The build up to November certainly was a game changer.
It started from the night I slept with Dominic, when we woke up the next morning after that, we both agreed to slowly rebuild the foundation of our relationship, since he'd expressed his strong desire to continue as a couple, but we weren't living together just yet and we clearly weren't back to the engaged status either. What can I say, we both weren't ready enough to try the whole engaged couple scenario all over again while I needed to deal with things weighing at my shoulders.
Although I still hadn't told him about the plans to take down his Uncle, especially since Erika, Hamish and my Father all voted against a Walsh being in the mix of taking down another Walsh, but Dominic wasn't stupid, he knew the late night meet ups after work were a time for plotting and who we were up against - considering I was nearly raped by the one man he thought he'd look up to.
Their relationship hasn't been fixed because of that.
In the following weeks, Dominic talked to his Uncle like a robot, he didn't make personal comments or interacted the same way as he used to, instead, he spent more time in my office or working on cases with my Father while he ever-so-slowly broke out of his new Dominic persona towards his old and interacted more with the other coworkers in the office. Nathaniel - obviously - didn't like that, he began to feel tormented and lashed out on the poor interns that leave in tears during their interviews. Pregnant Julia also received the bitter end as the man often slept in the office, the poor woman calls more than three to five times a day via the other staff and receptionists, one time through me. My Father said it was working to our advantage, Hamish agreed, especially after Nathaniel's last outburst in the court room caused him to take a three day break as a lawyer - which was enough time to take back the secret camera locked in his office and we've yet to review it.
A day before traveling to the resort for the wedding extravaganza, I woke up with Dominic in the same bed in the apartment dressed in a pair of his boxers and one of his shirts. November was cold, his warm cuddles were what kept me snoozing like a baby all night, though I did miss his light snores beside me. We woke up around seven, I've already set up for the two of us to be late for our usual hour of arrival to work because today, I planned to tell him the truth, from point A to B. I convinced myself since we got back together up until that morning that I'd tell him everything, I wouldn't be so hurt of the outcome - no matter what happens. My mind started off calmly, especially since his kisses at the back of my neck and shoulders were my alarm clock and his croaky, deep 'good morning' made my morning.
"Hello, stranger," I weakly replied.
"I miss this," He whispered and nipped the lobe of my ear. "When do you think you'll move back in with me?"
"What happened to taking things slow?"
"The clock doesn't just reset, does it?"
"Dom, I-"
"-Shh, Annie. Whatever you're going to say, I want you to wait a bit before you start."
"Okay then." I smirked and shifted around, planting a light kiss on the lips to add to the morning greeting. He still tasted like the mint toothpaste he favoured for the many years I've known and lived with him.
As promised, I kept my mouth shut about what I wanted to explain to him. Dominic knew me well, as I said, he really wasn't stupid and he certainly wasn't dense or oblivious to his surroundings, so I figured that he already picked up on the little things already. We spent a few minutes in bed, then eating leftovers for breakfast, followed by the idea of saving water by showering together and getting ready for work, I didn't bring much as he surprised me by buying me a toothbrush, comb, my favourite brand of shampoo and conditioner, and my favourite deodorant, which were all for the sake of luring me into staying over more than one or two nights a week - and eventually - moving fully back into our apartment.
I walked out of the walk in closet dressed in a white dress and gold belt, a pair of black heels with a gold strap and a long black trench coat to keep me warm. I flicked my hair about as I reunited with Dominic in the living room, where he sat at an opposing seat and waited for me for our long awaited conversation. Although he was distracted and busy fixing the watch strapped around his wrist, his resting expression showed more concern than the happier mood he was in earlier.
It reminded me of the day we talked of breaking up.
"I'm guessing that some of my clothes were in the laundry basket when I moved out?" I awkwardly joked as I tried to lighten the mood before the expected drop.
Dominic looked up, his pretty hazel eyes glistened and looked a lot lighter than usual, he smiled slightly and nodded. "Yeah, and I guess the cleaning lady just put it back with the rest of your clothes left over," He replied quite casually.
"Isn't her name, Linda?" I continued the topic as I sat opposite him. We hired a part time cleaning lady to help out twice a week, and apparently, she turned full time when I moved out.
"No, it's- Uh- Some other woman. Linda's out of the country for a few weeks."
I giggled at his lack of interest, he should be more knowledgeable about the woman who washed his underwear when the woman who usually did no longer did it for him - such a typical guy to be honest, but I loved him irregardless.
"So, I take it you have something important to tell me. I'm assuming it's going to be about my Uncle?"
"How do you know?"
Dominic leaned back on the couch, one arm stretched out on the seat and the other rested on the armrest. "I know, Annie, I've noticed what goes on behind closed doors, but what I don't know is exactly what it is."
"I know I've been a massive hypocrite, Dom-"
"-I can't blame you, I've been the same."
