Lingering Presence

Morning sunlight filtered through the heavy hotel drapes, pulling Dominic from a deep, oblivious sleep.

Habit took the wheel before his conscious mind could catch up. His arm reached out, blindly hauling the warm figure beside him flush against his chest. He buried his face in her hair, entirely stripped of his usual defenses.

"Tonight was great, Vivienne," he murmured against her skin, pressing a lingering kiss to her forehead.

His eyelids fluttered open. The face resting against his shoulder belonged to Monica. A sudden, violent jolt of adrenaline slammed into his chest, snapping him fully awake. Thank God her eyes were closed. His lungs seized for a second before he allowed a silent, shallow exhale to escape. Why the hell was Vivienne his first instinct?

He took in the sterile, unfamiliar luxury of the suite, reality settling heavily over him. They had spent the entire night here. Vivienne was at the house.

"Hey baby, good morning," a soft voice broke through his spiraling thoughts.

He blinked, forcing his features neutral as Monica shifted upward.

"Morning. How was your night?" he asked.

"It was fine. Last night was splendid," she smiled, perfectly masking the sharp sting of the wrong name she had distinctly heard moments ago. "Thank you for spending time with me. I can't wait to finally live with you, Dominic."

She traced a finger along his chest, her tone calculatingly sweet. "No more hiding. We don't have to keep things a secret now that you divorced Vivienne. We get to raise this baby together, as a family."

It worked flawlessly. The mere mention of the pregnancy instantly dissolved his lingering tension. The confusion ebbed, replaced by a surge of protective instinct. He hooked an arm around her waist, dragging her back against him and pressing a deliberate kiss to her temple.

"Just give me a little more time," he assured her, his voice steadying. "You can move in, Monica, but I need time to handle my family. I called off the meeting with my father yesterday because of your visit."

A slight frown marred her features. Seeing the shift, Dominic adjusted his grip, wrapping his arms securely around her body.

"It won't take long," he insisted smoothly. "You know the situation. My father loved Vivienne so much. I have to tread carefully and convince him that you are the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with."

Monica nodded slowly, though a faint sliver of insecurity remained lodged beneath his reassurances. She wrapped her arms tightly around him.

"I wish we could stay like this forever, Dominic. I love you so much."

Their quiet bubble shattered instantly at the harsh buzzing of his cell phone on the nightstand.

Dominic glanced at the illuminated screen, spotting his assistant's name. He slid out of the bed and picked it up.

"Sir, it's about your wife," Carter started, hesitating briefly before correcting his own phrasing. "Your ex-wife."

Carter had personally delivered the final settlement papers. He had handed them over to the lawyers after Vivienne signed, so he knew exactly where things stood. He just despised every second of it. He could never understand why Dominic pushed away a woman as fiercely kind and devoted as Vivienne, only to hide Monica in the shadows for months.

"Baby, it's work. I'll be back," Dominic whispered.

Monica offered a brief nod, and Dominic turned his back, stepping into the privacy of the tiled bathroom.

"Talk to me, Carter. What's going on with Vivienne?" he demanded.

"Earlier today, I went to give her a copy of the divorce agreement and the property files you transferred to her name," Carter reported, his tone entirely clinical. "She's gone."

Dominic frowned, a flare of genuine confusion hitting him. "What?"

"She is gone, sir. All her belongings are still here, but she isn't in the building."

Dominic let out a harsh scoff, dragging a heavy palm down the length of his face. She had actually packed up and left without telling him. The entire reason he brought Monica to this hotel yesterday was to give Vivienne breathing room, ensuring she wouldn't feel cornered into running off immediately. The irony frustrated him.

He shoved a hand through his hair. As he pulled the phone slightly away to check the time, a missed notification caught his eye.

He tapped the screen. It was a debit alert from the previous evening: five thousand dollars processed at the Crestview Hotel. He had been completely preoccupied with Monica and missed it. But right beneath it sat a fresh, glaring banner.

Another deduction. Ten thousand dollars pulled at Sky Transit Airport.

"Airport?" The word punched out of Dominic's chest in a ragged exhale. His brain hit a sudden, absolute wall.

"Sir, are you still there?" Carter’s voice leaked through the earpiece, breaking the heavy silence after a full minute.

The paralysis shattered. Pure, unadulterated panic ripped through Dominic, entirely foreign and overwhelming.

"Block the airport immediately," Dominic barked, his voice carrying a frantic edge he couldn't control. "My wife is leaving the country. When you find her, do not fucking let her leave."

He didn't even register the slip of the title. All logic had evaporated. Just yesterday he wanted her out of the picture to make room for Monica, yet the reality of her disappearing without a single word or goodbye felt like a brutal physical blow. A sharp ache spread across his chest at the agonizing realization that her love for him might not have been as unbreakable as she claimed.

He shoved the bathroom door open and sprinted across the bedroom carpet, snatching his discarded shirt. He dragged the fabric over his torso in a chaotic rush.

"What's wrong?" Monica asked, watching his erratic movements.

"I need to sort out an urgent crisis, Monica," he threw the words over his shoulder.

He didn't bother looking back as he bolted out of the hotel room, leaving her alone as he raced into the hallway.