"Still upset you didn't die?"
Dominic's voice broke through my thoughts.
He entered the room, his expression unreadable, his gaze steady but distant. He moved the way he always moved through the estate, as though every room belonged to him and every person in it existed at his discretion.
Only then did I realize that I had sighed again just moments earlier.
He walked toward me, his tone curt, controlled.
"Did you take your meds? Next time you run into something you're allergic to, don't be stupid enough to swallow it."
There was a pause.
He reached out, his hand hovering in the air for a brief second, as if he intended to touch me.
But he stopped himself.
Something in his expression shifted, hesitation creeping in. His signet ring was perfectly still on his finger.
It had been too long.
The distance between us was no longer something a simple gesture could bridge.
In the end, he lowered his hand and pulled it back.
"Dominic," I said quietly, my voice calm and steady despite everything, "I'm sorry. I made Celeste vomit again."
The apology came easily.
It always did.