#Chapter 100 Renee

It was odd to meet him here. I’d been to nicer restaurants. Yes, that was a recent development, but this didn't feel like a place Dominic would usually frequent. There was something about this one. It was tucked off a quiet cliffside highway and hidden behind high hedges and valet-only parking. The air was colder here, more remote, but heavier too. Thicker. The hostess led me to the private room with a smile too sweet to be sincere, and I stepped through the double doors with a tight breath. Dominic was already there, standing at the window with the lights dimmed low behind him. He was wearing all black, of course. A button-down shirt open at the collar, sleeves rolled to the elbows. His shoulders were tense, his jaw sharp in profile. I’d expected his usual confidence, maybe even a bit of charm. Instead, all I felt was pain. All I saw in him was this bone deep agony that he was just choosing to push through. It hit me before he even turned around. A pressure, an ache, like the wa