Salina was rushing between the bedroom and her art room to get some of her things, her phone resting between her ear and her shoulder.

"I'm about to leave now, are you sure this is what you want to do right now?" Lev spoke into her end.

She nodded even if he couldn't see her, "I just need some time to breathe, Lev. I don't want to talk about it while I'm upset and say something I don't mean...If not I can call Vivienne maybe." Salina began worrying her lip. "Actually, I shouldn't have asked you to come get me. I'm sorry, I don't want to get in between you and Dom. I'll figure something-" Salina turned to go back to the bedroom and found Dominik blocking her way.

"Lev um-" Dominik snatched the phone from her and seethed something in Russian into the phone before chucking it onto the couch.

"Ivanov," Salina ran her hands through her hair as he looked at her puffy eyes. "I can't talk right now, I really don't want to argue."

"You don't want to argue? You're the one trying to fucking leave me!" Dominik's veins bulged as his voice raised. When she began to lean away from him at his volume, he heaved out a breath. "Baby, lets- lets take a break tonight, yeah? Just sit and we can... I don't know we can fucking figure it out."

"I don't want to right now, Dominik. Maybe tomorrow-"

Dominik won't be able to stand it. He was already shaking with anger thanks to his parents and now this. He hasn't seen Salina this upset- ever. Her hair was wild and her hands were trembling, it almost brought him out of his haze.

"If this is about what I fucking said- eсолнышко, you know I was just saying whatever would get them to leave."

Her brows furrowed, finally fed up. "It is about what you said, Ivanov. Y-You said," her eyes watered again. "You said you didn't have any feelings for me? I-I mean none?"

She watched as his mouth clamped shut, nothing came out of it... no apologies or denials. Slowly nodding, she pushed past him into the bedroom and tried to slam the door shut.

Dominik laughed sardonically at her audacity, slamming his large hand against the wood panel and shoving it open almost comically easy. A frustrated noise erupted from the back of her throat as she brought her bag up to the bed.

His dark eyes widened when he saw she'd already tried to pack. His throat closed momentarily with anxiety, "Are you serious right now?"

"You said you would only keep me around if I was useful," Salina choked down her sob. Dominik through his hands up, "I said that shit at the very beginning! What's changed from then to now?!"

"Everything! It changed and I'm sorry- I'm so fucking sorry, but it did. And if you give me some time I could get myself together-"
Dominik pressed the heels of his palms to his temples, growling lowly. "No! You're not leaving me! We talked about that and I told you it's not fucking happening. Ever. We shouldn't even be arguing about a conversation I had with my parents that you weren't even present for!"

Gritting her teeth down, Salina balled her fists together in the clothes she put in a bag. She couldn't get herself to stop crying, she didn't have anywhere to even go. Dominik knew that and here he was dismissing everything she's trying to say. Everything began boiling over inside of her.

"You know what? Fuck you!" Selina tried to pass by him but as he blocked her even more she threw her bag at his chest. He tossed it aside easily. The entire house was tense as the security felt the anxiety rolling off the couple all the way downstairs. Her brazen attitude with the boss was about to send them all spiraling.

"Fuck me?!" Dominik barked back. "I'm the only one on your fucking side, Salina!"

"No! How were you on my side in that conversation besides saying I 'played my part in your plans'. That's not being on my side, Domo! You couldn't even tell them you liked me."

Dominik rested his hands on his hips, trying to find a leg to stand on. He was hearing what she was saying, admitting defeat was on the tip of his tongue but the adrenaline pushed him into stubbornness. When he took too long to answer, she once again took her bag and tried to walk out. "I want to leave, Dominik!" She yelled up at him.

"My parents don't mean shit, nothing I say to them means anything. You're going to leave over that? Where are you going? It's not fucking safe!"

He tried to snatch her clothes away and grip her arms but she only shoved him further away.

"What do you care? As long as I'm still a good Donna it shouldn't matter!" Her bleary eyes could barely focus as her throat was raw from the yelling. She doesn't think she's yelled this much ever. Her chest ached while her lip once again began quivering uncontrollably, she needed to get out of the room before he saw her a complete wreck.

