Tenderness in the Dark

Rubbing her aching temples, Martha finally exhaled a long breath. "I'm worn out. I'll be staying right here for the rest of the month, so don't you dare cause any more drama."

Dominic gave a stiff nod. Before the night was over, he contacted Gavin and ordered him to bring in a fresh staff of strictly obedient servants.

When Dominic finally walked back toward the master suite, Asher was just stepping out into the hallway.

Being a doctor, Asher usually kept a relaxed demeanor. "I'm taking off now," he said, pausing briefly. "See to it that she gets plenty of uninterrupted sleep. Oh, and bring her by the hospital for a thorough checkup soon."

"Mm," Dominic replied with a brief nod.

Asher opened his mouth to add something else, but catching the dark, brooding expression on Dominic's face, he thought better of it and quickly headed out.

Stopping outside the master bedroom, Dominic rested his fingers against the doorknob. He stood there hesitating for several long seconds before finally pushing the door open.

The lighting inside was low. On the bed, Cleo lay completely still with her eyes shut, her face calm in sleep.

He pulled the door shut quietly behind him, though he didn't walk over to the bed right away. Instead, he stopped a few paces back and simply watched her.

A feverish flush colored Cleo's pale cheeks. Her long lashes trembled slightly against her skin, as if she were caught in the middle of an uneasy dream.

For a full half hour, Dominic stood rooted to the spot before finally reaching over to switch off the lights. Rather than climbing into bed beside her, he walked over to the window and dropped onto the couch.

Later in the night, trapped in a scorching, feverish haze, Cleo shifted restlessly. "Water," she rasped out, her voice barely a whisper. "Dominic, water..."

Through her blurred consciousness, she felt the cool rim of a cup press gently against her dry lips. She took a few weak sips, letting out a quiet breath as the burning heat inside her chest gradually began to subside.

*****

When morning came, Cleo blinked her eyes open and stared up at the familiar ceiling. Out of habit, she turned her head toward the other side of the mattress. The sheets there were completely untouched, though an empty cup was sitting on the nightstand beside her.

After three years of marriage, noticing little things like that had become second nature to her.

Sitting up right away, Cleo glanced at the clock and saw it was nearly six-thirty. She needed to go pick up Silas.

She rushed through washing up and getting dressed, then hurried down the stairs, only to freeze at the bottom when she spotted Martha sitting in the living room with the morning paper.

"Martha? What are you doing here..." Cleo asked under her breath, genuinely puzzled. Martha hated sleeping away from her own house, so why had she stayed over last night?

Lowering the newspaper, Martha pressed a hand to her chest and glared at her affectionately. "Do you have any clue how badly you frightened me last night? Collapsing out of nowhere like that! Cleo, you need to start looking after yourself properly. You aren't leaving this house without eating a full breakfast today."

Cleo shook her head. "I really have to get to work. I'm going to be late if I don't leave now."

"What's the name of the company?" Martha demanded. "I'll just have Dominic ring up your boss and ask to give you the day off."

Dropping her eyes, Cleo kept walking toward the front entrance. "There's no need for that. My boss treats me very well."

"Cleo, hold on! You haven't touched a bite of food," Martha called after her, before turning a sharp glare on Dominic at the table. "Why are you just sitting there? Go drive her to the office."

By the door, Cleo had already slipped into her shoes. Without sparing Dominic a single glance, she offered the older woman a small smile. "It's fine, Martha. I'm driving my boss's car over to pick him up anyway."

Once the door clicked shut, Martha was beside herself with worry. With Cleo's health in shambles and her skipping breakfast like this, what if she fainted on the road again?

Reaching under the table, she kicked Dominic hard in the shin. "Can't you at least bother to find out where your wife is working? She's never had a job in her life—what if someone out there tries to take advantage of her?"

"Cleo used to have the brightest smile on her face all the time," Martha went on, her voice heavy. "Over these last few years, she's turned so terribly quiet. I'm terrified people will just walk all over her out in the real world."

So everyone around them had noticed that Cleo barely smiled anymore, Dominic realized.

Staying in his seat, he let a flash of annoyance cross his face before remarking dryly, "Maybe you ought to go get a DNA test done. At this rate, I'm starting to think she's your actual granddaughter instead of me."

Clutching at her chest in anger, Martha sank back against her chair. "Your tongue is always so viciously sharp—it's no wonder at all that Cleo never smiles when she's stuck around you."

Pushing his chair back, Dominic stood up without touching a single thing on his plate. "Right," he shot back, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "It's entirely my fault she got sick. As if I held her down and forced her to starve herself."