The tension snapped.
"I'm trying to protect you," Dominic said.
"By shutting me out?" Ava shot back. "That's not protection—that's control."
His jaw tightened.
"You think I don't see what's happening?" she continued. "You let me in just enough to keep me close, but not enough to trust me."
"That's not true."
"Then prove it."
Silence.
Heavy. Thick. Unavoidable.
Dominic stepped closer, his voice quieter now.
"You want the truth?"
"Yes."
He hesitated.
Then—
"I've made enemies, Ava. Powerful ones. The kind that don't forgive, don't forget. If they see you as important to me—"
"They'll use me," she finished.
"Yes."
Her chest tightened.
"And am I important to you?"
That question…
It broke whatever control he had left.
Dominic cupped her face gently, his voice barely above a whisper.
"You already know the answer."