'Dominic. From this day forward, you and I are done. We will never see each other again.'
The next day, at the Family's private clinic on the Upper East Side.
"Dominic, is our baby okay?"
Meeting Daniela's pitiful, anxious eyes, Dominic immediately pulled her into his arms, speaking to her in a soft, reassuring voice.
"The doctor said the baby is perfectly healthy. No signs of trauma from what happened yesterday."
"That's such a relief," she breathed out, her voice trembling slightly. Her hand drifted to rest over her stomach, fingers splayed in that careful, practiced way she had perfected, always when he was watching.
"I saw how serious and quiet you've been ever since we arrived. I thought something was wrong with the baby."
Her unintentional comment made Dominic pause.
An uncontrollable image surfaced in his mind: standing amidst roaring flames, Seraphina stared back at him with eyes as cold as ice.
Frowning, he pulled out his phone and reopened his messages. There was still no reply. Not even a word from her.
It annoyed him. No. It infuriated him.
After all, no matter how cold or neglectful he'd been in the past, Seraphina had always come when he called. Always giving in. The way people in this world always answered when the Don summoned them.
But now? Now she had the nerve to ignore him?
He let out a bitter, humorless laugh. The sound was quiet enough that the two soldiers stationed outside the clinic door exchanged a glance but said nothing.
Silently, he escorted Daniela out of the physician's wing, took her to a quiet restaurant the Family owned on Mulberry Street, made sure she got home safely with a driver and an armed escort, and only then headed to the social club.
The moment he stepped through the back entrance, Marco Benedetti fell into step beside him.
"Boss. Don Salvatore has returned to the country. He's called an emergency sit-down with all the Capos in the back room. They're waiting."
Without much reaction, Dominic turned and began walking toward the meeting room. His silver Zippo appeared in his hand, turning end over end between his fingers in that slow, meditative rhythm.
As he walked, he instructed casually, "Buy a few of the latest luxury handbags and some jewelry. The high-end pieces."
Marco nodded, checking his watch with a brief, mechanical glance before giving a single nod.