Page 169 of The Scandal You Started
Whirling away with clenched fists, Dominic stormed to the door, just stopping to swipe up the papers he’d thrown aside. He rushed out of the room and down the stairs.
Victor, George, River, Kelly, and Erin were all still there, sitting on the sofas with varied degrees of twisted, sympathetic expressions. No doubt they’d heard the louder parts of his and Rayna’s argument or could guess the result of it from his scowling expression.
Dominic strode straight to Victor in the armchair and held the rolled papers up. “I need to know who gave this to Rayna. Now.”
Rayna:
Are you and River taking Dominic to the lab?
V:
Yes
Rayna:
Please don’t let him confront Sheun
It won’t change anything
Just bring him back to the farmhouse please
I’m heading there now
V:
He’s allowed to speak to her just like you did
Rayna:
Where are you?
Are you still at the lab?
Why haven’t you come back yet?
Dominic answer me
Rayna
It was agony, sitting in the farmhouse living room, trying todistract herself by flicking through random TV channels but glancing at the clock every five seconds, wondering why River and Victor hadn’t brought Dominic back yet.
She deserved it. Gosh, Rayna knew she deserved every second of suffering for all the devastation she’d caused Dominic. For pushing him away and filling his eyes with the web of cracks that marred his heart.
She’d hurt him.
She’d done it for him.
But she’d broken them both in the process.
Spewing those half-truths and lies to him had been the same as stabbing herself with poisoned arrows, the burn so excruciating she’d struggled to keep talking. She’d been so close to tears, so close to screaming that it wasn’t really what she wanted, but it was what she had to do.
She’d listened to Kelly, Erin, and George scold her and encourage her to rethink her decision afterwards. But she repeated to them what she told herself, what she chanted through the drive back to the farmhouse, and pleaded in broken whispers in the hour Dominic didn’t return.
He’ll be happier without me. He’ll be happier with Lady Claire. I just want him to be happy.
Rayna glanced at the clock ticking on the wall at the other end of the living room.
I want him…to come back.
