A Divorce He Regrets

Chapter 261:

We hadn’t heard anything about Faith yet. She was still missing. And I was useless, locked away like a child while God-knows-what was happening to her.

Time stretched endlessly. I didn’t know how long I sat there, curled up against the door, sobbing until my body felt hollow.

Then, finally, footsteps echoed outside the door—slow and labored, as if the person on the other side was fighting with himself. My breath caught as my swollen eyes darted toward the shadow that passed beneath the doorframe. I swallowed the lump in my throat, forcing out the only name I could hold on to.

“Dom,” I whispered, my voice raw and barely audible, scraping against the silence like something broken. “Please.”

There was a pause, heavy and stifling. For a moment, I thought he might give in, that he might finally let me go. But then came his voice, low and husky, thick with regret.

“I can’t, Raina.”

I swallowed hard, my fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt tightly. “Please,” I begged. “Let me go. I— I have to go. You know I do.”

Dom sighed. “As much as I hate seeing you like this…” His voice wavered, as if this was hurting him just as much. “If this is what it takes to keep you safe, then so be it.”

“Dom—”

“I’m sorry, Raina.”

And then, he was gone.

I buried my face in my hands, my whole body trembling. It was then that my phone buzzed.

I almost didn’t answer it. I was too exhausted to care. But something compelled me to reach for it, my hands trembling as I turned it over.

My heart stopped beating.

Nathan.

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My stomach churned terribly. That couldn’t be possible. I’d blocked every cell number he’d ever used to contact me.

But there it was. One single message.

Faith won’t make it if you wait for Dominic. You have to act now. Tell me, Raina—who do you think Dominic would choose if it came down to it? You or his beloved wife?

My blood ran cold. I shook my head, gripping the phone so tightly my knuckles turned white. My breathing came in short, ragged gasps.

Dom would do anything to bring Faith home. I didn’t doubt that for a second. But I couldn’t ask him not to hesitate—not to wrestle with his conscience—if it ever came down to a choice between me and his wife. And that was exactly why I couldn’t put him in that position.

I shut my eyes, my head spinning. There was only one way to end this. I had to go to Nathan myself. Faith had a baby to live for.

She needed to come home.

My throat constricted. And what about me? Ava. Liam.

Their faces flashed in my mind—Ava’s sweet giggle, Liam’s quiet but knowing gaze.

What would they do if I were gone? How would they feel, knowing their mother had left them? That their father would have to be the one to tell them she wasn’t coming back?

Tears burned my eyes, blurring the dim light filtering through the room. A bolt of pain shot through my chest, making it harder to breathe, harder to think. I wrapped my arms tightly around myself and rocked gently back and forth, shaking my head, as if denying the motion could somehow push away the reality. No. No. I would find a way. I had to. I couldn’t lose them. I couldn’t let them lose me. But I also couldn’t let Faith die.

Nathan wasn’t bluffing. I knew him too well. I knew how he worked—twisting people into his games, setting the rules only to break them when it suited him. I could go to him, negotiate, buy time. I could make sure Faith got home safely before I figured out how to get back myself. Because I would get back. I had to.

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