Page 62 of Twisted Obsession

I drop my hands completely, my eyes wide with shock, at the way he takes on my brothers with no thought for his own welfare, only mine.

“I have money put aside. I made a will as soon as I found out Roisin was pregnant. Everything I have will be hers, so she can give the baby the life it deserves without having to rely on anyone else.”

I suck in an audible breath, the knowledge that he was thinking of me and our baby even before we got caught out. Before he was captured. Before we found ourselves bound by more than just a co-parenting arrangement, warming me in places I hadn't even realized had become stone cold.

“Anything else you want to add to your touching eulogy?” Callum asks Dominic, his callous attitude enraging me all over again.

“Yeah. Tell Roisin to take care. To always live her best life. Tell her I would have loved our child… Fuck! I do love our child. I wish I could have seen him… or her. Been with her when she brings him into this world. Supported her so she doesn’t have to do this alone. Make sure you do that, if I can’t.”

I sniffle and bat at the tears streaming down my face, which are blurring my vision, so I lean in to be able to see better and that’s when I see that Dominic is crying too.

His raw emotion takes my breath away.

“And I will be with her, in spirit. Every step of the way, just as I would have been in life. Don’t let her doubt that. Tell her, she’s the best woman I know. And I know she’ll be the best mother. And I think… maybe…”

I zoom in on his beloved face, the absolute certainty in his eyes when he opens them and says to my brothers, “Tell her I love her, too.”

And just like that, I know Mika was right.

Everything is going to be perfect and suddenly, I can’t wait to become Mrs. Romano. It’s like the weight of the world has beenlifted off my shoulders and I hadn’t realized how heavy it had become until it’s no longer there.

I close the video after watching it twice more, my heart pounding and my cheeks wet with tears. Even then, I replay Dominic's words in my mind. The raw emotion in his voice, the tears in his eyes, the way he fought for me and our baby even when facing death—it all paints a picture so different from the distant, reluctant groom I thought I was marrying.

The revelation of Dominic's true feelings washes over me like a tidal wave, sweeping away my doubts and fears.

I want to run to him, to throw my arms around him and never let go; to tell him I feel the same way.

Except it's late and he’s who-knows-where. But it doesn’t matter anymore, because I know I’ll see him tomorrow.

At our wedding.

Chapter

Twenty-Eight

ROISIN

Morning arrives in a flurry of activity. My mother fusses over my hair and makeup while Lizzie and Sienna flutter about with last-minute details. Through it all, I feel a sense of calm I haven't experienced in weeks. The snowball of anxiety has melted away, replaced by a warmth that spreads through my chest.

As I slip into my wedding dress, I no longer feel like an imposter. The woman in the mirror is radiant, glowing with more than just the flush of pregnancy. For the first time in this entire preparation, I feel excited.

The love I feel for Dominic, the life growing inside me, the joy of this day–it’s all bursting out of me.

"Oh, Roisin," my mother gasps, her eyes welling with tears. "You look absolutely stunning."

I smile, feeling a lump form in my throat. "Thank you, Ma."

Lizzie, my future mother-in-law, appears at my side, holding a small velvet box. “Dominic asked me to give you this.”

My heart flutters as I take the box, fingers trembling slightly as I carefully pry it open, gasping at what I find inside.

“Something old," she says, as a delicate necklace of natural freshwater pearls is revealed. "It was his great-grandmother's."

As she fastens it around my neck, I touch the slightly uneven pearls gently, feeling a connection to generations of strong women. They are imperfectly perfect, just like everything about our relationship has been.

Sienna steps forward next, holding out my bouquet of peach roses, baby's breath, and trailing ivy.

"It's almost time," she says softly, beautiful herself in the matching peach dresses she and Emylyah are wearing.

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