Free Las Vegas Sidewinders: Dominic by Kat Mizera Page A

felt
prettier than she had in years.
    It was like that for the
rest of the day. They went from store to store buying the essentials, and it
was like starting completely from scratch. They bought underwear and bras, a
couple of casual tops, shorts, capris, sandals, and a pair of yoga pants with a
matching top. Then they found sneakers and socks, plus hair accessories and
every toiletry from deodorant to razors and shaving cream.
    By the time they stopped for
lunch, Molly was exhausted. “I can’t shop anymore!” she groaned. “This is more
than I’ve owned in my whole life!”
    “Didn’t your husband even
let you buy clothes?”
    “In the beginning, I got
things now and then, and I’ve had to buy a few things in the last few years
because I’ve put on weight; but up until five years ago, I was wearing the same
clothes I had in high school.”
    “How is that possible?”
    “My parents passed away in a
car accident right after we got married, I don’t have any siblings, and Tim
scared away all my other relatives. I have a cousin in Ohio. and my mother’s
sister is in Texas, but I never hear from them anymore.” She sighed heavily. “I
don’t know how I will ever repay you for today.”
    “We’ll have more days like
this,” Suze promised. “After your face heals, we’ll go get makeovers! Then
we’ll get manicures and pedicures.”
    “I’ve never had any of
those,” Molly confided. “I always did my own nails when I was younger, and then
I stopped doing even that. I stopped caring a long time ago about how I look.
Subconsciously, I figured if I was ugly he would leave me alone.”
    “You’re not ugly. And you’re
going to be okay now. We’re going to take care of you.”
    “I don’t understand why,”
Molly said helplessly. “I understand that you guys are all wealthy, and the
money you spent today is probably just a drop in the bucket for you, but why me ?”
    “Because Dom lights up when
he talks about you,” said Suze. “I’ve never seen him like this before—not even
in college. I mean, I don’t know what’s going on with you two, but—”
    “Nothing!” Molly looked
horrified. “God, I’ll be forty in July and he’s 28! I’m old and fat, and he’s
young and…” She stopped abruptly.
    “…Hot?” Suze supplied with a
giggle.
    “ Really, really hot ,”
Molly murmured before clapping a hand over her mouth. “Oh, my God, did I say
that? I’m still married!”
    “I’m thinking you’re not,
really. I mean, I guess you are, legally, but you need to find out what you can
do to change that.”
    “He’s never going to give me
a divorce.”
    “Molly, it’s time for you to
take back your life. He can’t keep doing this to you. Not only is it illegal,
you’re terrified of him. Why not grab some happiness while you have a chance?”
    “Because at the end of the
day, I have nothing to give back.”
    “Not everything is about giving
and taking. We’re giving because we can, and because we want to. Dom seems
drawn to you, and for the first time since Brian died, there’s hope in his eyes
again. He’s a really special guy—absolutely a guy I would go out with if I
wasn’t married!”
    “He seems wonderful,” Molly
agreed.
    “He is. I’ve never seen him
angry except on the ice. Every once in a while, he just loses it, and you can
tell when it’s about to happen. Something in the way he moves changes, and he’s
charging down the ice like a lunatic. Then it’s over and it’s like the fight
literally drains out of him—you can see it happening.”
    “He hurts,” Molly said
simply. “And sometimes, when you hurt that way, you just need release. The day
he and Cody found me, I was begging for Tim to kill me… not because I’m
suicidal, but because at some point you just want the pain to stop. That day,
I’d had enough. I guess when Dom has enough, he goes out and does whatever he
does. Until you’ve experienced the kind of pain that makes you want to die,