His Merciless Redemption novel Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Isabella’s POV

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Dominic stared at my phone as if it had personally offended him.

Then, he looked at me and said, “Can I have a word with you? Outside?”

I looked at Mateo who was still busy chatting away with Luca and followed Dominic out into the hallway.

His voice, when it came next, was dangerously low. “Who the hell is Luca?”

I exhaled through my nose. “A friend.”

Dominic laughed once, but it lacked any humor. “Try again.”

I met his eyes directly. “A friend,” I repeated. “Someone who cares about me. Someone who noticed when I vanished and was terrified something had happened to us.”

His jaw clenched. “Us,” he echoed. “That’s interesting.”

“Stop twisting my words.”

“You’re living under my protection,” he shot back. “In my house, with my son. And I’m supposed to be fine with some other man calling you, demanding to know where you are?”

“These are the consequences of keeping people in the dark,” I snapped. “Luca thought we were dead,

Dominic.”

The silence that followed was heavy and sharp.

“You should have told me you’d contact someone,” he said tightly.

I stared at him in disbelief. “He thought Mateo and I were missing. Should I have let him go on thinking that?”

“He’s not your family.”

“And you are?” It came out like a slap.

Dominic’s eyes flicked away from me, but not before I noticed the raw pain behind his gaze.

He ran a hand down his face, pacing once. “Just tell me the truth,” he said. “Who is he to you? What is he?”

I squared my shoulders. “What are you accusing me of?”

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His voice dropped to something dark, layered with something close to fear. “I’m accusing you of letting some man think he has a claim on you.”

My pulse skittered.

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Chapter 25

“You don’t get to be jealous,” I whispered.

Dominic’s throat worked. “Like hell I don’t.”

I wrung my hands together. “Dominic, you’re taking this too far.”

He stepped closer, his voice rough, “I’m trying, Isabella. But you’re not making this easy”

That almost made me laugh. Bitterly.

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“I haven’t made anything easy?” I asked. “What about all those years you shut me out? Made me feel invisible? Neglected me so much that I thought I had to leave to survive?”

His eyes widened, my words a punch straight to the gut.

But I wasn’t done.

If he thought that he could try and stake some sort of a claim on me after all these years, he was sourly mistaken.

“I had to build a life. One that didn’t revolve around waiting for you to see me.” A broken laugh escaped. “Luca was part of that life. He’s one of the reasons Mateo has a home and support in Florence. He’s one of the few people I trust.”

Dominic was silent. Rigid.

“You may be Mateo’s father,” I said quietly, “but Luca has been the closest thing he’s had to that role.”

Something snapped behind Dominic’s eyes.

His fingers curled into fists so tight the knuckles turned white. He looked like he wanted to rip the world apart with his bare hands, or collapse onto the floor.

Then, “Mamma?” Mateo’s small voice cut through the air like a lifeline. He stood half hidden behind the door, only his head peaking out. “I’m hungry.”

The tension shattered into silence.

Dominic closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, his expression had shifted, the rage buried under forced control.

“We’ll get food,” he said, voice barely steady.

I held my hand out to Mateo and he took it, coming out of the room fully. Dominic moved down the hallway, offering a path forward.

I followed, because what choice did we have?

Lunch was set in a dining space so elegant it felt ridiculous. There were floor-to-ceiling windows, soft lighting and a table big enough for twenty, yet only three places were arranged near one end.

21:47 Wed, Jan 14

Chapter 25

But before I could answer, Mateo shouted from down the hall, “Mommy! I can’t find my green pencil!”

The moment shattered.

I turned away, grateful and devastated all at once.

“We’ll talk later,” I said, because it was the only answer I had.

Dominic nodded. “Later,” he repeated.

But I could feel his promise trailing after me as I left the room that he wasn’t giving up.

Not again.

And maybe, deep, deep down, I didn’t want him to.

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