His Merciless Redemption novel Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Isabella’s POV

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Mateo was sprawled across the couch in our temporary room, legs dangling off the cushions as he sighed loudly for the fifth time in two minutes.

“I’m boooored,” he groaned. “I miss school. I miss my friends. I wanna go back.”

I closed my laptop, rubbing the bridge of my nose. “I know, sweetheart. But we have to stay here for a little while.”

“How long?” he asked immediately.

Too fast. Too hopeful.

My heart squeezed painfully in my chest. I didn’t know how long. And the worst part was, knowing either. “Just until it’s safe again,” I said to him.

I had no way

of

“I don’t like it here,” he muttered, burying his face into a pillow. “It’s too big. And there’s no Luca. And no Miss Rosa. And no playing outside with Nico.”

“I know,” I whispered, brushing his hair.

He wasn’t wrong.

This house was big. Too big. It made everything feel distant, even the people we were forced to rely on.

The door opened without a knock.

Dominic stepped inside, dressed casually for once in a dark t-shirt, and sweatpants, his damp hair from a recent shower. He looked too young like that. Less like the don. More like the man I once waited for.

Mateo perked up instantly. “Dominic!”

He scrambled off the couch, tugging his hand. “Can we go outside? Please? Pleasepleaseplease?”

Dominic crouched, giving Mateo his full attention, something that made a core piece of me ache in ways I couldn’t name.

“I was actually coming to ask if you’d like to watch a movie,” he said.

Mateo wrinkled his nose. “But the TV is tiny.”

Dominic smirked. “That’s not the only screen we have here.”

Mateo paused. “There’s another TV?”

“A home theatre,” Dominic corrected, like it was no big deal. “A really big screen. Surround sound. Popcorn

machine.”

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Chapter 27

Mateo gasped. “Can we go now?”

Dominic glanced at me, the silent question hanging in the air between us.

I nodded because saying no to that excitement felt cruel.

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“So,” Dominic said, rising to his full height and offering his hand. “You want to pick the movie?”

“Yes!” Mateo grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the hall eagerly. “Do they have dinosaurs? And lions? And robots?”

“They have everything,” Dominic assured, letting him drag him along.

I followed behind, watching their hands clasped together, big and small, their footsteps matching.

And something inside me cracked.

Because Mateo already looked at Dominic like he hung the stars. And Dominic looked at him like he’d never seen anything more precious.

A family that always should have been. And now felt terrifyingly fragile.

When we reached the home theatre, it was, for a lack of a better word, ridiculous.

It had black leather recliners, soft underlighting, a screen the size of a small wall, and shelves lined with every movie imaginable. Mateo rushed inside like it was Christmas morning.

“THIS IS AWESOME!”

He plopped in the seat at the front center, bouncing in place.

Dominic looked almost proud.

“Pick whatever you want,” he said, handing Mateo a remote that looked more complicated than my car’s dashboard.

Mateo scrolled until he found a cartoon with a goofy dinosaur. “This one!”

“Done,” Dominic said.

Lights dimmed. Sound boomed. Mateo’s entire face lit up.

Dominic gestured to the back row, offering a quieter space.

We sat a few seats apart.

Minutes passed. Mateo giggled loudly at something on the screen.

And that tiny laugh stabbed me right in the heart.

I turned to Dominic.

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Chapter 27

:..

“How long?” My voice was low. Dead serious.

“How long until we can go home?”

Dominic stiffened.

“I’m working on it.”

“That’s not an answer.”

He exhaled heavily. “Isa—”

:

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“Don’t,” I snapped, anger igniting instantly. “Don’t talk to me like I’m overreacting. My son is terrified that he won’t get to go back to his life.”

“He’s scared?”

His face twisted with concern, immediate and intense, and for a moment I almost softened. Almost.

“He’s five,” I hissed. “Of course he’s scared. He thinks this place is a cage.”

Dominic swallowed, my words hitting their mark.

“I can make this feel like home,” he offered. “I can have tutors come. He could do school from here. It might even be better for him. Safer.”

It took me a second to process what he’d just said.

Then fire roared up my spine.

“Homeschool?” I whispered. “You want to keep him locked in here even longer?”

Dominic’s brows pulled together. “It’s protection-”

“It’s control,” I bit out.

His jaw flexed. “It’s necessary.”

“No.” I shook my head sharply. “What’s necessary is that my son gets to live a normal life. He had one. We were fine.”

Panic flickered across his features.

“Fine?” Dominic repeated, voice cracking. “You call hiding from me for five years fine?”

“Yes!” I didn’t hesitate. “We were happy. Safe. Free.”

His expression shattered for just a moment before hardening.

“You were running,” he said. “Afraid. Alone.”

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Chapter 27

“And whose fault was that?”

He flinched.

I didn’t stop.

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“You think that just because you finally decided to care, we’re supposed to change everything? Lose everything?”

“I’m trying to protect you,” he whispered.

“And I’m trying to protect him!” I jabbed a finger towards Mateo who was still lost in the world of animated dinosaurs. “Because being part of your world comes with blood and fear and grief. It already took everything from me once. I won’t let it take Mateo too.”

Dominic’s voice dropped low, soft and raw as a wound.

“I won’t let anyone take him.”

“You can’t promise that,” I whispered. “Not in

His

eyes

your universe.”

turned desperate. “I can promise that I will die trying.”

My breath caught.

A slew of motions slammed into me all at once, love and hate and fear all tangled together.

Dominic stepped closer. Close enough that I felt his body heat.

“I know I ruined everything before,” he murmured. “And I know I don’t deserve forgiveness. Not yet. Maybe not ever.”

His voice wavered, the slightest break. “But I can do better now. I will do better. Just give me the chance.”

My throat burned.

“You say that now,” I whispered. “But what happens when this isn’t new anymore? When the danger fades? When you’re comfortable and bored and don’t notice me leaving a room?”

He stared at me, eyes wide, and stunned.

Like he never realized how deeply the loneliness had cut.

“I see you now,” he said. “Every second. I see you.”

I closed my eyes.

Because believing that hurt more than doubting it.

A moment stretched between us, thick with everything unresolved.

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Chapter 27

Then Mateo gasped loudly. “LOOK! THE T-REX IS DANCING!”

We both turned automatically.

He laughed wildly, legs kicking, unaware of his parents slowly coming undone behind him.

I swallowed hard and sat back.

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Dominic didn’t push more. He sank into the seat beside me, close, but not touching. His knuckles brushed the armrest nervously.

We watched the movie. Or pretended to.

And in the flicker of screen light, I saw Dominic glance at us, his son, his wife.

His second chance hanging by a fraying thread.

He wasn’t letting go.

Not now. Not ever.

And that terrified me more than anything the Vitellis could do.

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