Chapter 3
Caleb was discharged two days later.
Dominic did not take him to the Marino estate.
Laura objected before he could suggest it.
“He stays with me.”
Dominic started to answer.
Then stopped.
Laura’s apartment was smaller.
Less secure.
No private gates.
No staff.
No family members walking in as if every door belonged to them.
For the moment, that made it safer.
“Okay.”
Laura blinked.
She had expected an argument.
Dominic noticed.
That hurt too.
He had never believed himself controlling.
But people around him were clearly accustomed to preparing for resistance whenever they made decisions he did not like.
Caleb slept most of the afternoon.
Dominic remained in Laura’s kitchen reviewing messages.
He had requested every text Evelyn had sent Rebecca about Caleb over the previous two years.
Rebecca initially hesitated.
Then Tyler told her Grandma sometimes made him say Caleb was “not a real Marino.”
That ended her loyalty.
The messages were ugly.
Not overtly criminal.
Not even always direct.
Tyler needs to understand his place.
Dominic is distracted.
Laura will eventually leave.
When that happens, Tyler needs to be the boy Dominic can rely on.
One message stood out.
It was eleven months old.
If Dominic formalizes things with Laura, everything changes.
Dominic read it twice.
He and Laura had discussed marriage around that time.
They also discussed something else.
Dominic had begun restructuring his legitimate businesses.
He wanted to place several assets into a long-term trust for Caleb.
At the time, Evelyn objected.
She said five was too young.
Dominic reminded her Caleb was four then.
She argued that trusts created “expectations.”
Dominic thought she meant spoiled-child expectations.
Now he was not sure.
He called his estate attorney, Andrew Sloan.
“Did my mother ever contact you about Caleb?”
A pause.
“Yes.”
Dominic’s grip tightened.
“When?”
“Several times.”
“What did she ask?”
“Whether a child’s rights changed if paternity was disputed.”
Dominic looked toward Laura.
She saw his face.
Andrew continued.
“I told her a biological dispute would not automatically undo legal parentage or estate planning.”
“Why did she ask?”
“She said she was concerned you were moving too quickly.”
“With what?”
“The trust.”
May you like
There it was.
The first clear connection between Evelyn’s blood obsession and money.
