His Ruthless Redemption (Isabella and Dominic) novel Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Isabella’s POV

I didn’t know what I expected in the morning.

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Maybe to wake up and find the night before was a fever dream. That we were still in our soft little apartment in Florence. That the world wasn’t closing in on us.

But it clearly hadn’t been so.

Once I’d helped Mateo freshen up, I grabbed his hand and decided to go downstairs for breakfast, relying on my memory from last night to guide us there.

Before I could open the door, a gentle knock came, and the door cracked open.

Dominic stood there, now changed and looking a bit more awake, dressed casually in a black Henley and dark pants, sleeves rolled up.

The look suited him more than those immaculate suits. Almost too well.

He lingered in the doorway as if unsure he had permission to enter.

“Breakfast is ready,” he said, voice soft. “You both should eat.”

My stomach twisted. Hunger and nerves made uneasy companions.

“Come, Mamma,” Mateo said, already dragging me along, excitement renewed by the promise of blueberry pancakes and a pool. “Let’s goo0!”

I forced myself to smile. “Alright. Let’s go.”

When we finally made it downstairs, Maria led us into a sunlit dining room that overlooked a sprawling garden.

The table was full of a lot of things.

Fresh fruit. Eggs. Pancakes stacked like some bakery display. Orange juice that looked freshly squeezed. Coffee that smelled like heaven.

Mateo’s eyes widened. “This is a feast!”

“It’s breakfast,” Dominic said with a flicker of amusement.

“Same thing,” Mateo decided.

He climbed into a chair, right between Dominic and me. Of course.

I sat rigidly, unsure what to do with my hands. Or my breathing.

Dominic poured me coffee without asking, just the way I used to like it. I was surprised he still remembered. It felt too intimately familiar, sending a jolt through me.

21:45 Wed, Jan 14 ..

Chapter 20

“I remember,” he murmured when I didn’t reach for the cup right away.

I swallowed hard.

“Thank you,” I whispered, because I wasn’t willing to start another shouting match over coffee.

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Mateo swung his legs happily as he dug into a pancake, humming under his breath like we were on vacation instead of hiding from violent criminals.

“After breakfast, we can see the pool!” he announced.

My heart stuttered. Swimming would mean I couldn’t keep my hands on him every second.

“That sounds fun,” Dominic said. “And we have floaties. Just in case.”

Mateo grinned, cheeks stuffed with pancake.

I forced myself to breathe.

Dominic was trying. That terrified me almost as much as yesterday had.

Because when Dominic wanted something, he usually got it.

And Mateo already liked him. Easily. Naturally.

How could he not?

Dominic wasn’t all cruelty and cold steel. There had always been a softer part of him, buried under the weight of his father’s expectations. The man at this table looked closer to that hidden version.

Watching him glance sideways at Mateo, gentle, protective, amazed, made something tight coil in my chest.

Stop. I told myself forcefully. Feelings were dangerous.

“Can I have more?” Mateo asked, pointing to the pancake platter.

Dominic beat me to the answer. “Of course. You can have as many as you’d like.”

Mateo cheered and reached greedily. Dominic steadied the plate so he didn’t knock it over.

“Hey, take smaller bites,” I warned gently. “We don’t want you choking.”

“She’s right,” Dominic said, soft but firm. “Slow down, piccolo.”

The nickname. The warmth. My throat seemed to close.

This, the two of them interacting like it was the most natural thing in the world, was everything I had once hoped for.

Everything I had convinced myself I didn’t need anymore.

21:45 Wed, Jan 14

Chapter 20

My pulse spiked.

I needed space.

“Excuse me,” I murmured, pushing my chair back.

Dominic’s gaze followed me. Concern shadowed his expression, but he let me go.

I stepped out into the cool hallway, leaning against the wall until my heartbeat steadied.

I couldn’t let Dominic back in.

Not after the wreckage I’d barely survived the first time.

But then Mateo’s laughter traveled down the hall, loud and bright and free.

And I wondered if I was already too late.

***

49

Dominic’s POV

She was slipping.

Not away, not like before, but into herself. Into fear. Into all the walls she’d built to stay standing.

I wanted to follow her into the hallway. Force the truth into the open. Tell her she could lean on me now, that I would never let anything hurt her again.

But Mateo looked up at me with blueberry jam on his cheek and joy on his face, and I stayed where I was.

“For you.” He handed me a pancake he’d decorated with strawberries into a very lopsided smiley face.

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