Chapter 4 - The Gilded Cage Breaks
Dominic walked into the master bedroom, where Evelyn was awake, propped up against the pillows. She looked slightly better after the fluids, but the transparent paleness of her skin remained terrifying. She saw the grim expression on his face and sighed.
"You look like you’re preparing for a war, Dominic," she said softly.
Dominic sat on the edge of the bed, taking her hand. It felt incredibly small, cold, and fragile. For the first time in their seven years of marriage, he didn't try to project an aura of invincibility.
"I found a match," he said.
Evelyn stared at him, her lips parting in disbelief. "What? How? Dr. Reed said it could take months, if ever..."
"Volkov has a donor," Dominic explained, keeping his voice gentle. "I’m trading the Boston territory for her. The paperwork is being drawn up by Marcus right now."
Instead of relief, a look of profound horror washed over Evelyn’s face. She pulled her hand away from his grip. "No. No, Dominic! You can't do that."
"Evelyn, it's done. I don't care about the territory—"
"It's not about the territory!" she cried out, her voice cracking with emotion. "Don't you see what you’re doing? You’re using the same old methods. Violence, extortion, human trafficking! You’re trading human lives like currency to save mine. If that girl is Volkov’s hostage, she’s not donating out of the goodness of her heart. She’s being forced into an operating room so you can fulfill your obsession with keeping me alive!"
"I am saving your life!" Dominic shouted, his temper flaring before he caught himself. He took a deep breath, forcing his voice down. "I don't care about the ethics of Victor Volkov, Evelyn. I care about your heart beating. I care about you breathing."
"And what happens when Volkov takes Boston?" Evelyn argued, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. "He will use those ports to bring in heavier drugs, human trafficking, weapons. More people will die, Dominic. Families will be destroyed so I can live another year. I won't do it. I will refuse the transplant."
Dominic stood up, staring at her in absolute shock. "You would rather die than let me save you?"
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"I would rather die than be saved by a monster who uses human suffering as currency!" she sobbed, burying her face in her hands. "You still don't get it. You haven't changed. You found out I have cancer, and your immediate instinct wasn't to hold me or ask me how I feel—it was to go out and threaten the world until it gave you what you wanted. You’re not fighting for me, Dominic. You’re fighting for your own control."
The words sliced through Dominic like a razor. He stood frozen in the middle of the luxurious bedroom, realizing that even when he was willing to sacrifice his empire, his methods were still poisoning the woman he loved.
