on top of mo. “I’m sorry. The kids are just going to have to wait a few more days.‘
I steeled myself for his response, but all I could hear was a heary sigh on the other end of the line. I hated disappointing him, disappointing all of them, but couldn’t leave now. Not when so much was at stake.
Those days turned into a month, and with each passing moment, the guilt ate away at me, I was on the phone with Liam, and his small, tearful voice pulled at my heartstrings. “Mom, I want you here,” he whimpered, his words breaking me a little more.
I closed my eyes, clenching the phone in my hand as my throat tightened. I couldn’t keep doing this. I had to go see them.
Thankfully, things between Dominic and Faith seemed to be on the mend. They were talking again, and Faith looked like a weight had been lifted, even if only a line. The tension that had been thick enough to suffocate was slowly dissolving. It was time for me to shift my focus, to be there for my kids.
“It’s time,” I muttered to myself, as if saying it out loud would make it any less painful to digest
Earlier, Dominic had told us that the surveillance footage from that day was gone deleted. I could see how much it crushed him to admit it, but he wasn’t giving up. He was determined to find something, anything, to prove his innocence.
I apologized to Liam and promised, “I’ll be there soon this time, I swear. You and your sister just have to be good for me a little longer, okay?
He sniffled but agreed, his little volce cracking, “Okay, Mom
Before we hung up, I asked for Alex. “Can I talk to your dad?”
Liam handed the phone over, and Alex’s familiar voice came through, steady and calm. “Hey,”
“Hey,” I said, softening my bone. “I know I’ve been terrible about this, and I’m sorry. But listen, I’m going to go ahead and book my flight right after this call. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
There was a pause, and then his voice warmed, the barest whisper of a smile seeping through. “Rea
“Really,” I told him firmly, and managed a tiny smile of my own, playing on my lips.
He laughed, the sound light and real “Well, it’s about time. The lids‘ be stoked.”
It wasn’t the lods alone I knew it, though I could not bring myself to say it. Alex had gone because someone had to be there with them, but it was also because I’d busted the ded we’d had. I missed him being there, the easy rhythm we fell into
