Page 28 of The Don's Hidden Heir

Dominic places his clenched fists on my desk and leans toward me. “Look at me, Elena.”

I close my eyes.I can’t look at you.

“Look at me,” he roars. His tone is harsh, furious and commanding. My muscles tense when his fingers grip my jaw and tilt my face in his direction. “Open your eyes.”

Oh, God.

My breath is ragged as I tear my eyes open and force myself to look at him.

“Lucas is my son.” He’s not asking. “Why did you keep him away from me for all these years, Elena?”[JV2]

I open my mouth to speak, but instead of words, tears I didn’t know I was holding back spills down my face.

“Stop crying, Elena.” His hands curl into fists and his nostrils flare. “You don’t have the right to cry.”

I sniffle to stop the tears from falling, but it’s impossible. Dominic is right, he’s the one who’s had to live without knowing he has a son, but I’m overwhelmed with all the emotions I’d forced myself to keep hidden for seven years. “I didn’t keep him away from you because I wanted to.”

His smirk is mirthless. “You have five minutes to explain yourself.”

I grab a Kleenex from my desk and clean my tears with it.“I had no choice, Dominic. You left me no choice, okay?”

He squints at me, his expression stone-hard and his icy-blue eyes piercing mine. “How is it my fault?”

“Death.”

It looks like his eyes widen for a moment, but I’m not certain.

“I found out you wereDeaththe same night I found out I was pregnant.” Tears begins to prickle my eyes again, blurring his image. “You chopped that man’s finger off, Dominic, and you smiled when you did it.”

His thick lashes flutter and his jaw clench. “You saw that?”

“Yes.” I bite my lip, trying to hide my horror at the memory. “You’re part of the mafia. No, you’re the head of the mafia,” I correct myself. “When I saw you do that, I couldn’t bring myself to tell you. I couldn’t raise a child with a monster like you.”

A wave of sadness flickers in his eyes. “You think I’m a monster?”

“You kill and hurt people. Are you an angel then?” I huff out a laugh, ignoring the ache clawing at my heart. “You kept the truth of who you were away from me. Why is it a problem I did the same?”

“Because he is my son, Elena.” He slides his fingers through his hair. “It doesn’t matter if you think I’m a monster or not. Lucas is my son and you had no right to keep him away from me.”[JV3]

“He is my son, too, and I have every right to keep him safe, Dominic.” He slams his fist on the desk and hangs his head low. A beat passes before he raises his head to look at me. “Seven years, Elena. I’ve missed seven years of my son’s life because of you.”

A knot forms in my throat at how quiet his voice sounds. I’ve never seen Dominic so angry and so sad. A pang of guilt slices through me and for the first time, I realize how selfish I’ve been.

It doesn’t matter if Dominic is a two-horned beast. I once loved him and my son deserves a father, yet I’d kept them apart from each other for so long.

“I’m sorry. I just wanted what was best for our son,” I muttered. I look into his eyes. “I didn’t realize the truth would hurt you this much.”

Dominic rounds the desk until he’s standing an inch away from me. Heat prickles down my spine from the sudden closeness. “Why didn’t you tell me when you found out who I was?”

“I was afraid.” My throat dries up so I swallow. “You lied to me. I had no idea how you’d react if you found out I knew your true identity. The only thing I could think of in that moment was to protect myself and our baby.”

“I didn’t lie to you, Elena.” He sits on the edge of the desk, so close his leg brushes against mine. “I kept the truth away from you to protect you.”

“You did a poor job at protecting me.”

Dominic watches me silently without protesting. The air is dense around us, but his intense gaze simmers into the pit of my stomach, heating me up from the inside out. God, the effect this man has on me.

I’m supposed to hate him for being such an asshole, but I can’t even take my eyes off him. It’s a battle between my head and my heart, and I can’t tell which one will win.

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