Chapter 121 One Hundred & Twenty one
Dominic’s chest tightened painfully. He wanted to argue, to reach for her, to tell her he’d change… but every instinct in him screamed that it was too late.
Izzy’s words lingered in his mind, sharper than any blade.
“Go back to the party, Dominic. Let me be. Let yourself be. And do well to break out from your mom’s shadow.”
He stood frozen for a moment, the noise of the ballroom washing over him. Laughter, music, clinking glasses…it all felt distant, irrelevant.
Dominic watched her move through the crowd, gracefully. The echo of her words followed him, haunting, taunting, like a ghost that refused to leave.
He ran a hand through his hair, jaw tight. The sting in his chest wasn’t just from her leaving…it was from realizing she had been right all along. He was living in the shadow of someone else, and he hadn’t even noticed.
Izzy smiled politely as another donor thanked her for the event.
Because across the room
Dominic was there.
Watching.
Six years.
Six years since she had last seen him, and somehow just standing in the same room again felt like opening a door she had sealed shut a long time ago.
She forced her smile to remain steady as the guests moved on.
Steve returned to her side, his hand resting lightly on her back. The warmth of it grounded her.
“You okay honey?” he asked softly.
Izzy nodded. “Yeah… Just tired.”
Steve studied her face for a moment, then smiled gently. “We can leave soon if you want.”
“Soon,” she said.
He squeezed her shoulder before stepping away again to greet someone calling his name.
Izzy took a slow breath.
Six years.
Six years since she had walked out of Dominic’s life with a check she had never wanted and a heart that felt like it had been ripped open.
Australia hadn’t felt like freedom at first.
It had felt like exile.
She remembered stepping out of the airport in Sydney with swollen eyes and a suitcase that felt heavier than it should. Maya and her had arranged everything… an apartment, a contact for work, even the interview.
But none of it mattered that first night.
Because she had cried herself to sleep in her bedroom, clutching the phone she had wanted to use to call Dominic a thousand times.
She had loved him.
God, she had loved him so much it hurt to breathe.
But loving him had meant staying in a world that would destroy her.
So she was glad she left.
The job had been simple at first... working for a financial consulting firm Maya’s friend owned. She had been good with numbers, strategy, and negotiation.
Turns out heartbreak made you ruthless.
Within a year she was running projects.
Within three years, she had built her own firm.
Investments.
Real estate.
Technology startups.
And the five million Mirandahad thrown at her like hush money?
Izzy had turned it into something Miranda could never have imagined.
Power.
Real power.
But success hadn’t fixed the loneliness.
Not at first.
Then she met Steve.
She still remembered the first time clearly.
A charity meeting, actually... similar to tonight. She had been arguing with three board members about funding allocations when Steve had stepped in with calm logic and an easy smile that disarmed the entire room.
Later he had introduced himself.
“Steven Valenti,” he had said warmly. “And I think you just scared half the board.”
Izzy had laughed for the first time in weeks.
Steve had never pushed.
Never demanded explanations.
Never tried to fix her.
He had… stayed.
Coffee meetings turned into dinners.
Dinners turned into quiet walks by the harbor.
And slowly, patiently, Steve showed her something she hadn’t realized she had been missing before.
Peace.
Love without chaos.
Love without doubt and uncertainty.
When she found out she was pregnant with Brian, she had been terrified.
Terrified of how to raise a child alone...
Terrified she would have to face life alone.
Her mom had been the one sitting beside her in the hospital when Brian was born.
Her mom had been the one holding her hand.
Her mother had been the one who stayed up all night with the baby so Izzy could get a moment of rest.
When Steve came into their lives, everything changed.
He had never once asked about Brian’s father. He embraced her son with a love that was unconditional, effortless, a kind of devotion Izzy sometimes felt she didn’t deserve.
And when Steve asked her to marry him two years later, it wasn’t a grand, dramatic gesture.
It was quiet.
And it was perfect.
“I know you’re still healing,” he had said softly, his eyes steady on hers. “But I want to build a life with you, if you’ll let me. I’ve waited a lifetime to find a love that is truly mine. And I know you might not believe it… But I believe you were sent to me. Let me help heal those scars and show you what love really is. You’ve awakened something in me I never knew existed…a happiness, a light I didn’t think I could feel. And Brian… he makes me feel that way too. You’re my morning light, my shelter, my home. Let’s build a home together. You, me, and Brian.”
