I swallow hard, eyes stinging. Right now, Dom’s not my brother. He’s our parents—cold, angry, and controlling.
“He’s not himself. If I can get to him first, without you, I think I can fix this. But you have to let me do it on my own, Jace. He doesn’t need to see us together right now.”
His jaw flexes, his body vibrating with restraint. I see the war in his eyes—his obsessive need to follow me, but also his trust in me that I can fight for him too.
I cup his face, standing on my toes, and he leans down to meet me halfway until our foreheads touch, breath to breath.
“Please…” I whisper. “Let me fix this. Let me calm him down. Then we’ll deal with it together. Let me do this, Jace.”
He exhales, long and sharp. His hands slide down my arms, gripping my wrists.
“You come back to me.” It’s not a request.
I nod, kissing his lips, one hand pressing over his heart.
“I’ll come back to you.”
Then I tear myself away and walk out the door.
The car door slams shut, and Dominic is already walking. His strides are sharp, each footstep clipped and furious as he marches up the driveway toward the house. The weight of silence follows him like a shadow—loud and unbearable.
I have to jog to catch up.
“Dom!”
He doesn’t slow down, doesn’t turn.
“Dominic, please!”
Still nothing. Just that silence that feels like it’s crushing my chest.
“You won’t even talk to me?”
His hand balls into a fist at his side, but he stops walking.
“I know you’re angry.” My voice breaks. “I know you’re disgusted. But you can’t shut me out like this.”
We’re halfway to the front door when he finally speaks.
“After what I saw?” He doesn’t turn around when he says it. “I think it’s best if I do exactly that.”
Then he opens the front door and steps inside. I watch him walk farther in, and for the first time in a long time, I don’t know how to reach my brother.
Yet, I follow fast, the echo of my boots thudding against the marble floor.
“You have to talk to me!” I snap, my voice ringing off the vaulted ceiling like a warning shot.
He stops and turns, his eyes cold.
“What do you want me to say, Melody?” There’s no fire in it—just frost and distance.
“I want you to stop acting like Jace and I murdered someone,” I shoot back, stepping into his space. “I can’t believe you’re this angry because I found someone I’m in love with.”
“You’ve known him for two fucking weeks!” he explodes, his voice shaking the walls.
“That’s where you’re completely wrong,” I bite. “I’ve been talking to Jace for almost a year.”
The silence is heavy and suffocating. Dom blinks once, and his jaw ticks.
