Dominic and Mila were finally having a peaceful meal after the chaos, bloodshed, and fear.

The small dining table in the safe house was simple, but the warm food and quiet atmosphere made it feel comforting.

Dominic took another spoonful of the chicken soup and raised a brow.

"Mm... your cooking skills have improved," he remarked lazily. "Earlier, it was barely edible."

Mila instantly scowled. "Don’t lie. I’m good at cooking."

Dominic smirked mischievously. "Delusional."

Her eyes widened. "What do you mean by delusional?"

He scooped another spoon of soup, then ate the boiled vegetables. He pretended to analyze it seriously.

"The salt is acceptable." He nodded thoughtfully. "The vegetables survived somehow. The chicken didn’t poison me."

Mila gaped at him in disbelief.

Dominic shrugged. "Average at best."

Mila narrowed her eyes dangerously. "You are eating the third bowl."

"That’s because I’m starving," he replied shamelessly. "Not because the food is tasty."

"You..."

Unable to hold herself back anymore, she pinched his arm.

"Ouch..." Dominic’s face twisted instantly.

He sucked in a sharp breath and lowered his head, looking genuinely pained.

Mila froze. Her expression changed immediately.

"Oh no..." She hurried closer. "Did I touch your wound?"

Dominic pressed his lips tightly together and remained silent as if enduring unbearable pain.

Panic flooded Mila’s face. "I’m sorry," she said quickly. "I didn’t mean to hurt you."

Dominic continued breathing heavily, his brows tightly furrowed.

Mila became even more flustered. "Dominic..."

She touched his arm carefully. "Does it hurt too much?"

He still didn’t answer.

Her eyes slowly turned red. "I’m really sorry," she whispered shakily. "I didn’t mean to hurt you."

Dominic almost lost control at the sight of her guilt. But he forced himself to continue acting. He leaned back weakly and shut his eyes dramatically.

Mila’s heartbeat quickened. "Should I check your wound?" she asked anxiously. "Did the stitches open?"

Still no answer.

By now, tears had already gathered in her eyes. "Please say something..." Her voice trembled. "You are scaring me."

Dominic finally opened one eye slightly. The sight of her worried face warmed his chest instantly. At the same time, it amused him so much that he couldn’t suppress the slight curl of his lips anymore.

Mila stiffened. Her teary eyes narrowed slowly.

"You are smiling."

Dominic failed to hold back his grin.

Mila’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. "You are faking it!" she snapped. "How can you make fun of me like that?"

She immediately pulled away from him and crossed her arms over her chest, pouting angrily.

Dominic chuckled softly.

Alright, maybe he had teased her a little too much.

He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and pulled her closer.

"Alright," he coaxed gently. "I won’t tease you anymore."

Mila tried to remain upset, but his warmth weakened her resolve.

"I’m serious," he continued softly. "The food was tasty. I love it."

Her expression softened slightly, though she still tried to maintain her anger.

"Do you mean it?" she asked while glancing at him from the corner of her eyes.

"Yes." He smiled. "I’m fond of your cooking. And I wish to eat the food you cook for the rest of my life."

A tiny smile tugged at her lips despite herself.

Dominic caught it immediately. "There..." he murmured. "That smile suits you better."

He gently turned her toward him. "I can’t bear it when you act cold with me."

Mila finally broke into a bright smile. "I’m not upset anymore."

Dominic grinned and leaned closer, wanting to kiss her.

But Mila suddenly pressed her hands against his chest, stopping him.

"Promise me one thing, Dominic," she whispered.

The smile faded from her face. Worry slowly clouded her eyes again, and tears shimmered faintly within them.

"Promise me that you’ll never leave me."

Dominic’s expression softened immediately.

"You’ll keep yourself protected," she continued shakily. "For me... for us..."

For a moment, silence filled the room.

Then Dominic lifted his hand and gently caressed her cheek. He rested his forehead against hers.

"I promise," he whispered. "Dominic will never leave Mila."

He brushed a soft kiss against her lips.

"I told you already," he murmured. "And I’ll say it again. Even if I’m not beside you, I’ll still be watching over you, protecting you from the shadows."

Mila smiled through her tears. "I love you."

Dominic’s gaze turned impossibly tender. "Oh, sweetheart..."

He pulled her against his chest. "I love you too."

Then he lifted her chin gently and kissed her slowly.

Mila kissed him back immediately, her fingers clutching his shirt tightly.

His phone rang, interrupting their intimate moment.

Dominic glanced at the screen. The moment he saw Lucas’s name flashing there, the softness in his eyes disappeared instantly. His expression turned grim.

"I need to take this call."

He stood up and walked a few steps away.

Mila watched his back, her brows slowly knitting together. "I hope everything is okay," she murmured.

Dominic answered the call immediately.

