The Devil Who Claimed Me

Mila dragged her fingers on his chest. The wound along his rib had started to heal nicely. She gently touched it.

"When I met you, I never thought we would end up like this," she continued slowly. "You were just a stranger who was wounded, in need. As a doctor, I couldn’t let you die there. So I took in."

Her hand moved to his arm, where gauze was still wrapped. She skimmed her fingertips over the bandage.

Dominic’s muscles in his arm twitched a little. The pain was still there, dull but present.

"But I have to admit this. I was attracted to you on the first day."

At that, Dominic looked at her. It wasn’t that he had not noticed her lingering stares, those deliberate brushes of her fingers on his body. But he had ignored everything, pretending not to notice it.

Hearing her confess it now stirred something possessive inside him.

It meant she had not chosen him to get even with Ethan, to show him that she had moved on. She had not used him to fill the void, to distract herself from the pain of heartbreak. It was because she had been attracted to him.

Mila paused her fingers on the bullet mark on his shoulder. "Why do you have this mark?"

Dominic’s expression shifted again. Before he could think of any reply, she asked, "Were you involved in something dangerous?"

For the first time in a long time, he felt this nervous energy. No excuse formed in his mind.

"Maybe you were a cop," she speculated. "Or a veteran army officer."

Amusement flickered in his eyes. "Why a cop or an army officer? I could be a mafia king, a dangerous one."

At the mention of a mafia king, she remembered what Lara had told her last night. "Uh, Lara told me about a young, handsome mafia king. Sadly, he was killed. According to the rumors, someone close to him betrayed him."

She gave him a mocking stare. "Maybe he is not dead. It’s just a hoax. Maybe he has survived and is hiding somewhere."

This was exactly what had happened.

Dominic could have died in that accident if Mila had not appeared in time and pulled him out of the car. Since then, he had been hiding in her place, faking amnesia.

But things had changed now. They had crossed a line. Emotions had tangled. Lying to her no longer felt strategic. It felt wrong as if he had been sinning.

"Suppose I’m that mafia king," he said cautiously to check her reaction.

She laughed. "Yes, and I am your queen." She dismissed it as a joke. "Listen." She placed a hand on his cheek. "Your amnesia needs proper treatment. I know a specialist. He is good. I’m sure he can help you recover your memory. Come with me tomorrow."

Dominic stared at her for a moment, the restless energy coursing through him. "So you want me to remember my past. What if there is danger in my past? My identity could be shady, someone with a murky background."

Mila waved a hand dismissively. She sat up, pulling the blanket over her. "I know why you are saying this. You are afraid that going to a hospital will expose you, that someone will come after you. But this time, I’m not listening to anything."

Her voice was firm, as if she had already made up her mind. "I can’t let you ignore your condition. You are seeing a doctor, and that’s final."

He was silent, his mind racing with doubts and questions.

Her gaze softened. She reached out and held his hand. "I know you are worried. But trust me. You will be safe. We aren’t going to a hospital. He runs a high-end clinic with every facility. Tests will be conducted there, and it’ll be confidential. If anything suspicious happens, we’ll call the police."

The more she ignored his question, the more restless he grew. He pressed further. "What if I were running from the cops? What will you do if you learn that I am the mafia king everyone believes is dead?"

Mila said nothing for a while. But her expression said that she was displeased. "This is not funny anymore. I’m trying to help you, and you keep joking with me. You can’t be that man, okay?"

Dominic narrowed his eyes, puzzled. How could she be so sure? Had she really believed those rumors?

"My friend is a journalist. She won’t spread fake news. He is dead already. And you aren’t a criminal. You can’t be."

The finality in her words caught him off guard. He started to think if Lucas was true.

"Criminals are ruthless, manipulative, and deceitful – just like Ethan and Bianca," Mila continued. "One is the man I loved for five years, and the other one is my half-sister. They deceived me and were planning to snatch everything from me. They are wolves disguised as sheep. But you – you are kind, helpful, and protective – nothing like a criminal. You have emotions; you aren’t heartless."

Dominic twitched his lips slightly. ’People call me heartless monster, a merciless devil,’ he recalled. ’You will definitely hate me if you learn who I actually am.’

At the time, Lucas’ warning replayed in the back of his mind as if someone had just played a recorder.

’Don’t get emotionally involved with her. A woman like her will never accept our world. She will hate you once she knows your true identity.’

Dominic’s fingers curled into balls. ’It’s too late to regret,’ he muttered to himself. ’She is already mine and will remain mine. It doesn’t matter whether she hates me or not.’

Mila leaned onto his chest. "Please come with me for a check-up tomorrow – at least to put me at ease."

Dominic found himself nodding. "Alright. I’ll come with you."

Her face lit up with a grin, happy and relieved.

Dominic wrapped an arm around her. "It’s late now. You should sleep."

Mila fell asleep soon, but Dominic couldn’t. He knew his time of hiding had come to an end. The moment he stepped into any medical facility, Marco would know he was still alive.

They would plan an attack. And Dominic wouldn’t put Mila into danger.

He slowly slipped out of the bed, making sure his movement didn’t disturb her sleep. He came into the guest room and dialed Lucas.

"Listen carefully," he said in a hushed tone as soon as the call was answered. "I need to relocate to a secure place. Soon."

"What happened?" Lucas sounded worried. "Any suspicious activities?"

"I’ll explain later. We can’t be here anymore. Prepare the island."

Lucas didn’t question him back. Instead, he agreed readily. "I’ll arrange it. Give me some time."