"But that's not the point. The point is, I'm going to be very honest with you, and knowing you, there are some parts that will make you cringe and hate me. But I'm going to ask for you to be honest with me too." I was being a lot more honest than I expected, and he stared at me oddly because of it. I watched Dominic cock up an eyebrow and asked, "Well then, where should we start?"
"Let me start from the beginning-"
And there I went.
It'd mark as a personal record for me to be talking that much, yapping on and on and on with additional gestures to emphasize some situations. I didn't hold back anything from him anymore. We broke up because we were being more distant, no longer communicated like we used to, and worst, lied to each other. I told him about how Nathaniel easily talked me into signing the contract and sending Hamish to quit my job, explained the awkward and very uncomfortable times when his Uncle touched me and told me how ungrateful he was to the verbal expressions of interest to have me. My heart felt heavy and disheartened when I told him - and showed him where Nathaniel ripped open my robe and visually ate me up like a starving wolf.
Dominic shuddered at my reenactment.
Throughout the whole time, I watched him cringe, his eye twitch and the change of positions to show his discomfort from hearing what his Uncle did to me. Dominic didn't hide his concerned, worried and really uncomfortable facial expressions, and it meant that he listened to me through the opening and closing of my mouth.
It probably sounded like a verbal diarrhea.
By the time I told him about Judge Cole's part of the ordeal and what, why and how we got rid of him came up, he showed a pleased expression. Dominic revealed that he once got caught up in the bargain, and regretted every bit of it as it was the real reason why he slept with Rebecca James, he stopped me through my explanation to confess that he bargained with Judge Cole to watch over me from his own Uncle - a similar deal Hamish made with the man.
I wonder what Hamish bargained for.
Speaking of Hamish- Of course, I couldn't leave out that one piece of information.
"And, well, I slept with Hamish."
"I fucking knew it." The wrinkled frown on his face showed such a boiling reaction, and I knew that if it wasn't his Uncle's actions to make him explode, it would be the fact the one man he saw as a competition slept with me, well-
I raised my hands in front of me as he pushed himself up and began to stomp back and forth. "No, no, this wasn't when you ruined that painting, Dom-"
"Then when was it!" He wasn't asking.
"In New York. After we had that fight."
"What-" Dominic hissed, but came to a full stop as he looked like he just got slapped across the face. His eyes were narrowed and watery, he was red and flustered and the frown eased to a heartbroken expression.
"W-Why?" I heard him stutter.
"I don't know. I was being stupid. I was hurt and broken, and all I wanted to do was get payback."
"Annie-"
I stood up and fought back the tears that began to sting in my eyes, but I couldn't hold back the two or three that managed to drip at the outer corners. My chest felt like there were wrestlers tossing and turning about, it was so heavy whilst racing to where Dominic stood. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and apologize. The only object that blocked the two of us was the coffee table, but neither of us budged.
"I'll forgive you if you say yes."
"To what?" An automatic response, I really wanted to just say 'yes', but my brain decided not to.
Dominic weakly smiled. "Just nod if you understand that when I ask, just say yes."
I rolled my lips inward and nipped on them to shut, I didn't want to respond in an automated way and only nodded like he told me to. I watched him make his way around the coffee table, his right hand rummaged through the pocket of his grey coat. I wasn't sure what he was up to, but by the time took my left hand, got down to one bended knee and pulled out that familiar rose gold band with the matching embellished diamonds on the top half of it, which gently tapered as it rose to meet three gemstones secured by sculptural claw prongs.
This wasn't what I expected.
My lips released to let out a coo followed by a whimper, the water in my eyes were no longer willing to stay put and began to slither down my face. The first words I could muster up were- "Ah, my make up."
Dominic chuckled, his gaze upwards into mine became affectionate and loving. He truly did love me. Then he asked, "Will you be engaged to this idiot again?"
My lips continued to quiver, my eyes closed shut as I turned away and shook my head over and over. I just couldn't say yes. Those words were clogged and choking at my throat, there was no chance I could accept such a proposal when I still agreed to go on with our plan. With whatever was left of my energy, I pulled him back up to his feet - well, more like tugged at him to do so.
"What's wrong?"
My fingers curled at his arm, pressing into the material of his sleeves and slowly reopened my eyes. I sniffed a bit before I said, "I can't say it."
"Why not?"
"Because, what I haven't told you is that Hamish, Erika and I are going to take down your Uncle-" I took a very deep breath, knowing he'd hate me for it when I said the next part.
"Just say it, Annie," He sternly demanded.
"One of our plans is for me to seduce your Uncle to blackmail him-"
"And?"
"And if I have to, I may have no choice but to sleep with him-"
"And?"
"And I can't be engaged to you knowing I might have to do the unimaginable-"
"And?"
