Chapter 155 - Chapter(Hundred) Fifty Four: Proud

" Domenico." The word came out with so much confusion and doubt as though Dominic, for a moment, lost the ability to distinguish between what was real and what wasn't. His face was a strange mixture of shock, confusion, and joy as he rose from the bed. 

He narrowed his eyes harder at the man by the door. 

" Domenico?" He called out once more, taking an uncertain step forward. " Is that really you? You look a bit different." 

Nostalgia spiked in Damien at the familiar sound of his father's voice, a voice he hadn't heard in years— a voice he once thought he would never get to hear again. Suddenly, the knots in Damien's chest loosened and he allowed himself a smile. Domenico was a name Dominic loved calling Damien when he was a kid. It had the same meaning as Dominic; of the lord. It was also the name Dominic aimed to dub Damien at birth but long story short, his wife and mother vetoed his plans. 

Albeit he didn't get to fulfill his wishes, he still never stopped calling Damien that name.

" Of course, I look a bit different." Damien's tone plummeted. " It had been years." 

Damien's eyes icicled as he turned to the doctor behind him. " Can you excuse us?"

For five solid seconds, the doctor didn't move, his eyes flitting from Damien then back to Dominic incredulously but despite his blatant hesitance to leave the two unchaperoned, he relented with a nod and stepped out to give them some space.

After being apart for seven long years, time together was what the father and son badly needed right now.

Damien watched as the doctor shut the door behind him after he exited before returning his attention to the elephant in the room— his supposedly mentally unstabled father. He allowed his gaze to wander the room for a terse moment. It looked like a pretty standard room; a bed covered with white sheets, another door which probably led to the bathroom, and a sparse amount of furniture— nothing like the room he had back home or in any of the many properties he owned around the country. The room also had a window but of course, it had to be sealed shut to prevent another crass psycho from throwing themselves off more than fourteen feet in an attempt to escape.

Knowing how thick-skinned his father was, Damien was certain he would have done the same in a trice if granted the chance. The thought alone incited Damien to question how impenetrable the security of this place was and how it was able to detain Dominic Kane for seven years without him breaking out.

Damien looked at his father once more; although he was only detained for seven years, it looked like they had over a decade shaved off his life. The hollowness of his eyes was even more prominent along with the wrinkles on the skin of his face. He was leaner than Damien remembered him to be and the gray streaks of his hair had tripled. But then again, how wouldn't it when he had been stuck here all alone with the ticking seconds as his only companion.

Dominic took slow, astonished steps closer, his lips unfurling a smile repleted with fondness.

" My son," Dominic said, placing both his hands on Damien's shoulders. " Look at you.You are a man now." 

Dominic's voice bled with fatherly pride, so much so that Damien couldn't spurn the warm bliss skidding down his back. 

" I was a man before you left." Damien couldn't help smiling when Dominic arched a brow.

" You were just nineteen and couldn't even shave properly without cutting yourself all over." Dominic's gaze wandered to the door behind Damien. " Your brothers, did they come with you?"

Dominic's eyes were bright and expectant as if silently urging Damien to say yes, to say that Thiago and Ernesto were outside waiting to see him as well.

Before even coming here, Damien had already mentally prepared himself for the horrible of all cases. He expected the worst of the worse, to witness Dominic in his lowest state like Leonardo wanted by putting him in there. Damien was immensely mollified when he saw that wasn't the case at all because in front of him wasn't the man rumored to wield malevolent intentions, accused of doing nefarious things to his own family but instead, what he saw when he looked at Dominic was a lonely father who missed his sons, a man who had been cheated off time he was meant to spend with his family.

" No, they aren't," Damien said and the anticipatory lights in Dominic's eyes dimmed instantly.

He eased his hands off Damien. " Oh."

" But I'm taking you to them instead." Damien asserted and for two whole seconds, Dominic was left befuddled.

" What?" Was all Dominic could utter, still rooted in shock.

" I'm doing this for grandma. She misses you and would do anything to see you again." Damien explained, staring into Dominic's once intimidating eyes— eyes that were identical to his. " Even if it meant going against Leonardo's orders to let you rot here." 

Dominic stayed silent as he allowed his son's words to sink in. Fernanda wanted to see him. Even if that was true, her wishes would be trivial in comparison to Leo's plan which was to let Dominic wither away in that mental asylum. Leo never wished to release Dominic. Never. Not now while he still controlled all the power in their family's mafia. Which made Fernanda's actions now seem exceedingly parlous. So dangerous that mere news of Damien's involvement could land him in serious trouble.

Dominic patted Damien's shoulder, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

" I have always admired the fire of courage that burns inside you. I would have done the same thing if it meant putting a smile on my mother's face." Dominic's smile flourished with pride. " My son."

My son. Damien rewound the words in his head.

Somehow those words didn't feel right with Damien, he didn't get as much joy from it as he thought he would. After many years of working hard to prove his worth, now that his own father had acknowledged his efforts— now that his father finally declared how proud he was of him, there was still this tiny voice at the back of Damien's head that continued whispering self-deprecating things to him, things like you are not worthy, you are not sufficient.

You will never truly make your father proud.