Crushed Affections (Dominic and Bella)

Before Ethan could finish speaking, his face froze as he spotted Dominic. The atmosphere turned awkward, and he was completely lost for words.

Bella's gaze landed on the container in Ethan's hand, and her mind went blank. These two had bumped into each other at the worst possible moment. To ease Ethan's embarrassment, she quickly jumped in. "You brought me something to eat? I thought you'd be asleep by now." Ethan awkwardly seized the opportunity to explain, opening the container to reveal a batch of steaming lasagna. "My mom made it. I figured you might be hungry since you were working late, so I brought you some. I should've called to check if you had already had dinner. I didn't know someone else had already taken care of that."

Doing her best to ignore Dominic's darkening expression, Bella forced a smile and tried to act naturally. "No worries, I can finish it. Thanks a lot! You should head back and get some rest. I'll wash the container and return it to you later." Ethan nodded and waved at her. "Alright, I'll get going, then. Bye!"

The moment Ethan left, Dominic's temper flared. He kicked the door of the duty room and strode over, grabbing Bella's hand before she could take another bite. "How many knights in shining armor are lining up for you?" Cold sweat broke out of Bella's forehead, though she couldn't quite understand why she felt guilty.

"I didn't know he would show up! He's just a colleague, and bringing lasagna for me isn't a crime, right? He knew I was alone and sent me food. But here you are, showing up in the middle of the night to yell at me."

Dominic was momentarily speechless, his frustration evident. After a pause, he finally said, "Who's yelling at you? Someone like you wouldn't survive one punch from me. Now, hurry up and eat! And stay away from the lasagna." Bella scoffed internally as she pushed the container of lasagna toward him. "Fine, since I can't eat it, you try it instead. It's homemade. We can't let it go to waste, right?"

Dominic turned his head away. "No thanks. I don't eat that kind of stuff."

Undeterred, Bella picked up a spoonful and held it to his mouth. "Come on, it smells amazing. I think it's mushroom and beef. My mom used to make lasagna like this when I was little. I still miss that taste."

Dominic initially resisted, but for some reason, he suddenly gave in and took a small bite. He didn't comment, he just adjusted his collar and said, "I'm leaving. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning. If you like it, go ahead and eat it."

With that, he turned and left without another word.

Bella stared at the half-eaten lasagna and got lost in thoughts. She had mentioned her mother, and it seemed to have hit a sore spot for him.

The next morning, Dominic was

already waiting outside the hospital when Bella's shift ended. She had him drive her back to her apartment. Honestly, if Dominic hadn't brought food the night before, she wouldn't have accepted Ethan's offering. She only did it to avoid embarrassing him.

Bella didn't like owing favors, so she decided to return Ethan's container along with a small gift for his family as a way of saying thanks. Dominic didn't seem bothered by her actions. He probably understood that clearing the slate now was the best way to avoid any unnecessary entanglements. When they arrived at Miller Manor, Bella greeted Sylvia and settled into a chair, trying to fight off the heavy pull of sleep.

In the end, she let Dominic have his way. It was clear she couldn't win against him.

Noticing her constant yawning, Dominic said calmly, "I'll let Sylvia make you something to eat. Then, you can go take a nap in my room. I'll wake you up for dinner."