His Merciless Redemption novel Chapter 93

18.27 Thu, Jan 22

Chapter 93

Chapter 93

Isabella’s POV

I woke to warmth.

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Not just the physical kind, though that was certainly there, but the rare, disarming kind that sank beneath my skin and settled somewhere behind my ribs.

Dominic was wrapped around me, one arm heavy over my waist, his chin tucked into the space between my neck and shoulder like it belonged there. His breathing was slow and even, the deep cadence of someone who rarely slept without one eye open.

I smiled into the pillow despite myself.

Last night came back in fragments, how I’d dominated him, practically marked him as mine downstairs in the living room, and then again in my room. I didn’t know what had come over me last night, only that I’d wanted him to know he belonged to me. Just me. The whole thing had made last night’s sex the kind of sex that left you wrecked in the best way and a little afraid of what it meant.

I shifted slightly, testing the waters.

His arm tightened instantly.

“Don’t,” he murmured, voice rough with sleep. “I know you’re awake.”

I stifled a laugh. “You’re impossible.”

“And you’re trying to escape,” he said, eyes still closed. “Which is rude.”

“I was not.”

“You were thinking about it.”

“Okay,” I conceded. “Maybe.”

His lips brushed my shoulder, unhurried. “Stay.”

Just one word. Soft. Dangerous.

I melted back against him, letting my back rest fully against his chest. His body was solid, warm, familiar in a way that made my heart ache. This quiet, this ease, it felt stolen. Fragile.

I turned my head slightly. “You snore.”

“I do not.”

“You absolutely do.”

His arm shifted as he propped himself up on one elbow, looming over me. “You drool.”

18:27 Thu, Jan 22

Chapter 93

My jaw dropped. “That is a lie.”

:

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“A convincing one,” he said solemnly, then leaned down and kissed the corner of my mouth before I could protest.

My chest tightened. God help me, I liked him like this. Relaxed. Teasing. Human.

I traced a lazy pattern over his forearm. “You should go back to sleep. You look almost peaceful.”

He huffed. “Careful. That kind of talk ruins reputations.”

I was about to reply when his phone rang.

The sound cut through the quiet like a blade.

Dominic stilled.

So did I.

4

He reached for the phone on the bedside table, and my eyes followed the movement automatically. I hadn’t meant to look at the screen.

But I did.

Alessia.

Something sour curled in my stomach.

Dominic frowned slightly, then answered. “Yes?”

I turned onto my back, staring at the ceiling as he sat up beside me. I could hear her voice faintly through the receiver, strained, and breathy.

“I’m not feeling well,” she said. “I’ve been dizzy and nauseous since last night.”

Silence.

“I don’t know who else to call,” she added softly.

My fingers curled into the sheets.

Of course she didn’t.

Dominic rubbed a hand over his face. “Do you want to see your doctor?”

“No. I just…. I thought maybe you could come.”

The words shouldn’t have felt like a challenge.

They did.

18:27 Thu, Jan 22

Chapter 93

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I rolled onto my side, facing away from him, suddenly very aware of how naked I was. How exposed. How temporary this moment might be.

“I’ll check on you,” Dominic said after a beat. “I’ll be there soon.”

The call ended.

The room felt colder.

I sat up and reached for the robe draped over the chair, wrapping it around myself with movements that felt too deliberate. Dominic watched me, his expression unreadable.

“I have to go,” he said quietly.

I nodded, forcing my lips into something that resembled a smile. “Of course.”

He hesitated. “Isa-”

“She’s not well,” I said lightly. “You should check on her.”

His jaw tightened, like he knew this wasn’t as easy as I was pretending it was. “I won’t be long.”

“That’s fine,” I replied, even as something inside me twisted. Because this wasn’t about time. It was about obligation. About the invisible thread that bound him to her now.

She was carrying his child.

Even if he didn’t know it yet.

It was his duty.

I couldn’t stop him even if I wanted to.

He leaned down and kissed my forehead before leaving, and I stayed perfectly still until the door closed behind him.

Only then did I let the smile fade.

I stared at the empty space beside me, my thoughts spiraling despite my best efforts to rein them in. Alessia’s voice echoed in my head. Weak. Vulnerable. Calculated.

The pictures she’d shown me, proof of them being together had been convincing. Too convincing. But some things still weren’t making complete sense now that I was really thinking about it.

If she was really pregnant with Dominic’s child, why hadn’t she told him?

Alessia wasn’t subtle. She wasn’t patient. She was a woman who seized leverage when it presented itself.

So why sit on the biggest card she had?

The thought wouldn’t let go.

18:27 Thu, Jan 22

Chapter 93

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Something didn’t fit. And the more I turned it over in my mind, the more certain I became that Alessia wasn’t telling the full truth.

I was going to find out why.

A soft shuffle of feet pulled me from my thoughts.

“Mom?”

I turned to see Mateo standing in the doorway, hair sticking up in every direction, eyes still heavy with sleep.

“There you are,” I said, instantly softening. “Come here.”

He padded over and climbed onto the bed, curling into my side without hesitation. I kissed the top of his head, breathing him in.

“Did you sleep okay?” I asked.

He nodded. “I dreamed about dinosaurs. They were nice.”

I smiled. “That’s good. Much better than the usual scary ones.”

He yawned. “Is it a school day?”

“Unfortunately,” I said. “Which means we have exactly twenty minutes to get you dressed before you declare a dramatic protest.”

He grinned. “I don’t protest.”

“You absolutely do.”

“That’s fake news,” he said solemnly.

I laughed, the sound easing some of the tightness in my chest as I helped him off the bed. As I moved through the familiar motions of clothes, backpack, breakfast, the worries didn’t disappear.

They just waited.

Alessia. The Vitellis. Dominic.

All pieces on a board that was getting more dangerous by the day.

And I had a feeling it would get much worse before it started getting better.