Chapter 10 - The Last Train HomeThree weeks later, the spring sun was finally melting the last patches of snow off the grass outside the veterinary clinic in the city. The sign on the door read OPEN, and the bell chimed cheerfully as the morning breeze swept through the reception area.
My mother’s third round of immunotherapy had been successfully completed at a private facility upstate, all bills settled through a quiet, untraceable wire transfer that I no longer bothered questioning. My student loans were paid in full. My life was safe, predictable, and quiet once more.
Except for one thing.
The black German Shepherd sitting quietly beside the front desk, resting her chin on my sneakers while the receptionist stroked her ear without a single sign of hesitation.
The door behind me opened, the familiar scent of ozone, rain, and sandalwood filling the room.
I didn't turn around immediately. I finished filing the last invoice on my clipboard, set it down on the counter, and finally looked up.
Roman stood in the doorway, dressed in a simple charcoal coat, his hands tucked into his pockets, his grey eyes watching me with that familiar, intense gravity. He didn't look like a mob boss anymore; he looked like a man who had finally finished a very long, very bloody war.
"She looks healthy," Roman said, nodding toward Luna.
"She passed her final behavioral assessment yesterday," I replied, crossing my arms and leaning against the front desk. "No flinching. No reactivity. She's ready to be adopted out to a permanent home."
Roman raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"
"Yeah." I smiled slightly, my heart doing a strange, familiar little flip in my chest. "Though rumor has it, the owner who dropped her off never officially signed the surrender papers."
Roman took two steps forward, stopping just inches from where I stood. He reached out, his warm fingers brushing softly against my wrist—right where the leather lead had left its mark weeks ago.
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"Some things," Roman said quietly, his gaze locked onto mine, "aren't meant to be surrendered."
Luna gave a soft, happy thump of her tail against the floor, and for the first time in my life, I didn't want to run away.
