His Merciless Redemption novel Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Isabella’s POV

The car ride home was quieter than the ride to the banquet hall had been.

Not heavy. Not tense. Just subdued.

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Mateo sat in the backseat, seatbelt snug across his chest, staring out of the window instead of talking nonstop the way he usually did. His earlier excitement had dimmed, replaced by a thoughtful silence that made my chest ache.

I kept glancing back at him, my fingers twisting in my lap.

Dominic noticed too.

“Hey,” he said gently, glancing at Mateo through the rearview mirror. “You okay, piccolo?”

Mateo nodded, but it wasn’t his usual enthusiastic nod. “Yeah.”

Dominic frowned slightly, thinking.

“You know,” he continued casually, “even adults trip sometimes. I once tripped during a very important meeting.”

Mateo’s head turned. “Really?”

Dominic nodded solemnly. “Very important. I spilled coffee everywhere.”

That earned a small smile.

“And everyone laughed,” Dominic added. “Including me.”

Mateo’s shoulders relaxed just a little.

I watched Dominic from the passenger seat, something warm blooming quietly in my chest.

He hadn’t needed to do this. He hadn’t been obligated to come with us, to leave the party with us instead of Caterina, to make sure Mateo was okay.

But he had.

Because he wanted to.

And that realization unsettled me more than it should have.

When we pulled into the driveway, I expected the night to end quietly, to go straight to bed, exhaustion finally claiming all of us.

Instead, the moment we stepped inside, Mateo froze.

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Chapter 47

“Mamma,” he whispered. “What’s that?”

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A massive box sat in the middle of the living room, wrapped in glossy paper, a red ribbon tied around it.

Dominic smiled. “Why don’t you open it?”

Mateo’s eyes widened. He looked at me for permission, and I nodded, just as curious,

He tore into the paper with unrestrained enthusiasm, and then gasped.

“It’s a rocket!” he yelled.

A huge, detailed rocket toy, complete with lights and detachable parts.

“For me?” he asked, nearly breathless with how happy he was.

“For you,” Dominic confirmed.

Mateo launched himself at him without thinking, wrapping his arms around Dominic’s waist.

“Thank you!” he exclaimed. “Thank you so much!”

Dominic laughed softly, steadying him. “You’re welcome.”

They sat on the floor together after that, Mateo animated again, explaining every single feature of the rocket, his earlier sadness completely forgotten.

I stood there watching them, heart painfully full.

Dominic listened. Really listened. Asked questions. Reacted with genuine interest.

He wasn’t pretending.

He was stepping into fatherhood like it was something he’d been waiting for all along.

And that scared me.

Because it made it so easy to imagine a future I’d spent years telling myself was impossible.

When Mateo finally started yawning, his energy crashing all at once, I guided him to the bathroom to change.

He barely made it through brushing his teeth before he slumped against me, eyes fluttering shut.

“You happy?” I whispered, lifting him.

He nodded sleepily. “Yeah.”

A smile tugged at his lips as he fell asleep completely,

I tucked him in, brushed his curls back gently, and lingered for a moment longer than necessary, watching his chest rise and fall.

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Chapter 47

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Dominic was waiting by the door, watching us quietly as I lifted the covers around Mateo so he was fully

covered.

“Thank you,” I said to Dominic softly, standing up. “For everything today.”

He shrugged it off easily. “I didn’t do anything extraordinary.”

I stared at him.

You stood up to powerful people. You chose him without hesitation. You made sure he went to bed smiling.

But I didn’t say any of that.

“Goodnight, Isabella,” he said instead.

“Goodnight.”

Then, after one last look at Mateo, he turned and walked away.

And for some ridiculous reason, my heart sank.

I stood there for a moment, staring at the hallway, feeling foolish and strangely restless.

I wanted to talk to him.

Not about anything important. Not about the past or the future or where we stood.

Just talk.

Like two people who mattered to each other did.

I paced the room for a while, hoping this restlessness would go away if I ignored it long enough.

But it didn’t.

The need to be with Dominic curling deep into my stomach, and I realised I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I didn’t talk to him right then.

I shook my head at myself, feeling absurdly like a teenager as I quietly sneaked out of my room, and walked towards his wing of the house.

I stopped just outside his door.

And that’s when I heard voices.

“I haven’t been feeling well lately,” Alessia was saying softly.

My stomach dropped.

“I’ve been dizzy, nauseous, exhausted.”

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Chapter 47

There was a pause.

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Dominic’s voice came next, low and concerned. “You need to take better care of yourself.”

“I know,” she said quietly. “It’s just that with work and everything else, it’s been a lot to handle.”

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“You’re responsible for two people now,” Dominic replied. “Even though it’s still early, you can’t neglect your health.”

Two people?

My breath caught.

“I’ll come with you to your next gynecologist appointment,” he continued. “We’ll make sure everything is okay.”

The world tilted violently.

Gynecologist.

Appointment.

Two people.

The meaning slammed into me all at once, brutal and undeniable.

My hand flew to my mouth, heart pounding so loudly I was sure they’d hear it.

I backed away silently, my feet carrying me down the hallway on pure instinct.

My chest burned.

Of course.

Of course this was the truth I hadn’t wanted to see.

Of course Dominic was still bound to Alessia in ways I couldn’t compete with.

I had let myself forget, just for a few hours, that I was standing on fragile ground.

That hope was dangerous.

And now, as the realization settled like ice in my veins, I knew one thing with painful clarity.

That no matter how good he was with Mateo, no matter how much he protected us, I might still be walking straight into heartbreak if I strayed too close to Dominic’s orbit.

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