Wild Dark Shore
by Charlotte McConaghy
Contents
Dominic — 16
Overview
Dominic senses that the approaching ship will force hidden truths into the open, so he decides he cannot afford to leave his feelings for Rowan unsaid. His hope for a future with her falters when Rowan says she does not want children, exposing a fundamental incompatibility with Dominic's life as a father. A memory of his children's joy around their baby brother's first smile reinforces that they remain the central reason he endures loss.
Summary
Dominic opens the chapter certain that a difficult reckoning is coming. He believes that when the ship arrives, Rowan will finally learn the truth, and he fears what that knowledge will do to her and to whatever exists between them.
Because Dominic knows from experience how damaging unsaid words can become after sudden loss, he resolves not to leave his feelings unspoken. He admits, at least inwardly, that although he does not want to leave the island, he would leave it for Rowan and with Rowan if she wanted that future too.
Rowan then says plainly that she does not want children. That statement immediately collides with Dominic's hopes, because his life is inseparable from his three children, and the possibility of a future together abruptly seems limited or impossible.
Dominic's thoughts turn to an earlier morning in the city, when grief and exhaustion had hollowed him out. Expecting cries from his baby son, Dominic instead found the baby lying in sunlight while the older children surrounded him, tickling his belly and celebrating his first smile. Their shared wonder gave Dominic a reason to keep going, and the memory underscores how deeply his children anchor his survival.
Who Appears
- DominicNarrator who anticipates a painful revelation, imagines a future with Rowan, and reflects on fatherhood.
- RowanDominic's lover, who says she does not want children and complicates his hopes.
- Dominic's childrenThe three children who define Dominic's loyalties and, in memory, renew his will to survive.