His Merciless Redemption novel Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Isabella’s POV

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Mateo looked up the moment I stepped back into the living room, a green marker clutched in his small hand as he hunched over his drawing. His little brow furrowed in concentration before he brightened when he saw

“Mommy?” he asked. “Who was at the door?”

My pulse skittered. I forced a steady breath and crossed the room, smoothing the anxiety off my face before kneeling beside him.

“It was just someone from work,” I said lightly, brushing a curl from his forehead. “Nothing important.”

He blinked at me, searching for something I prayed he wouldn’t find. Then he held up his paper proudly. “Look! I made a new rocket today!”

I smiled, leaning in to kiss his temple. “A masterpiece. But now you need to go wash your hands. We have to get ready for school.”

He scrambled off, humming a tune under his breath, and I pushed myself to my feet, pressing my palms against the sides of my thighs as if that could keep me upright.

Dominic had been at my door.

Not in a boardroom. Not with witnesses.

Here. In my building. In the place I had built over the years, something to call home, hoping distance would be enough to keep him out of our lives.

My lungs tightened. I moved towards Mateo’s room, pulling out his small navy sweater and laying it neatly on the bed. He padded back in, hands damp from washing, hair sticking out in wild curls.

“Arms up,” I said gently.

He obeyed, and I slid the sweater over his head, my fingers lingering an extra second on his shoulders. I wanted to freeze this moment, his innocence, his trust, this life we’d made. A life without fear. Without

shadows.

A life without Dominic.

But the knock on the door, the sound of his voice, the way he had looked at me like I was a problem he intended to solve, it was all seeping under my skin like poison.

“Ready?” I asked softly.

Mateo nodded, excited. “Luca said he wants to see my rocket today.”

Right. Luca. Solid, dependable Luca, my anchor in a world that seemed like it was trying to drown me. Again.

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Chapter 12

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He was one of the few people who had helped me build a foundation here. Mateo adored him. And I trusted him more than anyone.

The intercom buzzed again. This time my fear didn’t spike, I recognized the pattern of the ring.

“It’s me,” Luca’s voice came through, warm and steady. “Morning escort ready.”

Relief flooded my chest. “Come up.”

Minutes later, Luca filled my doorway, tall and broad with that quiet protector energy that made most people instinctively step aside. Mateo launched at him with the enthusiasm of a child who had no idea of the tension behind the lines.

“Luca! I made a rocket!”

“Oh no,” Luca said with mock seriousness as he caught Mateo mid-air. “You didn’t make the fastest rocket in Florence, did you?”

“It goes to space!” Mateo said proudly.

“Then we better get it to school before NASA tries to steal it,” Luca replied, earning a delighted giggle.

Watching them, watching the ease, the normalcy, the stability, something twisted inside me. A fear I didn’t

want to name.

Because if Dominic pushed into our lives again, everything could unravel. Florence. My job. Mateo’s school. Even the friends who thought I was just Isabella Bianchi, not a woman who once belonged to a world built on blood and power.

I had rebuilt myself from ashes here. Changing our life again, ripping Mateo from the only home he’d known, felt unbearable. And yet the thought pressed against my ribs like a blade.

Dominic wouldn’t stop. I saw it in his eyes. And I knew how relentless he could be.

We headed down the stairs together, Mateo bouncing between us. When we stepped outside, the crisp morning air brushed against my skin, carrying the scent of espresso and early traffic. It had always felt safe here. Familiar. Mine.

But now, every sound felt sharper. Every shadow deeper. Like the city had suddenly lost the warmth it always held.

Luca opened the car door for Mateo, then for me. He rounded to the driver’s seat, and soon we were gliding through Florence’s narrow morning streets. Mateo immediately launched into an excited explanation of rocket propulsion, and Luca humored him with well-timed gasps.

I stared out the window, watching the blur of ochre walls and flower pots and bustling cafes. The city I loved. The life I loved. The stability Mateo needed.

Leaving again, God, the thought made my stomach twist.

I had sworn that no matter what happened, I wouldn’t uproot him like I had to. I wouldn’t let our lives revolve

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Chapter 12

around Dominic Russo’s gravity ever again.

:

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But fear lurked beneath my ribs, fear that Dominic’s presence alone could topple everything. Fear that Mateo might sense it. Fear that the past had finally come to collect what I had stolen from it.

A father. A truth. A life.

But I hadn’t had a choice.

It was either leave, or die.

Dominic had absolutely no right to demand explanations, to try to assert himself into our lives as if he’d always been there after everything he had done.

He had rejected his own child. Told me to ‘take care of it. And now he wanted to know about him? Why? What gave him the right? What-

“Hey. You’re awfully quiet back there.” Luca’s voice cut gently through my spiraling thoughts.

I swallowed once, forcing myself to breathe.

“Just tired,” I said.

Another lie. A softer one.

Luca glanced at the rearview mirror again, and this time I noticed the way his posture sharpened.

“What?” I asked quietly.

He didn’t answer at first.

Then, “The black car behind us. Been there since we left your street.”

My heart plummeted.

Carefully, he added, “Could be Dominic’s men? Nothing to panic about.”

I panicked anyway.

I glanced back, my movements slow, controlled. The car was sleek. Tinted. Unhurried. Holding the perfect distance, not too close to alarm, not far enough to disappear.

My throat closed.

Dominic had found me yesterday. Of course he would send people today.

“It’s him,” I whispered. “His men.”

“Most likely,” Luca said. “But stay calm. If it were anything else, they’d be more aggressive.”

I nodded, but dread wrapped around my spine.

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Chapter 12

I didn’t want Dominic near us. I didn’t want him woven into Mateo’s world. I didn’t want his power, his shadows, his danger leaking into the life I’d spent years building.

But the black car stayed behind us, steady and patient.

A silent reminder.

You can’t keep running. Isabella. You can’t hide him forever.

I turned to Mateo. He was happily tracing shapes on the fogged window, blissfully unaware of the way my world had tilted.

I curled my fingers in my lap, grounding myself.

I would protect him. I would protect our life. I wasn’t leaving Florence-not yet. Not unless there was absolutely no other choice.

But as Luca changed lanes and the black car followed, my chest tightened with a cold truth.

Dominic’s presence alone was enough to shatter the fragile peace I’d built.

And he wasn’t going to go away. Not this time.

Not when he was so damn close to discovering everything.

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