His Merciless Redemption novel Chapter 195

Chapter 195

Chapter 195

Isabella’s POV

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The apartment felt too quiet when I walked in. Not empty. Just heavy. Like the air itself had absorbed everything from the past few hours and was now pressing it back onto me. Or maybe it was just me.

I closed the door behind me slowly, leaning against it for just a second longer than necessary before pushing myself forward. My bag slipped from my shoulder onto the table without much thought as I moved further inside.

The silence didn’t help. It gave my mind too much space, too much room to replay everything. The clinic. That small, fragile circle on the screen. Dominic standing beside me.

And then, Alessia. Her arms around him, like it was natural, like it was expected, like I wasn’t even a factor in that moment.

My chest tightened again, sharper this time, and I exhaled slowly, pressing my lips together as I walked towards the couch and sank into it.

Why did that bother me so much? I knew she existed. I knew what she was to him. Nothing about that was new.

And yet, seeing it like that had felt different. It had somehow made it more real. Unavoidable. A reminder that whatever existed between Dominic and me, it didn’t exist in isolation. It came with her, with complications and with a life I didn’t

want.

My hand moved instinctively to my stomach, resting there lightly. This was real. This baby. This life growing inside me. That mattered more than anything else.

Didn’t it?

“Mom?”

Mateo’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I looked up just in time to see him walking towards me, his expression bright, curious.

“How was the doctor?” he asked, climbing onto the couch beside me without hesitation.

I softened immediately, my hand moving to brush his hair back.

“It was good,” I said gently. “Everything is fine.”

His face lit up instantly. “So the baby is okay?”

“Yes,” I nodded, a small smile forming despite everything. “The baby is okay.”

He grinned, leaning into me slightly. “I’m going to be the best big brother.”

A quiet laugh slipped out of me, softer than I felt. “I know you will.”

And just like that, zomething eased. Not completely. But enough.

Because Mateo didn’t complicate things. He didn’t question. He didn’t bring history or baggage or uncertainty. He just accepted. Loved. Believed.

“I’m going to tell Maria,” he said suddenly, jumping off the couch with excitement.

“Okay,” I said, watching him run off.

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Chapter 195

And then, the silence returned.

But it felt different now. Softer. Less suffocating.

I leaned back slightly, closing my eyes for a brief moment, letting myself just breathe.

This was what mattered.

Not the chaos outside it. Not the complications. Not the uncertainty.

Just this. Mateo and me and this baby.

The sound of the door opening pulled me out of it again. I opened my eyes to see Luca standing there.

“Isa?”

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He was already walking towards me, his brows furrowed slightly, his gaze scanning my face with immediate concern.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

I blinked, caught off guard by how quickly he had picked up on it.

“Nothing.” I said automatically.

He didn’t believe me. Of course he didn’t.

He shook his head, his expression full of equal parts concern and worry. “It’s clearly not nothing. Is everything okay with the baby?”

The question came fast. Direct. Worried.

For a second, I just looked at him, at the concern in his eyes, at how quickly his mind had gone there. To the baby. To something being wrong.

Something in my chest softened unexpectedly. God, what had I ever done to be surrounded by such caring and wonderful people?

“No,” I said gently, shaking my head. “Everything is fine. The baby is fine.”

He exhaled, some of the tension leaving his shoulders, but not all of it. “Then what is it?” he asked.

I hesitated just for a second. But he noticed. Of course he did.

“Isa.”

I sighed softly, looking away for a moment before speaking. “I saw Alessia today.”

That was all it took. His expression hardened instantly. “Where?”

“At the hospital.”

A beat.

“And Dominic was there,” he said.

Not a question but a statement, like he already knew.

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Chapter 195

I nodded. “She kind of just showed up. Out of nowhere.”

I let out a small breath, my fingers tightening slightly in my lap.

“She hugged him,” I added quietly. “Like it was normal. Like that’s exactly where she was supposed to be.”

The words felt heavier out loud, more real, more unsettling.

Luca’s jaw clenched.

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“That’s not right,” he said immediately, his voice sharp now. “He shouldn’t be putting you in a position like that.”

I didn’t respond. Because what was I supposed to say? Luca wasn’t exactly wrong.

“Isa, this isn’t okay,” Luca continued, his frustration building. “You’re pregnant. That’s already a lot. You don’t need this kind of stress on top of it.”

I looked down at my hands, my thoughts tangled. He was right. Of course he was.

But, then again, it wasn’t that simple.

“It’s complicated,” I said quietly.

“It shouldn’t be,” he shot back. “Not like this.”

My chest tightened.

“He’s trying,” I said, though the words felt incomplete even to my own ears.

Luca let out a disbelieving breath.

“Trying?” he repeated. “By dragging you into situations like that? By keeping you in the middle of his mess?”

I flinched slightly at that. Because that was exactly what it was. A mess with me somewhere in the middle of it.

“He’s only making things worse for you,” Luca continued, his tone firm now. “You don’t need that. Not right now.”

I stayed quiet. Because I couldn’t defend Dominic. Not fully. Not after today.

But I couldn’t completely agree either.

Because he had been there. At the appointment. With me. Present. Steady. Trying. Like he had promised he would be.

And I wanted that.

God, I wanted that.

“I just…” I exhaled softly, running a hand through my hair. “I don’t know what to do.”

Luca’s expression softened slightly.

“You don’t have to do this alone,” he said. “I’in here. I’ll take care of you. We’ll handle this together, just like we did before.”

Before. When I had been pregnant with Mateo. When it had been just me and him against everything else.

It had been easier in some ways. Simpler. Less divided.

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Chapter 195

“You don’t need this added stress,” he added.

I looked at him, at his certainty, at his steadiness, at how easy it would be to just choose that.

To step away from everything Dominic brought with him. To protect myself. To protect this baby.

I agree with you,” I said softly.

And I meant it.

“But Dominic is the father,” I added. “I can’t just sideline him like that.”

Luca’s jaw tightened again. “You can if it’s what’s best for you.”

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‘And what about what’s best for the baby?” I countered, my voice firmer now. “Doesn’t the baby deserve to have both parents?”

“And what if one of those parents is the reason you’re this stressed?” he shot back.

Silence.

Because that hit too close.

We stared at each other for a moment, the tension thick but not hostile. Just heavy. Real.

Finally, Luca exhaled, running a hand through his hair.

“I understand how you feel,” he said, his voice quieter now. “I do.”

A pause.

“But you need to put yourself first, Isa. Always.”

I swallowed, nodding slowly. “I will.”

And I meant that too.

At least, I wanted to.

But as I sat there, my thoughts drifting back to Dominic, to the way he had looked at that screen, to the way he had said we’ll face it together, I couldn’t ignore the truth that sat quietly beneath everything else,

I didn’t just want to protect myself.

I wanted him there, too.

And that was the part that made everything so much harder.

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