"Hello?"

"Dominic, things aren’t good here," Lucas said anxiously from the other end. "Victor is dead. His gang is finished. But a problem occurred."

Dominic’s gaze sharpened instantly. "What problem?"

"Stephen betrayed us. He tried to kill me. I had no choice but to shoot him down."

Dominic’s jaw clenched tightly.

"And now that one of the core team members is dead, Mathias is furious," Lucas continued. "He is after all of us. He swore to wipe us out. We can’t keep fighting him. He is too powerful."

Dominic narrowed his eyes. He could already feel the danger looming over them.

"Our plan failed this time," Lucas added heavily. "We are finished, Dominic."

"As long as I’m alive, no one can finish us," Dominic replied coldly. "I promised Alejandro that I would avenge him. I finally know who is behind everything. I won’t stop now."

"But Mathias is beyond our reach," Lucas argued. "Defeating him is almost impossible."

"You can’t decide that without trying," Dominic snapped. "I’ll keep fighting until I complete my mission."

Determination burned fiercely in his eyes. "Go underground. Don’t show yourself until I contact you."

"What about you?" Lucas asked worriedly. "You are alone with Mila. And Victor already sent people to verify your death before he died. They may come after you."

"I know what to do," Dominic replied. "Take care of yourself. Tell everyone to disappear."

Silence lingered briefly.

Then Lucas spoke quietly. "I hope we meet again soon."

The call disconnected.

Dominic remained standing there for several moments, his grip tightening around the phone. His thoughts raced rapidly.

He wasn’t worried about himself. He was worried about Mila.

If anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself.

"Is everything okay?" Mila’s soft voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

He turned around slowly and met her worried gaze. Dominic tried to smile. But this time, he couldn’t.

He walked over to her and gently held her hands. "We need to leave."

Mila’s heart immediately sank at the seriousness in his tone.

"What happened?" she asked quickly. "Where is Lucas? He told me to stay here until he returned."

Fear slowly drained the color from her face. "Is he okay? Is he coming with us?"

"He is fine," Dominic reassured softly. "He knows how to survive. But we can’t stay here anymore. It’s not safe."

Mila didn’t waste another second. "Then let’s go."

She hurried into the bedroom and started packing immediately. This time, she stuffed the first-aid box into the bag along with medicines, toiletries, bottled water, and whatever food she could find.

Meanwhile, Dominic calmly checked the bullets in his gun.

A few minutes later, Mila came out with a bag slung over her shoulder. "I’m ready."

Dominic looked at her briefly, his expression still tense. "Let’s move."

Together, they left the safe house and got into the car.

The car sped down the lonely road surrounded by dense trees and endless darkness. For a while, only silence accompanied them.

Then Dominic’s gaze shifted toward the rearview mirror.

A black SUV was following them.

His expression darkened instantly. "Someone is after us."

Mila’s breath hitched. She turned around quickly and saw the black vehicle speeding behind them relentlessly.

"They found us so quickly," she whispered fearfully.

"Hold tight."

The moment the words left his mouth, Dominic slammed his foot on the accelerator. The car shot forward violently.

Mila gripped the handle above the door tightly as the outside scenery blurred into streaks.

But the black SUV didn’t fall behind. Instead, it accelerated as well.

Its headlights blazed menacingly behind them.

Bang

Gunfire exploded.

Mila screamed when the wing mirror beside her shattered instantly. Glass fragments scattered everywhere.

Dominic’s eyes turned ice-cold. He saw a masked man leaning out of the SUV window, firing continuously at them.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Dominic swerved sharply, narrowly dodging another bullet.

"Mila," he ordered sharply, "take the wheel."

She immediately nodded despite trembling.

Dominic climbed into the back seat and lowered the window. Then he fired back.

Bang

The enemy vehicle swerved slightly. But it continued chasing them aggressively.

The road curved dangerously through the forest while both cars raced like beasts.

Bullets tore through the air nonstop. One hit the back windshield. Another grazed the side of the car.

Mila’s hands shook on the steering wheel, but she forced herself to focus.

"We can lose them," she muttered desperately.

Dominic fired again.

One of the enemy shooters jerked backward after getting hit. But another immediately replaced him.

"Damn it," Dominic hissed.

The SUV suddenly rammed into their car from behind. The entire vehicle lurched violently.

Mila nearly lost control. Before she could steady the wheel, a bullet pierced the rear tire.

The tire exploded. The car spun violently across the road.

"Dominic," Mila screamed.

The vehicle lost control completely. Everything happened too fast.

The car skidded across the ground before crashing straight into a massive tree.

Boom

The impact was terrifying. Metal crumpled instantly. Glass shattered everywhere.

Mila’s head slammed hard against the window before darkness swallowed her consciousness.