Page 166 of The Scandal You Started
The one man she couldn’t keep.
Chapter 48
Dominic
“Rayna!”
The chorus sounded the moment Rayna walked through the double doors that led into the open living area of the house, as loud as the sudden start of Dominic’s heart at the sight of her.
Kelly, George, Erin, and River were all standing around the sofas with worried downturns to their expressions. But he andVictor were at the forefront, rushing towards her at the same time.
“Rayna,” Dominic rumbled as he cupped her jaw in his palms. “Where have you been?” He tugged her into an embrace, needing to feel that she was well and safe. “Why did you not answer your phone?”
In the hour and forty minutes since Kelly had called River to tell them Rayna had left the house after finding her mother’s last note, Dominic had imagined a million different scenarios where he lost her just like he lost his dad. After every call and message she didn’t answer, all he could think was that she was lying injured and bleeding somewhere, and there was nothing he could do to get to her.
To say he’d been terrified didn’t even cut it. He’d been on the verge of breaking into a fearful fit of agonised sobs.
“Sorry,” Rayna mumbled, remaining entirely impassive against him. “I was at the cemetery and didn’t realise you were all calling me until I spoke to my dad.”
A hush fell across the room as Dominic pulled away to look at her, but Victor took her into his arms. “You can’t do that, Rayna. You can’t just leave and not answer your phone. You should have waited for me to get back.”
“Hmm. Sorry.”
Caution tugged at Dominic’s brows.
What was wrong with her? Why did she sound so…hollow?
“George, Kelly, and Erin showed us what you found,” Victor said. He shook his head, his hands on her shoulders. “It’s not a bad thing. It just means we need to change our approach.”
Rayna nudged his hands away. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
After a second of surprise, Victor tried again. “Rayna—”
“No, V,” she said sternly. “I don’t want to discuss it. I’m done.”
Silence.
Dominic’s heart dropped to the pit of his stomach as he finally saw the detached dullness in her charcoal eyes, just like her voice.
“What do you mean you are done?” he asked warily.
“She’s giving up,” Kelly spat the accusation.
Alarm bells started ringing through him, when rather than denying it, Rayna swallowed, and her lashes flickered.
Dominic recognised that telltale reaction.That guilt.
An ache cleaved through his chest.
“No,” Rayna said. “It means I need to grab something from upstairs, and then Dominic and I are going back to the farmhouse. So you can all go home too.”
“Why?” he croaked.
“Because I want to talk to you.”
“We can talk here.”
If she was going to give up, then she’d tell him where her family and friends were, so that if he couldn’t reason with her, then maybe they could.
