Dominick
After taking care of a few things around the house, telling Rufino and his wife that he wasn't leaving, and whispering to the woman that he was going after her… he left.
Dominick got into his car, the tires screeching against the asphalt. He was anxious to get to the restaurant; his head was full of questions, and even though he already knew the answers, he still wanted to ask her—why? Why hadn't she told him anything? Why hadn't he seen the child anywhere?
He took a deep breath. He wasn't going to argue with her; Marcus was right. Maybe Jade hadn't done it with bad intentions—she was probably just scared. He needed to think clearly. He couldn't afford to do something stupid. He had made his decision and was ready to take the risk. If she rejected him, he would at least settle for being part of his son's life.
"I have a son," he thought with a smile. He didn't quite know how to feel. He was still trying to process the fact that he had become a father for the second time—but this time, he would get to meet his child.
He was a storm of emotions, so lost in his thoughts that he feared he might cause an accident with how fast he was driving. When he arrived at the restaurant, his heart was racing. He didn't want to lose control or say something wrong to her. He got out of the car and walked straight inside.
He headed straight for the kitchen, drawing everyone's attention.
"Dominick? What are you doing here?" asked Floren, signaling one of her assistants to take over what she was doing.
"I came to see Ja…" He cleared his throat, remembering that Jade was using another name. "Isabel. Is she here?" he asked, anxious.
Floren led him out of the kitchen to speak privately.
"She's not here. She has an appointment with her therapist," she explained. "She should be back in about half an hour." She glanced at the clock. "If you want, you can wait for her at one of the tables."
"Don't worry, I know where I can wait," he said, leaving her confused.
Dominick went upstairs, grabbed the spare key from under the wooden frame, and decided to wait inside the apartment.
He sat in the living room, looked around for a few minutes, and grew impatient. It wouldn't hurt to take a little look around, right?
Dominick stood and began walking through the apartment. He opened the door across from Jade's room and saw a few feminine things scattered around. He stepped inside briefly—there wasn't much to see—and assumed it was Nerea's room. He left immediately. The next door made him frown. Unlike Jade's and Nerea's rooms, this one was painted in dark tones. He grimaced; he already had a good idea who it belonged to.
He didn't trust him, but Marcus was right. And he had to admit all the good things Armand had done for Jade… which only made his blood boil more. He didn't go in and instead moved on to the last door.
Dominick opened it—and his heart nearly stopped.
The bright colors, the toys scattered across the floor, and the small bed shaped like a crib told him exactly whose room it was.
Without thinking, he walked inside, taking everything in like a blind man seeing for the first time. It felt unreal. He went to the closet, opened it, and picked up a few tiny clothes, carefully inspecting them. He wandered around the room, memorizing every little detail.
He frowned. There wasn't a single picture of his son anywhere. Then he remembered the first time he'd been there—the strange way Jade had rushed him out. He went to her room and started looking through her things. He knew it wasn't right, but he didn't care. In Jade's closet, he found a box full of photos. He sat on the floor and looked through the pictures of his son.
He smiled. The boy had Jade's hair and his dark eyes—a deep shade of brown that almost looked black. There were so many photos. He found an album and quickly opened it.
"Luka," he read on the cover, written next to a picture of his son. At least now he knew his name. He spent all his time in the apartment looking at pictures of the little boy, overcome by the urge to meet him. He wanted to give that child everything he once had as a boy. And right there, sitting on Jade's bedroom floor, he made himself a promise—one he intended to keep.
[...]
Jade
She parked the car and got out.
She told herself she'd take a shower and lie down for a while; later, she'd fix something to eat. She'd been so busy and worried that she hadn't been eating properly, and falling back into anemia was the last thing she wanted.
She didn't go to the kitchen to greet Floren, thinking she was probably busy. Instead, she went upstairs, feeling drained. She missed Luka terribly—wanted to hold him, smother him with kisses and affection. Her son had become her reason to live, and she would do anything to keep him safe and in a healthy environment.
She took her keys from her purse and opened the door.
After closing it, she went straight to her bedroom.
Her heart nearly stopped when she saw Dominick sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall with the box and album of Luka's photos in his hands. Her pulse raced wildly. She feared the worst. She knew Dominick's explosive temper, and despite everything they'd talked about more than a week ago, part of her was still afraid of him—she still didn't trust him.
Dominick looked at Jade, and it was as if he could read her thoughts. The terror on her face was obvious—she looked like a frightened animal.
"H-how did you get in? What are you doing here… with that?" she stammered, frozen by the door.
He sighed.
Dom stood up, putting the box and everything else back in its place. He walked toward her, and she didn't move a muscle.
"Can we talk?" he asked. "I didn't come to argue or to judge you. I don't want you to get the wrong idea about my intentions. I just want an explanation, because today, I almost left for good—without knowing we had a child."
