Chapter Eighteen: The Illness Reveal

Camille had always believed she was good at reading people. Years of running The Blue Harbor Café had taught her how to recognize exhaustion in a tired fisherman, heartbreak in a lonely customer nursing their coffee, or worry in a mother trying to stretch her last few dollars.

But with Dominic, she hadn't noticed.

Hadn't seen the signs.

Not until now.

The café was nearly empty when she spotted him standing outside. He hadn't come in yet, but she could see the tension in the way he stood—hands shoved into his pockets, shoulders tight, jaw clenched.

She didn't want to talk to him. Not after their last conversation.

But something about the way he looked…

Something wasn't right.

The bell above the door chimed as he stepped inside.

Her heart kicked against her ribs.

His skin was paler than before, his usual sharp confidence dulled. Even his suit, always perfectly pressed, seemed looser on him.

"Dominic," she said carefully, "what are you doing here?"

He didn't speak right away. Instead, he took a slow breath and stepped closer to the counter.

"We need to talk," he said.

Camille crossed her arms. "I don't think there's anything left to say."

"There is," he insisted. "Just… hear me out."

There was something in his voice. A quiet urgency that made her pulse quicken.

Still, she hesitated before nodding toward the back. "We'll talk in the office."

He followed her inside, closing the door behind them. The small space suddenly felt too cramped, too intimate.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Dominic exhaled and ran a hand through his hair. "There's something I haven't told you."

Camille stayed silent, waiting.

"I'm sick."

Two words. That was all it took for the world to shift beneath her feet.

"What?" she breathed.

His throat worked as he swallowed. "I have a degenerative heart condition. It's gotten worse."

She stared at him, her mind struggling to catch up.

No. That wasn't possible.

Dominic was strong. Unstoppable.

He wasn't—

"I found out a few months ago," he continued. "There's a treatment option, but it's risky. And even with it, there are no guarantees."

A cold wave of dread crashed over her. "You knew before you came back?"

He nodded. "I didn't come to Haven Cove just because of the past, Camille. I came because I didn't know how much of a future I had left."

Her chest tightened. "And you didn't think I deserved to know?"

"I didn't want to burden you."

Camille let out a hollow laugh. "Burden me? You show up after ten years, drop the truth about Liam, and now you think telling me you're sick is too much?"

His expression darkened. "I'm not asking for pity."

"Then what are you asking for?" she snapped.

Silence stretched between them.

He didn't have an answer.

Camille shook her head, her voice unsteady. "Liam just met you, Dominic. He's just starting to trust you. And now you're telling me he might lose you?"

"I don't want to leave him," Dominic said, his voice rough. "I don't want to leave either of you."

Something in her chest cracked.

She should be furious. She was furious.

But beneath it all, there was fear.

A fear she hadn't felt in a long time.

Because despite everything… she didn't want to lose him again.