Submitting to my Ex Uncle-Chapter 219

Celeste blinked. "Oh, sweetheart, it’s not that I don’t—"

Another voice cut in, "Is it because he’s too tall?"

"No, silly," another girl said. "It’s because he’s scary sometimes. Like when he frowns when Walker gives him bad news."

Celeste bit back a laugh, her lips twitching. "He’s not scary," she said gently. "He just... looks serious when he’s thinking."

Dominic smirked. "You hear that?" he murmured to the children, his tone playful. "Your Miss Celeste thinks about me enough to know how I look when I’m thinking."

The collective "Oooooh!" that followed nearly shook the room.

Celeste’s eyes widened. "Dominic!"

"She does like you!" one of them declared.

"She does, she does!" another echoed.

"Miss Celeste, say yes!"

Dominic folded his arms, his smile deepening. "Seems I’ve got witnesses now."

Celeste’s jaw dropped slightly. "You planned this, didn’t you?"

He gave a quiet, satisfied hum. "You wound me." He let out a satisfied smile. "I’d never manipulate children."

"They’re practically interrogating me." She said lightly. However, she wasn’t complaining.

He leaned closer. His hand ached to wrap themselves around her waist, and pull her close. However, he doesn’t want to give the kids another reason to ask her more questions. He knows her so well to know that she wasn’t used to talking too much at once, and she’d be exhausted the moment they left.

"And you’re handling it beautifully." He empowered her.

Celeste exhaled sharply through her nose, trying very hard not to smile. "Dominic, I..."

"Miss Celeste!" Ruby’s voice cut through the laughter.

Celeste turned toward her, and the room fell silent for a heartbeat. Ruby’s small hand lifted slightly, her bracelet catching the light again.

"Do you love him?" she asked.

The question landed with extreme softness. Celeste’s lips parted, words lost before they could form.

Every eye in the room was on her. Even Dominic didn’t move. His gaze held hers, steady, quiet, and searching.

Celeste’s throat felt dry. Her heart thudded against her ribs in a way she could no longer pretend to ignore.

"I..." she started, but her voice trailed. She looked at Ruby’s shaved head, her pale cheeks, and the glow of life in her eyes despite the tubes that framed her small body.

"Yes," she said softly, fondly touching Ruby’s cheek. "I love him."

The kids gasped. A wave of awe and excitement filling the hall.

"She said it!"

"She loves him!"

"I knew it!"

Dominic was still watching her, the faintest glimmer in his eyes that she couldn’t quite name.

And then, before she could catch her breath, the room exploded into happy chaos. The kids are too happy to be identified as orphans.

"Then why aren’t you married yet?!" someone shouted.

The question ricocheted around the room.

Celeste blinked, completely thrown. "I—"

But then she paused. Slowly, and deliberately, she lifted her left hand. She showed them the diamond ring resting in her engagement finger.

"Because," she said, turning to Dominic with a teasing curve of her lips, "he’s the one holding the wedding." she winked at him.

The silence that followed lasted only a second before the children collectively turned toward Dominic like a synchronized army of tiny prosecutors.

Every small face turned serious. Every pair of eyes were sparkled with indignation.

"Sir Dominic!" Ruby said first, her hands on her hips.

"Why are you taking so long?" another asked.

"Yeah!"

"You already gave her a ring!"

"She loves you!"

"What are you waiting for?"

Dominic was suddenly the one under fire. The sudden switch caught him off guard.

Celeste pressed her hand against her lips to hide her laughter. He threw her a sideways glance in half disbelief, and half surrender.

"This is not fair. You’re the one who didn’t give me a reply when I asked for a date," he murmured.

Celeste leaned closer, whispering sweetly, "I asked you to be careful about your wound. Yet, you opened it earlier today."

Ruby stepped forward again, tapping his knee. "You should marry her soon," she said seriously. "Because love doesn’t like waiting too long."

Dominic’s throat bobbed slightly. His voice was soft when he finally spoke. "You’re right, little one."

He knelt down, leveling his eyes with Ruby’s. "And when I do, you’ll be our special guest. The brightest star there."

Ruby’s face lit up instantly. "Promise?"

"Promise."

The rest of the kids cheered, clapping, laughing, twirling around in their excitement. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Come here, all of you," Dominic said once the noise began to fade. His voice was calm, but something in it made the room still. "I might be away for a while."

Celeste’s brows drew together. What is he talking about?

A small hand shot up. "Does it have to do with the gunshots we heard yesterday?" one of the boys asked, his tone cautious but curious.

Dominic let out a quiet chuckle to ease their worry. "Something like that."

Another child spoke, "Miss Tina said bad men did it. Are you... one of them?"

Dominic smiled faintly, lowering himself to their level. "We’re all a little bit bad and a little bit good, aren’t we?" he said softly. "But I promise you this. I’ll make sure you never have to hear those guns again."

The children nodded slowly, comforted by his calm certainty. Celeste watched him quietly, her chest tightening. Whatever he meant by away for a while, she could feel it wasn’t just words.

The children slowly drifted toward him again, as if instinctively needing to touch him — to hold onto him before he left. One of the smallest boys wrapped his arms around Dominic’s leg, and another leaned against his arm. Soon, half the room was pressed around him like a human blanket of warmth and innocence.

Dominic smiled faintly, resting a large hand on a boy’s shoulder. "You lot are going to make it hard to leave," he murmured.

Ruby, who had been watching from her chair, raised her voice. "You’ll come back, won’t you?"

He turned to her, that same gentle smile still on his face. "Of course," he said. "You’ll see me again before you even have time to miss me."

She frowned a little, unconvinced, but nodded anyway.

When the nurses began ushering the kids to their rooms, the hall slowly emptied. Ruby was the last to be wheeled out, still waving.

Dominic waved back until the door closed behind her.

And then, the silence came.

Celeste stepped closer, folding her arms. "What did you mean by that, Dominic? Away for a while?"

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he reached out and brushed her cheek with his thumb. "Nothing you need to worry about."

"That’s not an answer."

His eyes softened, but his voice stayed steady. "There are things I still have to finish. Things that should’ve ended long ago. I just don’t know if I’ll have to leave for it, or how long I’ll live."

Her stomach tightened. "Dominic—"

He shook his head slightly, as if cutting off the fear in her voice before it could take shape. "I’ll be here. I just can’t promise how long."