The moment she heard his words, she knew there was no going back. She had to tell him the truth—no more fear, no more running. She had to be strong, for her son, because he needed his father, even if she never saw it that way before.
She straightened and nodded.
"Please, wait for me in the living room," she said, keeping her composure. "I promise I'll answer everything you want to know, but I need to take a shower first—if you don't mind."
"Not at all. I'll wait," he murmured. "It'll give me time to think."
Jade rushed into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. What was she going to do? She had no idea. Things were getting complicated. For now, she would give Dom the benefit of the doubt—he said he wouldn't judge her or make a scene. Even if she still didn't trust him, another part of her wanted to believe he would keep his word.
She undressed and got into the shower. When she finished and got dressed, she went out to the living room, where Dominick was sitting on the couch, looking at one of Luka's photos.
She took a deep breath. She had thought that conversation would never happen. She never imagined he would insist on finding her—but she'd been wrong.
She walked over and sat beside him, leaving a small space between them.
"I hope you don't mind that I took this," he said, referring to the picture.
"Don't worry. I have many," she said softly, then cleared her throat. She didn't know where to begin.
"I'd like to believe you didn't do it out of bad intentions—that when we talked that day, remembering everything that happened made you forget to mention that I had a son," he said, calm and composed, trying to keep the conversation as gentle as possible.
"Maybe," she admitted, though she knew very well that the day she pushed him out of the apartment, she had done it deliberately—so he wouldn't see the photos of Luka and start asking questions she wasn't ready to answer. "I'll be honest, when I threw you out that day, I did it because I didn't want you to see anything related to my son." She looked down, ashamed.
"And even though I know it was wrong, I hope you understand me. All I've ever wanted is Luka's well-being. I would die if anything happened to him. He's always been my whole world. The only father figure he's ever known is Armand—and even he isn't consistent in his life."
Dominick closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. He didn't want to start a fight, though the thought that his son might call another man "dad" filled him with fury.
"I know what you're thinking," she said, seeing his tense expression. "But I want you to know that Luka knows Armand isn't his father. I never wanted anyone to replace you—but I also didn't want you in his life."
"You don't want me in my son's life?" he asked, forcing her to look at him. "I have every right to be there. I am—"
"His father?" she interrupted. "Let me tell you something—you're only his father because you conceived him. I've been there through every bad moment. I know I didn't give you the chance to choose whether you wanted to be part of his life, but did you ever give me a reason to trust you?"
Dominick fell silent.
"I don't trust you," she continued. "I was afraid that, with all your anger, your drinking, your demons—you'd hurt my son. I swore I'd never let him suffer. I failed to protect him once when he was born, and I still carry that guilt."
"What was I supposed to do back then?" she wiped away her tears, full of anger and pain. She hated remembering that time, hated the woman she had become, and hated even more the moments when she wished Luka had never been born. "Just the thought of you finding out about Luka and rejecting him—or treating him the way you treated me—made me sick. My son doesn't deserve more pain."
"I know I never set a good example," Dominick said quietly, "but Jade, things are different now. I promise—"
"It's just hard for me to trust you," she interrupted again.
"I know." He took her hands. "I know I never gave you a reason to see me differently, but I promise you, from now on, I'll work hard to change that. I just ask for one chance—to show you I can be the best father for Luka, for our son." He reached up and wiped a tear from her cheek. "Let's start over. Let's get along—for him. He needs his parents."
Jade hesitated. But she knew she had to give him at least a chance.
"You're not going to take him away from me, are you?" she asked, pouting slightly, still unsure and afraid.
"Of course not. I'd never do that," he assured her. "We can do this together. We just have to try."
He finally understood that the best thing he could do was forgive the past and focus on the present. He wanted, more than anything, a life with her and their son. But first, he needed to earn her trust. He would take it slow and prove that his intentions toward Luka were pure.
"I think we can try," she said with a timid smile.
"Of course we can. The first step is for me to meet him—to let him know I'm his father," he murmured. "Where is he?"
Jade tensed.
"In France," she replied, bracing for his reaction.
"In France?" Dominick frowned. "Did you send him there so I wouldn't see him?"
"Not exactly," she said, looking down at her hands and then back at him. "Every year, Armand takes him to visit his mother around his birthday." She sank tiredly into the couch. "But this time, there were… other intentions."
"Then I'm asking you to call him and tell him to bring Luka back as soon as possible. I don't want to waste any more time," he said with a smile.
"Alright. I'll write to Nerea and Armand," she agreed. "I'm putting all my trust in you, Dominick. My baby is everything I have. I hope you understand how valuable he is to me—and I really hope I won't regret this decision."
"I won't let you down," he promised.
Dominick was determined to show her that he had changed—that he could be the best father and, more than that, win her heart. He wanted Jade not only as the mother of his son but as the woman he would love for the rest of his life—and he would stop at nothing to make that happen.