"Why do I fucking care? Are you insane? This entire thing- it doesn't work without you!"

"'This entire thing'-" Salina repeated bitterly as her volume matched his. "This entire thing is all it's about. It's not about me. It's not about you. It's not about us! It never will be, I don't know why I was so fucking idiotic to think it might be."

"Don't talk fucking stupid-" his accent thickened as did her own.

"Fuck you!" Salina screamed over his dismissive tone.

"Salina!" he barked but it didn't stop her. The two grew closer, their breaths mingling and fanning each others face.

"Fuck you and this entire business!" she poked her finger in his chest.

"Stop-" his fists balled up as the vein in his forehead pulsed.

"I was just a means to an end! I knew it-"

"I fucking love you!" Dominik screamed in her face.

She'd recoiled as if he hit her. The tears wetting her eyes finally fell and all the anger that momentarily vanished came rushing back times ten.

"Fuck you!" the small woman sobbed loudly as she began pushing him to no avail. "Don't say that!"

"Don't say-" he cut himself off with a scoff. "I love you!" She'd started yelling over him, both of them overlapping one another.

"Fuck you!"

"I fucking love you- why can't I say-"

"Fuck. You. You don't mean that- you don't feel that for me."

"How the hell are you going to tell me what I feel?"

Salina had been backed into the nearest wall, resting most of her weight against it as he towered over her. She was a mess at this point, crying and wiping her eyes while also pushing her hair out of her face.

"Let me stay somewhere else tonight. I just need to clear my head," she rasped in a pleading tone.

It was only then that she'd met his dark gaze and seen how glassy they were, how tense his jaw was. As she'd visibly relaxed he cupped her face, his cool touch making her eyes flutter shut.

"I can't let you outta my sight, baby. I'll loose my fucking mind. I'll- I'll give you space- whatever the fuck. I'll sleep on the goddamn couch if that's what you need."

He watched her lashes that were clumped with tears blink repeatedly, unwilling to say anything yet.

"Give me something, sweetheart."
Salina closed her eyes as she exhaled, thinking over the entire night. She thought about the past hour, hell- the past twenty minutes. What they'd said to each other.

What he said to her.

Swallowing hard, she opened her eyes up to see Dominik the most vulnerable she'd seen him. His thought were almost written across his eyes right now as he held her so tightly she wondered if he'd ever be willing to let her go.

"The couch," Salina whispered.
A sigh of relief sounded like it'd been punched from his gut. Leaning forward without thought, Dominik kissed her forehead hard.

"Thank you."

~

Lying in their bed alone, besides Dulce, Salina stared at the wall in the dark. Her head was cushioned against Dominik's pillow. It'd been hours, she couldn't sleep as he stayed on the couch in her art room. She was finding out the hard way, that she ached for Dominik lying besides her at night now.

It wasn't fair. None of this was fair, most of all the fact that she missed Dominik to the point of her heart hurting.

Sitting up abruptly, she looked at Dulce who sprawled comfortably over Dominik's side. One yellow eye peaked open to look at her, Salina stared at the cat and the cat stared back.

"You're right," Salina nodded while grabbing her pillow. With the soft pads of her feet, she crossed over to the art room. The lights were already on, but dimmed as Dominik laid across the pull out couch. His forearm laid over his eyes but she doubted he was fully asleep. A compromise was that both doors stayed open so Dominik could get to her if something happened.

One day, Salina would be able to rub it in Dominik's face that she snuck up on him. But for now she stood over him and lifted her pillow.

"Get up," she smacked him awake. The man launched up, instinctually grasping at his gun besides him but stopped midway as he looked at his wife standing over him. His bloodshot eyes were wide, squinting up at her.

"I can't goddamn sleep." Her face was still dewy from her crying and she hadn't even wrapped her hair. The curls were wild as he looked up at her. Dominik slumped back onto the bed, making room for her and gingerly she sat down but didn't get comfortable.

"Can I touch you?" Dominik croaked tiredly. His hand pressed to the spot next to her as his fingers twitched with the need to feel her skin.

