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And now there’s the laptop as well.

I didn’t ask for it. I didn’t even tell him watching shows with Mom on my phone was inconvenient. Mostly because it actually wasn’t. Even though watching on my old phone was a pain, I still managed.

Yet, all it took was Vinny mentioning it, and Domenico apparently decided I needed a laptop.

None of this makes him harmless, and it doesn’t erase the things he’s done. Domenico is still dangerous. Though it’s possible I’ve been asking myself the wrong question.

It isn’t whether Domenico is safe. He isn’t.

The real question is whether I’m safe with Domenico. And the more evidence I collect, the harder it is to convince myself I’m not. Maybe that’s what scares me most.

Maybe I’m the exception.

Then again… maybe his ex-wife thought the same thing.

As the episode finishes and the credits roll, I close the laptop. The room feels darker without the screen’s glow. A nurse comes in to check vitals, smiling at me with the particular kindness reserved for the family members who stay too long.

“Did you have a good day, honey?” she asks.

“Yeah,” I reply. I always say the same thing because what else can I say?

“That’s good,” she sing-songs.

Then she goes on to give me the daily update about Mom being stable. Which I’ve come to believe is what they say when there are no other updates to give. Mom hasn’t improved or declined. She’s just here, suspended between one state and another.

While I pack up and tidy up after my visit, the nurse checks Mom’s vitals. When she’s done, I wait for her to leave before I lean down and kiss Mom’s forehead, feeling the cool dryness of her skin against my lips.

“I love you,” I whisper. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

As always, Vinny’s waiting for me right outside Mom’s room. While we walk to the car, he asks about the visit, and I ask about the army book he’s reading. I barely pay attention as he tells me it’s a biography about someone who served in the Green Berets.

I do my best to keep him talking during the drive, but that comes to a screeching halt when I ask if the book has any romance.

“Are you serious?” he asks, horror written all over his features when I meet his gaze in the rearview mirror.

I mean, I wasn’t. But he doesn’t need to know that. “Maybe he really loved his gun,” I reply with a shrug.

The rest of the drive is done in silence, and neither of us speaks again until the elevator opens to the penthouse.

“Thank you for today,” I tell him. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I’m not leaving just yet,” he informs me. “Come on, the boss wants to see you.”

My stomach knots as I follow Vinny to Domenico’s study, and when he knocks on the door, I want to make a run for it.

I’m not ready to face my husband yet.

10

Domenico

Ipull open the study door before Vinny can knock again. Kira stands beside him, looking as if she’d rather be anywhere else.

“Come in, wife.” My tone’s as dark as my mood.

Her eyes dart to Vinny, who leaves with a nod to me as she reluctantly steps across the threshold. I close the door behind Kira with a quiet click. She flinches at the sound and wraps her arms across herself.

“Why don’t you set your bag down and take off your jacket?” When she doesn’t move, I add, “It wasn’t a suggestion, Kira.”