His Merciless Redemption novel Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Isabella’s POV

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Dominic’s home, if you could call it something so simple, sat behind tall wrought-iron gates, framed by old stone walls and a security system that practically radiated threat. It was beautiful, in the way that power could be beautiful. Expensive. Impeccable. Intimidating.

The kind of place you didn’t knock on without consequences.

The moment we stepped inside, three men in dark suits silently took positions in the entrance hall. Every wall, every doorway felt like it had eyes. My grip on Mateo tightened.

I wasn’t used to feeling outnumbered in my own life anymore.

Dominic noticed.

“You’re safe here,” he said quietly, stepping beside us. “They answer to me. And tonight, their only job is protecting you both.”

Mateo blinked up at him. He had woken up the moment the car had come to a stop. Confusion knit his brows together as he frowned. “Do they work at a castle?”

Dominic’s lips twitched, almost a smile. “Something like that.”

My heart did a strange, dangerous thing.

A woman appeared, older, elegant, and kind-faced. She didn’t wear a suit like the others, but her posture suggested she could command a battlefield if needed.

“Maria,” Dominic said. “Please prepare one of the guest rooms. Something close to mine.”

My eyes darted to him when he said “close to mine”, but before I could argue, Maria approached us with a gentle smile.

“Hello, piccolo,” she greeted Mateo warmly. “Would you like something to drink? Perhaps some warm milk? Cookies?”

Mateo turned towards me, waiting for permission.

“It’s okay,” I whispered, brushing his hair back. “Go with her. I’ll be right here.”

He nodded and took Maria’s hand without hesitation. Mateo had always been too curious, always open to talking to new people. I think it probably came from the fact that he had been in touch with a lot of my friends from the office that human interaction just came naturally to him. My chest loosened slightly for the first time since the PI knocked on my office door as I watched him go.

As soon as he disappeared into the kitchen, Dominic turned to me.

“We need to talk.”

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Chapter 18

“No,” I said immediately. “Not tonight.”

His brows rose. “Isabella-”

:

“I’m exhausted, Dominic. My son was nearly kidnapped hours ago. I can’t do this right now,” I told him honestly. So much had happened today that I simply didn’t have it in me to talk about it, to relive all again when the wounds were still so fresh. I needed time to just be for a while before I went around having adult

conversations.

The silence between us was thick and dangerous.

He stared at me for a moment before giving me a slow nod.

“Mateo,” he repeated quietly, like he still couldn’t believe the name belonged to his child. “Is he okay?”

My walls wavered.

“Yes,” I murmured. “He’s strong.”

Dominic inhaled sharply, as if the word had struck something deep inside him.

“He gets that from you,” he said.

The warmth of his voice almost melted me.

Almost.

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Soon, Maria returned with Mateo and led us to a large guest room with soft cream walls, warm lighting, and a bed big enough for three. Mateo climbed on top, small legs swinging, curiosity returning now that fear had faded.

Dominic lingered in the doorway, mostly out of sight, watching us like he couldn’t look away.

Mateo glanced at me. “Mamma, who was that man who got us here?”

My heart stopped.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Dominic didn’t move. Didn’t even look like he was breathing.

I swallowed hard and sat beside my son, pulling him onto my lap.

“He’s someone very important,” I said carefully.

“To you?” Mateo asked.

I froze.

Dominic stared at me, waiting. Hoping.

“No,” I said softly. “To you.”

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Chapter 18

:

Mateo tilted his head, thinking. Then brightly, he asked, “Is he my friend?”

Dominic inhaled sharply, stepping inside the room now.

“I’d like to be,” he answered quietly.

Mateo studied him, like a puzzle he was learning to solve. “Do you like rockets?”

Dominic nodded once. “Very much.”

Mateo grinned, satisfied with that answer. Then, “Why did those bad men come to our house?”

Dominic crouched down, meeting Mateo at eye level.

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“Because they’re bad,” he said, voice low but gentle. “And they wanted to hurt people who matter to me. But they won’t try again.”

Mateo blinked. “Why?”

Dominic’s jaw clenched, emotion tightening his voice.

“Because I’ll always protect you,” he said. “Both of you.”

Mateo seemed to accept that, leaning against me, yawning.

“Can I have my lion?” he asked sleepily. “He keeps the monsters away.”

Lion.

The stuffed toy he had named Leo, the one he refused to sleep without unless he was too tired to fight it.

Dominic stood immediately. “We’ll go get everything you want from your home tomorrow. I promise.”

Mateo nodded, eyes heavy. “Okay, but he’s very brave. He helps me protect Mamma too.”

Dominic’s expression cracked.

Then he stood abruptly, turning away for a moment, gathering himself. When he spoke again, his tone was steady.

“Rest,” he said. “You’re both safe here.”

Mateo curled into my side. Within minutes, he was asleep.

I tucked the blankets around him and brushed a kiss over his forehead.

Only when I turned did I realize Dominic was still there, leaning in the doorway like he belonged, like this was how things should have been all along.

Emotions flickered across his face, longing, regret, and something dangerously close to hope.

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He stepped forward, voice barely above a whisper.

“Thank you,” he said.

“For what?” My voice was tired.

“For giving me a chance to see him,” he answered. “To know him.”

I looked at Mateo, then back at Dominic.

“It’s only for tonight,” I said.

He nodded.

But his eyes said- I’m not letting go.

***

49

Dominic’s POV

I thought I’d known obsession.

I had mistaken control for emotion so long that I didn’t recognize the real thing until it was sitting in pajamas, asking me if I liked rockets.

Mateo.

My son.

I watched Isabella run her fingers through his curls as he slept. It was intimate. Soft. The kind of moment I had never earned, but hungered for all the same.

She didn’t look at me. Her eyes stayed on the boy between us.

“He trusts you,” I said quietly.

Her expression tightened, not pleased, not angry, but frightened.

“He trusts everyone until they give him a reason not to,” she replied.

And I had given her every reason.

“I won’t let the Vitellis near him,” I swore.

“Like they almost did today?” she said sharply.

I winced. “I wasn’t there at the right time,” I murmured.

She didn’t say anything in reply, seemingly lost deep in thought.

Silence stretched between us, thick with years of things unsaid.

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Then she spoke again, so quietly I almost missed it.

“He deserves a father.”

Hope hit me so hard I had to brace a hand on the doorframe.

“He does,” I said. “And he has one.”

Her eyes finally met mine, fierce, and wounded.

“I’m not ready to trust you.”

“I’m not asking for trust,” I replied. “Not yet. Just time.”

Time to prove I wasn’t the same man who let her walk into hell alone.

I stepped into the room, placing a small, careful kiss on Mateo’s head.

It nearly destroyed me how perfectly he fit there.

Then I straightened, forcing myself back.

“If you need anything,” I told her softly, “anything at all, I’m right outside.”

She nodded. A tiny nod. But enough that my chest expanded with something I hadn’t felt in years.

Possibility.

I turned to leave, but paused at the door.

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Tomorrow, I would bring his lion. His books. His favorite pajamas. Tomorrow, I would reclaim every lost day,

one moment at a time.

“I’m going to protect our family,” I vowed, looking between Isabella and Mateo. “With my life.”

I walked out, leaving them to rest, but I didn’t go far.

I stood guard outside their door.

Like a man watching over everything he never thought he’d get again.

Everything he would die before losing a second time,

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