Dominic I told her to stay away, a calculated, cold dismissal meant to protect the one flicker of light in my world of shadows. My empire demanded brutality, a ceaseless cycle of violence and retribution; there was no room for distraction. Yet every neck snapped in the night and every deal struck in hushed tones became a haunting refrain whispering her name - Penelope. My self-imposed exile from her deepened the gnawing void within me until my peace hinged on stolen glances across crowded rooms and illicit moments tracking her from the periphery. She was my sanctuary, a dangerous paradox I could neither possess nor forget. I was on the edge of oblivion, and thoughts of her were the only tether to sanity I had left. Penelope He banished me from his life like a phantom, his words an icy dagger straight through my heart. He thought his darkness could consume my light as if I were a moth carelessly spiraling into the flame. But what Dominic didn't understand was I already knew the contours of his shadow; I had touched it, tasted it, and still, I wanted more. He was my dark fairytale, the enigma that held me captive even as he pushed me away. I saw him sometimes, a lurking presence at the edge of my world - close enough to haunt me, too far to touch. My heart yearned for him even as it bled because the cruel irony was even in his absence, Dominic Lucas remained my only refuge in a world I wanted no parts of without him. This is part two of a two part duet. In this ObsessionRelentless PursuitRead the Forbidden Obsession prelude first to witness Dominic and Penelope's first meeting.