His Merciless Redemption novel Chapter 157

Chapter 157

Dominic’s POV

By the time I reached the Villa, it was over.

Marco met me at the entrance, voice low, controlled.

“Two men breached the west garden wall. Cameras cut for twelve seconds. We intercepted before they reached the house.”

“Casualties?”

“They won’t be trying again.”

I held his gaze for a second longer. “Inside?”

“Secure. No one woke up.”

I nodded once and walked past him.

The house was quiet, too quiet. The kind of silence that only exists when something almost happened.

Mateo was still asleep.

I checked the monitors first. Mateo was still asleep. Then, just because I wanted to see it with my own eyes, I went to his room. was dark, his small body curled beneath blankets.

Alive. Untouched.

A breath I hadn’t realized I was holding finally left my lungs.

Then I turned

Isabella stood at the end of the hallway.

Her hair was loose, falling over one shoulder. She looked sleepy, eyes slightly unfocused like she had just

woken up.

Good.

That meant she hadn’t heard anything.

“What are you doing here?” she asked softly.

“I couldn’t sleep,” I replied. “Just wanted to check on you. On him.”

She studied me for a moment. There was something vulnerable in the way she looked at me. No accusation. No fear. Just concern.

“You didn’t have to drive all the way back,” she said gently.

I stepped closer. “I did.”

She nodded slowly.

I hated lying to her. It sat heavy in my chest. But telling her what had just happened would shatter the only place she still felt safe. And the Villa had held.

Marco’s response was fast. Security was tight. The breach had been neutralized before it reached her door.

The Villa was still safe. For now.

I wasn’t going to take that from her. Not yet.

She tilted her head slightly. “You look tired.”

I almost laughed. Tired.

If exhaustion were the problem, I could fix it.

“I’m fine,” I said.

She searched my face like she didn’t quite believe that.

I realized something then.

This is probably the last peaceful conversation we were going to have.

The thought settled into my bones like cold water.

Because I had already made the decision.

I was going through with it.

Marrying Alessia.

Not because I wanted to. Not because I loved her. But because I needed external support.

If I was going to tear apart my inner circle to find the mole, I needed reinforcement from outside.

Alliances. Manpower. Political backing.

found

I couldn’t dismantle my own foundation without something holding the roof up.

And right now, that alliance was the only viable option.

If I didn’t find that mole, the threat would never end. Not fully. Not permanently. And I could not live with that.

Even if it meant losing Isabella forever.

The realization nearly buckled my knees.

If I marry Alessia, Isabella walks away. For good.

She might never even let me see Matco the same way again.

She might take him somewhere I can’t reach.

I would deserve it.

The thought of Mateo growing up without me made my stomach churn.

I swallowed hard.

Safety first. Always. Even if it destroyed me.

“I want you, Mateo, and my mother to go to Sicily for a few days,” I said carefully.

Her brows knit together. “Sicily?”

“Yes.”

“For how long?”

“Just until I neutralize the threat here.”

Her expression shifted. “You think it’s that serious?”

It is worse than serious.

“It’s precaution,” I said evenly. “You’ll be safer there while I handle things.”

She crossed her arms lightly, processing. “And when things settle?”

“I’ll call you back.”

Call you back. Like this was temporary. Like I was not about to light a match to everything we rebuilt.

She stepped closer. “Dominic, what’s really going on?”

Everything.

I’m about to lose you. I’m choosing politics over us. I’m choosing war over peace.

But none of that came out.

Instead, I looked at her. At the way the hallway light caught in her eyes. The faint crease between her brows when she worried. The softness she only allowed around me.

Something in my expression must have unsettled her.

uue me say them out loud.

1

wasn’t someone who said words like that often, if at all. But something about tonight

“And I love Mateo.”

Her frown deepened. “I know you do.”

“I would do anything for you both.”

She stepped into me then, hands coming up to rest against my chest.

“I know that too,” she said gently. “And I love you.”

That nearly broke me. She loves me.

And I’m about to break her heart.

I pulled her into my arms tightly, too tightly.

She laughed softly against my shoulder. “Dominic, you’re crushing me.”

I loosened my hold slightly but didn’t let go.

She kept asking, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I murmured into her hair.

“You’re acting strange.”

“I missed you.”

Her hand slid up my back. “You saw me earlier.”

“I know.”

“You’re being dramatic.”

If only you knew.

“You’ll be gone tomorrow,” I said quietly. “I’ll miss you.”

She pulled back just enough to look at me. “It’s not like we’re going away forever.”

The sentence hit like a blade. Not forever.

You don’t know that.

I forced a faint smile.

“Still,” I said. “I’ll miss you.”

She searched my face again. “Are you sure this is necessary?”

“Yes.”

If I keep you here while I dismantle everything, you become leverage. If I keep you close while I announce a marriage-

I couldn’t even finish that thought.

“Be strong,” I told her quietly.

Her brows furrowed deeper. “Strong?”

“Take care of Mateo.”

“I always do.”

“I know.”

My throat tightened.

This was goodbye.

Not officially. Not publicly.

But in my head, I was already saying it.

Goodbye to late-night conversations. Goodbye to rebuilding. Goodbye to the version of us that might have

worked.

All because I could not afford to fail.

If marrying Alessia secures alliances, if it stabilizes perception, if it gives me the breathing room to rip apart my circle and find the mole, then that’s what I’ll do.

Even if it costs me the woman I love.

Even if it costs me the only chance at a normal life.

She rested her forehead against mine.

“You’re scaring me,” she whispered.

I cupped her face. “You don’t need to be scared.”

I will carry the fear for both of us.

She studied me for another long second. Inen she kisseu mic, suit.

I felt something inside my chest crack.

I held her longer than I should have. Longer than what made sense.

Because once she leaves tomorrow, everything changes.

She might hate me.

And I will let her if it keeps her alive.

“I should go back,” I said finally.

“So late?”

“Yes.”

She nodded slowly. “Text me when you get there.”

“I will.”

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I stepped back reluctantly. She stood there in the hallway, wrapped in sleep and trust. And I knew I was about to betray both. Not because I wanted to. But because safety demanded it.

As I walked towards the door, I didn’t look back.

If I did, I might choose love over strategy.

And tonight, I could not afford that weakness.

In my mind, I said it one last time.

Goodbye, Isabella. Forgive me.

Because I will never forgive myself.