Chapter Seventeen : Dominic’s Anguish

Dominic barely remembered the drive back to his estate. Camille's words echoed in his head, each one cutting deeper than the last.

"You did it once. You can do it again."

He clenched the steering wheel, his knuckles white.

Did she really believe that?

Did she think so little of him?

Or worse—was she right to?

He parked outside the house but made no move to go in. The weight of it all pressed against his chest, suffocating. He had spent years burying his regrets, convincing himself that leaving Camille had been out of his control. That it had been for the best.

But now?

Now he knew the truth.

He had missed ten years of his son's life. Of Camille's life. And no matter how much he wanted to change that, she wasn't ready to let him in.

Would she ever be?

His phone vibrated in the center console. With a heavy sigh, he grabbed it, expecting a message from Nathan.

But it wasn't.

Dr. Evelyn Carter.

Dominic swiped to answer. "What is it?"

There was a pause, then her familiar voice, calm yet firm. "You missed your follow-up appointment today."

He ran a hand down his face. "I got… caught up."

"I figured." A beat of silence. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." It was a lie.

Evelyn wasn't fooled. "Are you still experiencing chest pain?"

Dominic hesitated. He had. Off and on for the past few days. Nothing unbearable, but enough to remind him that his time was running out.

"I'm handling it."

"Dominic," she said, a warning in her tone. "We talked about this. Avoiding treatment isn't going to make this go away."

His grip on the phone tightened.

"I know," he admitted. "I just… I need more time."

"You don't have time," she pressed. "If you want to pursue the experimental treatment, you need to make the decision now. Every day you wait, you're putting yourself at risk."

Dominic exhaled, closing his eyes.

He wasn't afraid of the risk. He had lived with risk his whole life.

But Camille? Liam?

They were the only reason he was even considering the treatment. The only reason he still had something to fight for.

And yet, Camille didn't want him to stay.

If she pushed him away for good, what was he even fighting for?

"I'll think about it," he said at last.

Evelyn sighed. "Don't wait too long."

He ended the call and leaned his head against the headrest, staring at the ceiling of his car.

For the first time in his life, he had something to lose.

And he didn't know how to hold on to it.