Tainted Hearts

22 | Aftermath

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CLAUDIA

In recent years, Claudia has developed a love for the outdoors. It just so happened that being cooped up in a mansion was misery when she was afraid of being killed. Even though the house was large, it could be a nightmare at times.

Claudia decided to go for a ride, so she hopped in Dominic's car. She noticed his keys on the counter after he had left with one of his drivers. As long as she was on the road, she figured she was fine. If the Mafia wasn't following her, how would they know where she was going? Leaving his front door, she drove past the gate. She turned around and saw that nobody was following her. It was effortless to leave the house once Vinny previously checked the left side.

While listening to jazz, she drove at a slow and leisurely pace. She attempted to find her inner peace. When she braked, she felt it in her bones. Any moment she stopped, she was vulnerable. The last time she hyperventilated severely was probably then. She craved life. The notion haunted her like a ghost. Dominic was right next to that thought. She had insane dreams about life with him. Every now and then, a glimpse of the future would pop into her head. Both have family values, whether they're eating dinner with the kids or watching them play in the backyard.

These were meant to be optimistic photos of her ideal future. She sobbed because she feared they would die. She made a deal with a Mafia boss, so no one liked her. Who would defend her? Why should anyone care about a woman who does that?

The second reality that shook her up was that she had to go back to the house. She was getting weary of the sunny drive. After being poisoned, she didn't want to go to the café where she felt unsafe. And she didn't want to go anywhere near her old apartment because she didn't want to bother her previous neighbors.

This made her go back to the empty house she had been trying to avoid. She couldn't tell when Dominic would come back, but she couldn't be cautious any longer. She was sure that if there was an emergency on his property, it would be easy for her to call the police.

Claudia started driving back to the mansion, and it didn't take long for her to get there. She got shivers once she noticed a Cadillac in the driveway. She knew Dominic was by himself because there were no other cars parked. So, hopefully, that meant nothing was wrong.

She thought about walking into the house and lying down in his arms. But she also knew that wasn't likely because they were both so stressed. When Claudia got to the door, she was afraid of what she would discover. Had he taken care of the problem? Was he ready to tell her what happened with his father earlier? She had so many questions, and all she could do was pray that he'd answer them.

When she walked in, Dominic was moving around in front of the fireplace. It didn't take him long to direct his rage at her. Claudia understood those eyes weren't on anyone but her. The next concern was what she did. What had caused him to look at her with such hostility?

Instead of asking, Claudia simply said, "Hey."

"You should have stayed in my house. It's dangerous to leave without anyone else. Why the hell did you do that? You were so close to death."

Dominic was the most angry person she had ever encountered. He twitched his bottom lip repeatedly between his remarks. His face was bright red. She was truly scared because she was nervous. Her initial response to danger was animosity.

"You pay attention to how you speak to me. It's all your fault that we're in this mess."

He looked like he was mentally figuring out what could happen and how to respond. "You did not have to sign the contract, Claudia. There was never any threat of violence. You could have left at any time. Because you agreed to do this with me, your life has changed. You knew exactly what you were agreeing to when you accepted."