I frowned. "That's it, there's no more 'and' to add." I tried to stay calm as he pressed me about more, and I couldn't figure out what more to add to those confessions already. I don't know whether he's mocking me or whatever, but I was getting frustrated.
"Annie-" Dominic breathed my name as he brushed the out of place strands of may hair and led them to behind my ear, he let his touch continue down to both sides of my face and he smiled brighter. Dominic began to confuse me, he didn't show a hint or an idea as to why he acted as such, but it didn't make sense anymore.
I cupped my hands over his and sighed. "I don't think you get it at all, Dom," I muttered under my breathe.
"No, I do get it, it's just-" His forehead leaned against mine and he became a lot closer than before. "I don't need to know every bit of detail on how you're going to get rid of my Uncle. You just do what you have to do, Annie, but I know that by the end of it, you'll make the correct choices and I'll be waiting for you at the end of it all."
"H-How would you know?"
He clicked at his tongue and shook his head as he replied, "Because I just do."
My arms instantly tossed themselves around the man's neck, practically throwing myself at him in a forced embrace. He momentarily lost his footing for a few steps before he gave me a returned embrace. We were both quiet, enjoying the feeling of being in each other's arms. I could feel his heart beat in the same, fast pace as mine, which was in tune with the rhythm of our breaths.
We were in sync.
The moment lingered for a while before he pulled away from our embrace, we were back to the same position prior to the revelation of my guilt, but this time, he had his hands clipped at my forearm. We focused only at each other, the world no longer mattered as the man took claim of my left hand and slipped on the ring right where it once was.
"I thought I needed to approve this," I joked.
"I told you, all you had to do was say yes."
"But I didn't-"
"Do you love me?"
"Yes." I retaliated.
"And there you go," Dominic ended with a victorious gleam on his face, he held onto my hand and wiped away loose drops from my face as he whispered, "We're going to be late now."
"Wait, one sec, I need to redo my make up!" I quickly slipped away from him and dashed back into the bedroom to do just that.
Throughout the day, the office wasn't even full. Some of the senior associates were busy packing, the junior associates ran around covering the seniors as well as the interns and paralegals. The only staff left around were the assistants and receptionists. I needed to go to the office to finish the paper work for Dominic's Parents and Dominic had a client to deal with that bothered him for days, Erika was dealing with her documents for her move to the New York office and Hamish went with her.
And yes, they're still dating.
I hoped nothing would bother me before the flight to the resort where our ten day plan would start, I wanted to savour the moments before doing things I'd regret. I'm already feeling guilty about ruining Julia's life, I mean, she's going to have a baby and raise the boy without the Father around, but it'll be good for her - at least she knew now and wouldn't spend the rest of her life with a bad person for a husband. In a way - well, I convinced myself - that I was saving Julia from the worst mistake of her life.
"Knock, knock-"
My head jolted up and met eye to eye with that said mistake, and I frowned instantly. Seeing him, so- erm- rugged and untamed certainly was a different touch as Nathaniel was clearly growing out a short beard, his hair no longer combed and the bags under his eyes were bigger than usual. Nathaniel looked his age now more than ever. I suppose marriage plans were as stressing as it truly is and affected him - bad. He didn't look like a man who was set to get married in a couple of days to be honest.
"H-Hello Nathaniel," I cleared my throat and clasped my hands together, keeping cautious. This was, after all, our first one-on-one confrontation since our bad incident.
He came closer, and the smell of whiskey blew up in my face as soon as he opened his mouth and exhaled. "You are a bit too much for me, thinking you're going to take me? I made you who you are today!" He scowled.
"Are you meant to be talking to me? This sounds like it's-"
He waved his arms to shut me up. "No, this is you. I gave you this opportunity to become someone, and yet you decide you want to get rid of me? Don't think I don't know about the rendezvous with Fio-"
"Nathaniel," A voice hissed behind him. We both peeked and was surprised to see my Father by the doorway, his expression dark and unimpressed by his ex-partner in crime, he snorted and beckoned with a tilt of his head to the woman behind him, wallowing in her own tears.
"J-Julia? Wh- I said wait in the car!" He threw something imaginary towards the direction of my Father and the woman set to be his wife. "I'm only here to tell this girl that she better not ruin our wedding!"
"This is ridiculous. Nathaniel, you have a flight to catch in a few hours." My Father rolled his eyes, showing that he didn't believe in the bullshit that Nathaniel spurred out of his mouth.
However, my Father knew damn well what I was up to.
Nathaniel scrunched his face and took one last look at me, pointing his finger at me with a mouthed gibberish and wobbled off to the door, purposely bumping into my Father by the shoulder and to his third wife. Once it was clear, my Father turned to me, we both smirked at the same time, nodded before walking away.
I took a deep breath.
The adrenaline pumped through my veins.
I stared down at the engagement ring wrapped around my finger, and I remembered the first reason why I did this and smiled.
The ten day plan starts now.