Page 59 of Modern Romance September 2026 Books 5-8

“Is that what you want?”

“It doesn’t matter what I want.” Liar.

Finally, he speaks. “I’ll arrange a flight to New York City for today.” He walks out onto the deck, closing the door behind him.

I turn my back to him so he can’t see the tears slipping down my cheeks.

Chapter Twenty

Dominic

I stand in my office. New York glitters outside my window. It was my home for decades. I’ve only been gone a month, but I feel disconnected. Like I’m in a strange, foreign world. It’s odd how much things have changed in the last four weeks.

I was so fixated on making sure I would still be a part of the baby’s life. That’s why it was so easy to let Hawke Security go. But I don’t think even I had fully realized how much of a rut I had fallen into, a routine that filled my days but left me without a purpose.

I was looking forward to the challenge of training the palace security team, was starting to get engaged in some of the meetings, looking forward to doing more visits with Sophie the way we did at the hospital. I had started to enjoy Siravelle, too. It was slowly becoming the one thing I’ve never allowed New York to be: home.

I’ll still visit, even live there for stretches at a time. But it won’t be the same without her.

I glance at my phone. I’ve heard nothing from Sophie in the days since I left St. Lucia. Nothing came of Wilford’s article. A few phone calls, a few requests for interviews. But most dismissed it as a wild, baseless story by a disgraced reporter.

It also helped that when Sophie had deplaned in Siravelle, she had played her role perfectly for the reporters gathered to welcome her home from our honeymoon. “My husband is in New York,” she had responded to one question, “overseeing preparations for his family’s foundation’s gala.” It seemed so natural, so positive.

And when another reporter had asked about the article, she’d simply smiled and said, “When my husband and I expand our family, I know he’ll make an excellent father.”

Except I’m here, and she’s thousands of miles away. I don’t feel like an excellent father. I’m failing as a husband. At first, I thought leaving was the right thing to do, both of us were upset, hurt. But I pushed her away first, then got angry when she did the same.

I wander over to the windows, stare down at the city below me. The streets I ran for years, the ones I made my own. And yet they don’t inspire me now, don’t make me feel anything. Not the peace I experienced sitting out on my balcony, gazing out over the pine forest and the ocean. Not the rightness I felt when I went shopping for Sophie’s ring.

I should have stayed. I should have fought for her. It took a few days for my anger and hurt to go away, for me to accept that Sophie hadn’t pushed me away because she wanted to, but because she thought it was the right thing to do. Always committed to her duty and doing things for others, never herself.

My mother had attempted to call. Thankfully, Todd intercepted. I have no interest in learning more about her, her reasons and excuses for why she did what she did. If she’s found happiness, then that’s her business. But I’m not going to continue to let my past rule me.

I thought I had been strong, keeping everyone at a distance, protecting myself. But really, I’ve been letting my parents and their actions rule my life.

I had a realization when Todd told me about the call. So, I did something incredibly uncomfortable. I reached out to Aiden and Cassian and asked them to meet me for dinner.

Instead of sitting and listening to them talk and giving noncommittal answers, I opened up. I told them about those early years, about my grandmother. I shared more with them in those two hours than I had in over twenty years. It hurt. It really hurt.

But in the end, when Aiden clapped me on the back and Cassian told me they would always have my back, I realized the value of breaking down my walls and letting people in. They didn’t run, didn’t judge. They accepted me.

I glance down at my phone again. It’s time for me to stop waiting. I’ve always been a man of action, and I’ve been dragging my feet for the past few days.

I miss my wife. I want her back in my life. I want to support her, be her partner. I want us to be able to find happiness not just in the quiet moments when we’re alone but in public, too.

The truth that’s been pushing against my defenses finally breaks through. It’s not just wanting to be there for her. I love my wife. I love Sophaya, and I can’t imagine the rest of my life without her. I’d rather live with her under a microscope than be alone and safe.

I stalk across my office. It’s not just going to be enough to tell her. I need to show her in some way. Inspiration strikes.

I know what to do.

Sophaya

I sit in the library, curled up in one of the wingback chairs by the fireplace. A fire crackles in the grate, the only sound in the otherwise comforting quiet.

My eyes stray to the window seat where Dominic first made love to me as my husband. It hurts to remember. But I wouldn’t change it for anything.

I miss him. I wish I hadn’t pushed him away. I didn’t do it just for him, although I told myself that in the moment. No, I did it because I was scared. Because all I could see was my life becoming like my parents’. All I could see was shoving Dominic into a role the way my father had been pushed into his.