His Merciless Redemption novel Chapter 160

Chapter 160

Isabella’s POV

Sicily was supposed to feel lite relied

I didn’t

The two merlooked the sea, the scent of salt carried in by the wind. It was beautiful Peaceful Quiet Too

QUM

We had been here for two days.

Two days since Dominic stood in the Villa hallway and told me to be strong

Two days since he said he would call

He hadn’t.

I had tried reaching him twice the first day. Once in the morning. Once before bed. Both times, it went unanswered. No message. No explanation.

The gnawing feeling in my chest hadn’t left since we drove away from the Villa. If anything, it had deepened.

He’s doing something. I didn’t know what. But I knew him enough to know that he was.

Dominic never looked at me the way he had that morning unless something irreversible was already in

motion.

Work kept me functional.

Thankfully, my position allowed remote management. My team had been incredibly accommodating these past months handling everything with ease, the political chaos, the reopening of the gallery, the travel, the constant changes.

I logged into the conference call from the dining table overlooking the sea.

“Everything is ready for the installation?” I asked.

“Yes,” Carla replied. “Final lighting adjustments tomorrow. The invitations are confirmed.”

“Security protocols?”

“Double coverage

Good.

I leaned back in the chair after the call ended. We were days away from the official opening. We had put months of preparation into it, taking care of everything from press coordination and private donors to the minor curation details.

ད ས་པ

controlled. Structured. Predictable.

Mateo sat across from me at the table, headphones on, attending his online class. His small face was serious, brows furrowed in concentration.

At least his vacation would start soon. He wouldn’t have to sit through virtual lessons much longer.

Caterina moved around the kitchen quietly.

She had been attentive. Gentle. Almost watchful.

“How are you feeling?” she asked me that afternoon while we prepared lunch.

“Fine,” I replied automatically.

She paused mid-motion. “You don’t look fine.”

I forced a small smile. “I’m just tired.”

She didn’t push. But her eyes lingered. She knows something is coming. Or maybe she just knows her son.

The days were manageable still. Between Mateo’s schedule, my work calls, and the constant hum of household tasks, time moved quickly.

It was the nights that were harder.

When Mateo slept, when Caterina retired to her room, when the house fell silent except for the ocean, that’s when my mind turned into a traitor.

Where is he right now? Is he at the penthouse? In his office? At some meeting?

Or in bed with Alessia?

I shut my eyes tightly.

I had set boundaries:

I had told him clearly that I will not compete. Not physically. Not emotionally.

He had agreed.

But that was before the kidnapping. Before the escalation. Before everything shifted.

Boundaries blur under pressure.

And Dominic was under enormous pressure.

The thought of him lying in the same bed as her twisted something ugly in my

It wasn’t even about jealousy anymore.

chest.

It was about being replaced. Being sacrificed.

Stop.

You’re spiraling.

We hadn’t been acting like a couple anyway. We had been rebuilding ourselves carefully.

Cautiously.

And now distance had forced clarity.

Being here in Sicily, away from his presence, away from his intensity, it allowed me to breathe. To think. To reinforce the walls I had tried to build around my heart.

But the truth was simple.

I missed him. Not the Don. Not the strategist. Just him. His presence. His voice in the hallway. The way he stood between me and chaos without asking for gratitude.

The right thing to do was to not think about him. To not care about what he was doing and with whom. That was the whole point of setting boundaries, of me saying that until he had Alessia in his life, I wanted no part of it, wasn’t it?

And whenever we met next, I would make sure to reinforce those boundaries. I would put up a strong front.

But inside, my heart didn’t care. Logic meant nothing to my yearning heart. It just wanted him here. Even if we weren’t touching. Even if we weren’t pretending everything was fine.

I just wanted him near.

My phone remained silent on the bedside table. No missed calls. No messages.

The silence was worse than conflict.

On the second evening, as the sun dipped low over the water, painting the sky in gold and orange, my phone finally rang.

My heart leapt.

Dominic.

But the name on the screen made me frown.

Luca.

I answered immediately. “Luca?”

“Have you seen the news?” His voice was tight.

“No,” I said slowly. “What news?”

Chapter 100

There was a pause. The kind that feels heavy.

“You haven’t?”

“No,” I repeated. “What are you talking about?”

“You should probably sit down.”

A cold wave swept through me. “I am sitting.”

Another pause. Then my phone buzzed. A message. I looked down.

He had sent me a link.

My fingers felt strangely numb as I tapped it open.

The headline loaded slowly, too slowly.

And then, the words arranged themselves on the screen.

Russo-Moretti Alliance Confirmed: Engagement to Be Announced Within Days

My vision blurred.

No.

I blinked hard. Read it again.

Russo. Moretti. Engagement.

The article continued beneath it mentioning political consolidation, strengthened alliances, a united front.

My stomach dropped.

“Isa?” Luca’s voice came faintly through the phone. “Are you there?”

I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t breathe.

He agreed.

He agreed to this.

Without telling me.

The gnawing feeling in my chest exploded into something sharp and devastating.

This is what he was doing. This is why he looked at me like that. This is why he said I love you like it was final.

My hands began to tremble.

“It’s probably strategic,” Luca rushed. “You know how these posh families operate. It might not mean-”

“It means everything,” I whispered.

The room felt suddenly too small, too bright.

Caterina looked up from across the room, sensing something.

“Isa?” she asked.

I couldn’t look at her. I couldn’t look at anyone. Because if I did, I would shatter.

He chose.

He chose politics. He chose alliance. He chose stability.

Over me.

Over us.

The headline stared back at me from the screen.

Engagement.

It had been barely over forty-eight hours since we had come to Sicily. He had made a public announcement in that time.

And he hadn’t called.

He hadn’t warned me.

He hadn’t even given me the dignity of hearing it from him.

My heart felt like it had physically cracked inside my chest.

He said he loved me. He said he would do anything.

And this is what he did.

“Isa?” Luca said again softly.

I swallowed hard. “I have to go.”

I ended the call without waiting for his response. The phone slipped slightly in my grip.

Caterina stood now, watching me closely. “What happened?”

I lifted my gaze slowly. I don’t know how I managed to speak.

“Dominic,” I said, my voice hollow. “Is getting married.”

And the sea outside continued to move calmly.