Chapter 133 One Hundred & Thirty Three
A heavy silence fell…
Dominic didn’t move.
Her words echoed in his head….
There’s no us…
He swallowed hard, his throat tight, his chest rising unevenly as the weight of it pressed down on him. He knew he couldn't get her back.. But hearing her say it over and over again made his heart hurt.
Steven stood beside Izzy, steady, solid… everything Dominic hadn’t been.
Dominic truly saw it.
He saw the life she had built without him.
A home.
A family.
A man who stood beside her, not above her. A man who loves her deeply.
His hands slowly unclenched as he pushed himself up from his knees.
It felt heavier than it should have.
Like standing meant accepting something he didn’t want to.
“I understand,” he said quietly.
Izzy didn’t respond.
Her arms were wrapped tightly around herself now, like she was holding her own heart together.
Dominic looked at her for a long moment.
Then his gaze shifted.
To Brian.
The little boy had stopped playing.
He was watching them now.
Curious.
Confused.
Innocent.
Dominic’s chest tightened painfully.
That was his son.
Standing right there.
So close…
And yet completely out of reach.
Brian tilted his head slightly.
“Mommy… who is he?”
The question cut through the moment like glass.
Izzy froze.
Steven’s jaw tightened slightly, but he stayed calm.
Dominic didn’t breathe.
This was it.
The moment.
Izzy slowly walked over to Brian and crouched in front of him, brushing a hand gently over his hair.
“He’s… someone Mommy used to know, nobody important,” she said softly.
Brian looked between them.
“Oh.”
Simple.
Accepting.
Children didn’t overthink.
But Dominic felt it like a knife.
Someone she used to know.
That’s what he was now. Someone of no importance
Brian went back to his toy car as if the moment hadn’t just shattered someone’s world.
Dominic let out a slow breath.
He looked back at Izzy.
“I won’t push,” he said quietly.
Steven’s eyes stayed on him, measuring.
“But I’m not walking away either.”
Izzy’s gaze hardened slightly.
“That’s not your choice to make.”
Dominic gave a small, bitter smile.
“It is now.”
A beat of silence passed.
Then he added, softer…
“I don’t expect forgiveness.”
His eyes flicked briefly to Brian again.
“But I deserve to be in his life.”
Steven stepped forward slightly at that.
“Deserve?” he repeated calmly.
Dominic met his gaze.
“He’s my son.”
The words landed differently this time.
Not angry.
Not possessive.
Just…a sad truth.
Steven didn’t back down.
“And I’ve been his father.”
Another silence.
Tension thickened again.
Izzy stepped between them slightly.
“Stop.”
Her voice was firm.
They both went quiet.
She looked at Dominic.
“You don’t get to come into his life like this,” she said. “And claim what you deserve.”
Dominic nodded slowly.
“I know.”
“Do you?” she asked, her voice sharp again. “Because this isn’t about you. This is about him.”
Dominic’s gaze softened slightly.
“I know.”
A long pause.
Then he said,
“Then let me earn it.”
Izzy didn’t answer immediately.
Her heart was racing.
Her mind spinning.
Because this…
This was the part she had feared.
Not the confrontation.
Not the anger.
But this.
The possibility that Dominic would stay.
Fight.
Be in Brian's life
She looked at Brian again.
Laughing quietly with his toy.
Happy.
Safe.
Her world.
Then she looked back at Dominic.
“You don’t get access to him just because you share DNA,” she said quietly.
Dominic nodded.
“I know.”
“Trust isn’t something you demand,” she added.
“I know.”
“Then prove it,” she said finally.
Dominic’s breath caught slightly.
A small opening.
Not forgiveness.
Not acceptance.
But not rejection either.
Steven glanced at her.
Izzy didn’t look at him.
Her eyes stayed on Dominic.
“This isn’t about you and me,” she said. “That part of my life is over.”
Dominic swallowed but nodded.
“I understand.”
“It’s about him,” she said, glancing at Brian.
Dominic followed her gaze.
This was his child.
“And if you mess this up…” Izzy continued quietly.
Dominic looked back at her.
“You won’t get another chance.”
He didn’t hesitate.
“I won’t.”
Another silence settled.
Then Dominic stepped back slightly.
Giving space.
Respecting boundaries.
“I’ll wait till whenever you're ready,” he said.
Izzy didn’t respond.
Steven’s arm came around her shoulders protectively.
Dominic looked at them one last time.
Then at Brian.
Then back at Izzy.
And with that…
He turned and walked away.
Izzy sank onto the couch, her hands clutching her knees as the weight of the evening pressed down on her. The air still felt heavy, charged with everything Dominic’s presence had brought back.
Steven sat beside her, careful not to crowd her, his hand brushing hers gently.
“How are you feeling?” he asked softly, his eyes full of concern.
Izzy let out a shaky breath. “Conflicted… sad… angry… I don’t even know anymore.”
Steven nodded, understanding more than she could say. “I know,” he murmured. “Seeing him, … it’s hard. I get it.”
She looked at him, her chest tightening. “I just… I don’t want him to be part of Brian’s life. Not now. Not ever.”
Steven’s hand tightened around hers. “My love, I know you’re holding onto a lot of pain, and that’s all normal. But holding onto it… letting it fester… it won’t help you, and it won’t help Brian.”
Her eyes flicked to the floor. “I just… he hurt us. He abandoned us. He doesn’t deserve to… ”
“Listen to me,” Steven said gently but firmly, lifting her chin so she met his gaze. “Brian deserves his father in his life, even if it’s complicated. That doesn’t mean Dominic replaces me. That doesn’t mean I step back. But being part of his life… as a father… that’s the best thing you can do for our son.”
Izzy blinked, her throat tight. “Even after everything?”
Steven smiled softly. “Especially after everything. Because Brian needs both sides of who he is. And as for me… nothing will ever change that I’m his number one daddy. Always. No matter what.”
She let out a long, shaky breath, letting his words sink in. The tension in her shoulders eased slightly, though the ache in her chest remained.
“I… I just want him to be happy,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Steven squeezed her hand. “Then let him. And let us teach Brian what real love and security look like. I’m not going anywhere, Izzy. You and Brian… you’re my world. Always.”
Izzy leaned against him, letting herself feel the quiet strength of his presence.
But in the back of her mind… Dominic’s shadow still lingered, a reminder that some battles were far from over.