"No," Salina huffed with finality and her husband groaned from the back of his throat.

"Why can't you sleep, eсолнышко? I thought you didn't want to talk yet?" It was why he was asleep on a much too small couch bed for his large body. Her back faced him and he could only turn onto his side to stare at her.

Immediately, Salina stood up to begin pacing. She brought her acrylic nail to her lip, running her finger over it anxiously. "I want to talk about it now," she decided.

"You said all of those things, Dominik."
He slowly sat up, resting his bare feet against the carpet so he could watch her walk back and forth in front of him.

Taking a deep breath, he wiped at his eyes and woke up a bit more. "I'm not denying that I said them, I never denied that. I said none of it was true."

"How am I supposed to trust that Dominik? Are-Are you just going around telling everyone that you're just doing this to do it? That you'll only keep me around as long as I'm worth it?"

"Over these almost six months have I ever made you feel like that with how I've acted? I shouldn't..." He sighed while rubbing his face. "I shouldn't have said those things. I just wanted them to leave us alone. That's all I want is my peace with you. That's all I need anymore, look into my eyes and tell me I'm lying?"

Salina finally looked at him. Finally. He felt a zing through his body simply from her eye contact alone. She frowned, but didn't say anything because she knows he is being truthful.

"Even besides what you said to them, that's one thing. But saying what you did to me after was just cruel. I would have forgiven you anyway with-without you saying you love me. You didn't have to get my hopes up."

Dominik glowered, "You still think I'm fucking lying?" He practically snarled. Under the intensity of his gaze, Salina turned away to pace nervously again. Her arms wrapped insecurely around her waist.

"What will it take for you to believe me? Do you not think I've driven myself crazy over it already? It doesn't make any sense to me how this emotion is even possible and why I feel it. I just know that I feel it with you- and I will only ever feel it for you. I'm in fucking love with you Salina and you won't even look at me while I say it." Her feet froze but she still didn't turn towards him. Behind her, she heard him move but didn't feel him against her.

"It's not about being Donna anymore- you could stop doing everything tomorrow and I'd be as content as I was yesterday. You could be housewife of the fucking century and I would be happy to give you what you want, жена," Dominik raised his hands to his hair to grip it tensely. His chest felt like it was about to cave in but he forced himself to go on for the sake of Salina.

"I can't fucking think anymore. With every breath I take I feel you now in my chest, I close my eyes and I see you, I fucking smell you- god your scent drives me fucking insane baby. I can't tell if I'm going crazier than I already was before I met you. I don't think I knew what crazy actually was. I want to tell you I'd let you leave if you were truly unhappy but I refuse. I told your father he'd have to pry you from my cold, dead fucking hands and no one is fucking taking you from me!" His voice had boomed in the small room and he watched a shudder run up her spine. He felt tempted to trace it with his fucking tongue.

"Fucking look at me, жена!"

She flinched, unable to deny him she immediately spun around. Their eyes met as he began to bend, her gaze widened when he dropped to one knee. Then he fell to the other, he was on his knees for her.

Gingerly, he gripped her pajama shorts and tugged her forward. "I love you. I won't live without you loving me," he rasped quietly.

His voice dripped with vulnerability as he glared at her from on his haunches. "I'm fucking begging you to forgive me."

Dominik stared up at her, watching her face crumble as she teared up. He doesn't know how much more tears he could handle, Salina had never been much of a crier, but if she needs to cry Dominik knew he owed it to her to comfort her. Sniffling, her hands came to either side of his face and gently scratched his scalp.

"Domo," she sniffled softly. Immediately, he burrowed his face into her soft stomach and inhaled deeply. "I love you... so much," Salina hugged his head before he yanked her legs out from under her.

He groaned loudly in what sounded like relief at her confession. Gasping loudly, he lifted her into his lap to cradle her on the ground.

His dark hair tickled her nose when he burrowed into her chest, squeezing her into him tight with no plans to let her go for the night.

~

awooga🤭🤭 this was a big one, im excited to see the comments on this chapter

do we like this confession? i've had this planned for a long time but i wasn't sure abt the timing i just love them sm

domo is finally using his noggin😌