Sins of Dominion

Chapter 21: The Aftermath

Evelyn

The days following our confrontation with Isabella passed in a blur. The initial sense of relief that had washed over me when she walked away began to fade, replaced by a gnawing uncertainty. It felt like we were living in the eye of the storm, where everything was eerily calm, but the true devastation had yet to reveal itself.

Dominic had withdrawn into himself, becoming quieter and more distant as the days went on. He was with me physically, but I could see the emotional toll our fight with Isabella had taken on him. The fierce determination that had driven him to stand up to his sister had given way to a sort of numbness, a hollow space where his resolve had once been.

It was heartbreaking to watch him wrestle with the conflicting emotions that he was clearly struggling to process—his love for his sister, the guilt of what he had done, and the relief that came with finally breaking free from her control. And as much as I wanted to help him, I wasn’t sure how. Dominic was a man used to dealing with things on his own, and this battle was one that he had to face alone.

I wanted to be there for him, to be the anchor he could hold onto as he navigated the turmoil inside him, but the distance he had put between us was growing wider each day, and I wasn’t sure how to reach him.

One evening, as the sun began to set, casting a warm golden light over the campus, I found myself standing outside Dominic’s room, hesitating before knocking on the door. We had barely spoken since the confrontation, our interactions limited to brief, almost strained conversations. I missed the closeness we had shared, the connection that had felt so strong before everything had come crashing down around us.

Taking a deep breath, I knocked softly on the door. There was a moment of silence, and then I heard Dominic’s voice, quiet and weary. “Come in.”

I pushed the door open and stepped inside. The room was dimly lit, the curtains drawn to block out the fading light of day. Dominic was sitting on the edge of his bed, his elbows resting on his knees, his head in his hands. He looked up as I entered, his eyes tired and shadowed with the weight of everything that had happened.

“Hey,” I said softly, closing the door behind me.

“Hey,” he replied, his voice rough with exhaustion.

I crossed the room and sat down beside him, the bed dipping slightly under our combined weight. For a moment, we just sat there in silence, the air between us heavy with unspoken words.

“Dominic,” I began, my voice trembling slightly, “I’m worried about you.”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair, the movement slow and deliberate. “I know,” he murmured. “I’m… I’m just trying to figure things out.”

I reached out, placing a hand on his arm, hoping the touch would bring him some comfort. “You don’t have to figure it out alone,” I said gently. “I’m here. We’re in this together, remember?”

Dominic looked at me, his eyes filled with a mixture of emotions—guilt, sadness, but also a flicker of something softer, something more vulnerable. “I’ve never been good at… letting people in,” he admitted, his voice barely more than a whisper. “But with you, it’s different. I want to let you in, Evelyn, but I don’t know how to do that without bringing you down with me.”

“You’re not bringing me down,” I replied firmly, squeezing his arm. “You’re not alone in this, Dominic. We can face it together.”

He stared at me for a long moment, his gaze searching mine as if trying to find the truth in my words. Then, slowly, he reached out, his hand covering mine, his touch warm and reassuring.