Izzy had said yes.
Because with Steve, she didn’t feel like she was drowning.
He made her feel safe.
Across the ballroom now, Izzy’s gaze drifted again.
Dominic was still standing near the bar.
Still watching her.
The same dark intensity in his eyes.
The same pull that once made her heart race.
But she wasn’t that girl anymore.
She had a husband who loved her.
A son who adores her.
A life she had fought to build.
Izzy straightened slightly, smoothing her dress.
Tonight wasn’t about the past.
It was about business… and her future.
Tomorrow Dominic Steele wouldn’t face the girl he once broke.
He would face the woman she had become.
The drive home was quiet.
Not uncomfortable quiet.
Just peaceful.
The city lights slipped past the car windows as Steve drove, one hand resting loosely on the wheel while the other occasionally reached over to squeeze Izzy’s hand.
He hadn’t asked questions at the fundraiser…. Not about Dominic
Not once.
Izzy leaned her head back against the seat, finally letting the exhaustion settle into her bones.
“Long night,” Steve said softly.
She smiled faintly. “Very.”
“You did great,” he added. “Everyone was talking about how amazingly talented my wife is..”
She glanced at him. “Flattery won’t make me forget you stole the last dessert.”
Steve grinned. “That chocolate tart was calling my name.”
For a moment, it felt like any other night.
Normal.
Safe.
The car finally pulled into their driveway.
Their home sat quietly under the porch lights... warm, welcoming, lived-in.
Steve grabbed Brian’s small backpack from the backseat as they walked inside.
The nanny had already put their son to bed.
Izzy moved quietly down the hallway to Brian’s room.
The soft night lamp glowed gently.
Brian slept peacefully in his small bed, one arm wrapped around a stuffed dinosaur.
Izzy’s chest softened instantly.
She walked over, brushing a light kiss against his forehead.
“Goodnight, baby,” she whispered.
Steve stood in the doorway watching them, his expression gentle.
Brian shifted slightly in his sleep but didn’t wake.
Izzy pulled the blanket up over him and stepped out quietly, closing the door halfway.
They walked back down the hallway together.
Steve loosened his tie as they reached the living room.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Then Steve leaned lightly against the kitchen counter and looked at her.
“That’s Brian’s dad… isn’t it?”
His voice was calm.
No anger.
No accusation.
Just quiet...
Izzy stilled.
For a moment she didn’t move.
Then she slowly exhaled.
“Yes.”
The word came out soft but steady.
Steve nodded once, like he had expected the answer.
“I thought so,” he said quietly.
Izzy looked at him carefully. “You’re not upset ?”
He gave a small shrug. “Why would I be honey. I’ve seen the way Brian looks sometimes… ”
Her brows furrowed slightly.
“He has the same eyes,” Steve said gently. “And tonight… the way that man looked at you.”
Izzy looked down at her hands.
“I never wanted you both to meet this way,” she admitted.
Steve didn’t respond immediately.
He walked over to the couch and sat down, resting his elbows on his knees.
“Does he know?” he asked.
“No.”
Another quiet pause filled the room.
Steve rubbed the back of his neck before looking up at her again.
“Are you going to tell him?”
Izzy’s chest tightened slightly at the question.
Tomorrow she would be standing in a conference room across from Dominic again.
Negotiating.
Arguing.
Pretending none of this existed.
She shook her head slowly.
“No.”
Steve studied her face for a moment longer.
Then he nodded again.
“Okay.”
Not judgment.
Not pressure.
Just acceptance.
Izzy walked over and sat beside him.
“Steve…”
He reached for her hand before she could finish.
“I meant what I said years ago,” he said softly. “I chose you knowing your past didn’t disappear.”
Her eyes softened.
“And Brian?” she asked quietly.
Steve smiled a little.
“That kid’s been mine since the moment he grabbed my finger in the in that park.”
Emotion tightened her throat.
Steve leaned back into the couch with a tired sigh.
“So,” he said after a moment. “You’re facing him again tomorrow?”
Izzy nodded.
“Business meeting.”
Steve chuckled lightly. “Of course it is.”