His Ruthless Redemption (Isabella and Dominic) novel Chapter 188

16:24 Mon, Jun 22

Chapter 188

Chapter 188

Isabella’s POV

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The silence after Mateo fell asleep felt heavier than it should have. It wasn’t uncomfortable, not exactly, but it wasn’t easy either.

I stood near the edge of the living room, my fingers loosely clasped together, listening to the faint hum of the city outside the glass walls. Everything felt too still, like the world had paused just long enough to force this moment into existence.

There was no avoiding it now.

I could feel his presence behind me before I turned. It wasn’t loud or overwhelming. It was quiet, controlled and intentional.

“Are you tired?” Dominic asked softly.

I shook my head. “Not really.”

A pause. Then, “Still feeling alright?”

I nodded again, though this time it felt slower. “Yes.”

Another silence followed, stretching just enough to make my chest tighten slightly.

Say it. Just say it. I urged myself internally. But the words wouldn’t come easily.

I turned to face him, folding my arms loosely, not as a defense, but something close to it. He was watching me, his expression calm, but there was something beneath it, something careful and measured. Like he didn’t want to push too hard.

And that alone made something inside me shift.

“I’ve been thinking,” I said finally, my voice quieter than I intended.

“I know,” he replied.

His words almost made me smile, but it didn’t quite reach my lips.

“It’s not that simple,” I continued, my gaze dropping briefly before I forced it back up to him. “This isn’t just –“I exhaled softly. “It’s not just about now.”

His jaw tightened slightly, but he didn’t interrupt. Good. Because if he had, I might not have been able to keep going.

“I didn’t expect this,” I said. “I didn’t plan for this. And I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with it.”

With us. With you. With everything that still isn’t fixed.

16:24 Mon, Jun 22

Chapter 188

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My chest felt tight now, like something was pressing against it from the inside. “And I keep thinking about before,” I admitted softly. It was something that had been at the back of my mind ever since I’d found out about the pregnancy.

The air between us changed instantly, heavier, sharper.

Dominic didn’t move, didn’t speak, but I saw the way his shoulders stilled, the way his focus sharpened just slightly.

“You remember the first time,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. It wasn’t a question, but a statement.

His gaze didn’t leave mine. “Yes,” he answered anyway.

I swallowed. “You told me to get rid of it.”

The words didn’t come out angry. They came out quiet. And somehow, that felt worse.

For a second, I thought he might explain. Defend himself. Say something to soften it.

He didn’t.

Instead, he said, just as quietly, “I know.”

That was it. No excuses. No deflection. Just acceptance. And something inside my chest cracked slightly at

that.

“I was wrong,” he added after a moment, his voice low, steady, but carrying a weight I could feel. “I was more than wrong. I failed you.”

I had heard him admit it before, heard him apologise for it before, but something about the raw acceptance and regret in his voice made my throat tighten and I looked away briefly, trying to steady myself.

“I can’t change what I said,” he continued. “I can’t take it back. But if I could…” He exhaled slowly. “I would.”

Silence settled again, but this time it wasn’t sharp. It was heavy. Full.

I pressed my lips together, my thoughts spiraling faster than I could control.

Why did that make it harder?

Why did him owning it, so simply, so directly, make it harder to hold onto the distance I had built?

“I don’t know if I can go through that again,” I admitted quietly. “That feeling of being alone in it.”

“You won’t be,” he said immediately.

I looked at him. There was no hesitation in his voice. No doubt.

“I won’t let that happen again.”

Something flickered in my chest, something fragile, something dangerous. Hope.

16:24 Mon, Jun 22

Chapter 188

I hated it.

Because hope meant risk.

“You can’t promise that,” I said, softer now, but firmer.

“I can,” he replied.

“No,” I shook my head slightly. “You can try. You can want to. But you can’t promise it.”

His jaw tightened again, but he didn’t argue.

Good.

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Because I needed him to understand that this wasn’t just about intention. This was about reality. I couldn’t have him say something else and then go ahead and do something completely different afterwards.

“I’ve been thinking about what I want,” I said after a moment, my voice quieter, but steadier now. My fingers slowly uncrossed, my hand drifting almost unconsciously to my stomach.

And this time, I didn’t pull it away.

His gaze dropped to the movement immediately.

“I want to keep the baby.”

The words settled between us. Soft. Certain. Real.

For a split second, Dominic didn’t react. But then, something in his expression broke open.

Relief. Joy. Something almost boyish and unrestrained lit up his face in a way I had never seen before.

“Isa,” he breathed, and before I could even process it, he closed the distance between us. His hands found me, and suddenly I was off the ground.

“Dominic-” I let out a startled laugh as he lifted me effortlessly, spinning me once, twice, like he couldn’t contain it.

A laugh slipped out of me, real, light, and unexpected.

“Put me down!” I said, breathless, half laughing, half shocked.

He did, but not immediately, like he was reluctant to let

go

of the moment.

When my feet touched the ground again, he didn’t step back right away.

He was still smiling. Actually smiling. And something about that did something to my chest.

“I’m happy,” he said simply, like that explained everything.

It did.

16:24 Mon, Jun 22

Chapter 188

My own smile lingered, softer now, quieter, but real.

For a moment, everything felt easy, like it used to.

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But then it shifted. Because reality didn’t disappear just because we wanted it to. The weight returned, slower this time, but heavier.

“Even if I keep the baby….” I started, my voice quieter now, more grounded.

His expression changed immediately, the joy still there but tempered now with focus. “What is it?”

I hesitated. Then forced myself to say it. “Will the baby be safe?”

The question lingered between us, heavier than anything else we had said tonight.

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