The knock came at the middle of the night,
Nova's breath got caught in her throat as she began to double think by the door, her fingers pushed lightly on the door handle, She did not plan on coming here, Every logical thought in her mind was telling her to stay away, telling her to keep her distance, But her feet moved faster than reason.
Before she could begin to doubt herself, she pushed the door open,
Dominic stood there, visibly stunned, His face was drawn with exhaustion etched into the hard lines of his jaw, there was A faint bruise on one of his cheekbones, and his knuckles were also raw, as if he'd struck something or someone.
His breath became ragged the moment he saw her.
"Nova," he murmured, with his voice being barely audible,
She didn't wait for an invite, She just Pushed past him, her pulse beating painfully beneath her skin, "I don't have time for polite lies," she snapped, "tell me the truth, Now."
The door had shut behind them, sealing them in a space m with unresolved anger, For a long moment, neither of them said a word.
The weight of weeks, no, years of betrayal and heartbreak stretched on between them, it was suffocating.
Her eyes were locked to his, she looked with fury, "Was it you?" she demanded, "Was it you all along? The deals and The sabotage?."
Dominic's jaw clenched, He exhaled through his teeth, he as visibly fighting the urge to look away, "I was not the one trying to destroy you."
She let out a hollow laugh, "Don't lie to me."
His voice became soft, "I never took those clients from you, I let them go, Every single one of them, Because I knew Alicia was starting to move against you, and I thought if I stepped back, if I didn't engage, she'd stop."
Nova's breath seized for a brief moment and Her pulse skipped a bit, "You let me believe it was you, You let me spiral."
"I was trying to protect you," he said quietly, "I know it doesn't look like it, I know I've done more harm than good to you, But everything I did wasn't to hurt you."
Her eyes drifted to the bruises on his face, her breath because shaky, "She did that to you."
He nodded grimly, "She's blackmailing me, She has leverage on me, And she's coming for both of us."
For a heartbeat, the suffocating pressure softened, An old ache stirred up beneath all the anger, a memory they'd both buried a long time ago, They stood there in fragile silence and the war between them became momentarily still.
Nova's voice dropped to a whisper, "I don't even know who we are anymore."
Dominic's gaze dimmed, "Neither do I."
But before she could say anything else, the moment was interrupted, the moment shattered,
They heard it first, the sirens, they sounded Distant at first, then suddenly rose sharply.
Nova's heart almost stopped as the red and blue lights sliced through the windows, the sound of Heavy boots thundered down the hall.
Dominic's eyes widened with shock, "No."
The front door burst open, and Federal agents poured in, weapons were holstered but their hands were firm, "Nova Lin," one barked, "you are under federal investigation for financial fraud and violations of security, Place your hands where we can see them."
For just second, her mind couldn't follow what was going on, "What? No, this is a mistake."
Dominic stepped forward instinctively, "Stop, this isn't right, She didn't do any of this."
But they did not listen, They continued with brutal efficiency, while snapping cold steel around her wrists, The weight and the sharp metallic nature made her stomach lurch.
"Dominic… " she choked, her voice was breaking,
His hands balled into fists, he started to feel Panic, he started to feel Rage, he started to feel Helplessness, "I swear… this isn't me."
Her breath hastened, her heart was pounding as the world drizzled around her, Through the daze, her eyes found his again, but then it drifted past him.
Victor,
He stood near the entrance, halfway hidden in the shadows, his face was pale and his features were stricken with something she couldn't name.
In his hand was something barely visible, it was a flash drive, it was Small and Unassuming, But she knew what it was,
It was Luke's, The key to it all, The last thread of truth that might still just save her,
Her breath hitched again as the agents pushed her toward the waiting car, The cold wind brushed through her skin, but she could barely feel it.
Her eyes met Victor's for the briefest of seconds,
And then they took her away,
The sirens blew into the night, drowning out everything else that was around.