His Merciless Redemption novel Chapter 164

Chapter 164

Isabella’s POV

The sea outside looked the same as it had yesterday.

Blue. Endless. Calm.

It almost felt mocking.

I sat at the small desk near the window with my laptop open, pretending to read emails while cooled untouched beside me.

my

coffee

The house was quiet. Mateo was still asleep, his online classes not starting for another hour. Caterina was downstairs in the kitchen. Normal morning sounds drifted faintly upwards, dishes, the kettle, the soft hum of the espresso machine.

Normal.

Cept nothing felt normal anymore.

My phone buzzed against the table. Another notification. Another headline.

I shouldn’t have opened it.

But my finger moved before I could stop it.

Russo-Moretti Engagement Ceremony Confirmed For Next Weekend

Next weekend.

My stomach dropped slightly.

A week. Just one week.

For a moment I stared at the screen, trying to process how quickly everything was moving.

Of course it was fast. Political alliances weren’t romantic engagements. They were announcements. Declarations of power.

Still, a week sounded too soon. The speed of it made something inside me tighten.

He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t stall. He moved forward. Of course he did. That was Dominic, Decisive. Efficient. Ruthless when necessary.

I closed the article and shut the laptop for a second, pressing my fingers against my temples,

Don’t spiral, I told myself firmly, I’d done enough of that after my call with Dominic yesterday. No more.

Focus.

Work.

Work had always been the one thing in my life that existed outside Dominic’s orbit.

And right now I needed that.

My laptop chimed. Meeting starting.

I straightened slightly and reopened the screen.

Chiara appeared first on the call, her dark curls tied loosely back, glasses perched on her nose.

“Good morning,” she said brightly.

“Morning.”

“You look tired.”

“I didn’t sleep much.”

“That makes two of us,” she sighed. “The final installation schedules are driving me insane.”

That made me smile faintly. Normal conversation. Normal problems. We moved through the meeting agenda quickly.

Lighting adjustments. Artist confirmations: Guest list finalizations. Press coordination.

The project had grown bigger than any of us expected. It had been garnering international attention.

“Now the opening,” Chiara said, pulling up the calendar.

“Yes.”

She clicked through a few dates. “We have two possible weekends left if we want maximum attendance.”

I leaned forward slightly. “When?”

“The 14th, or the 15th.”

My eyes flicked automatically to the date.

The same weekend of the engagement ceremony,

A strange feeling passed through me.

Chiara continued talking.

“Most of the donors prefer the Saturday evening slot, but we could also do Sunday afternoon.”

I barely heard her for a moment.

Florence. The opening. The engagement. All on the same weekend. Meaning Dominic would obviously be at the ceremony. Which meant he wouldn’t be at the opening.

My chest loosened slightly.

Good.

The thought came before I could stop it.

Good.

I wasn’t ready to see him. Not yet. And definitely not in a professional setting pretending everything was normal.

“Isa?” Chiara said.

I blinked. “Sorry. Saturday works.”

“Perfect. Then we’re locking the opening for Saturday evening.”

Saturday evening.

The same night Dominic would be standing beside Alessia.

The thought twisted something inside me.

But at the same time, I was glad to have this distance. Work would give me an excuse, a reason not to be there. A shield, so to speak.

“Great,” Chiara continued. “Now, for the next phase of the project.”

She pulled up another slide.

“As you know, the expansion project will move to Milan after Florence.”

Right.

She glanced at me.

“You don’t necessarily have to travel for this one. We can handle most of the groundwork locally.”

“I’ll go.”

The words came out before I had time to think.

Chiara blinked. “You want to go?”

“Yes.” I heard how quickly I answered and forced myself to add calmly, “I’d like to oversee the transition. personally,”

Her eyebrows lifted slightly. “You don’t have to push yourself.”

“I’m not.”

It was half true, half instinct, and half escape but the thought was already taking root in my mind. Almost like my subconscious had already thought it through even before I blurted the words out.

Moving to Milan would give me some much needed distance. Space. A fresh environment. Somewhere Dominic wouldn’t constantly exist in the background of every memory.

“Milan is a big step for the project,” I continued, steadying my voice, feeling more sure of myself the more I thought about it. “It deserves direct oversight.”

Chiara studied me for a moment. Then nodded slowly. “Well, if you’re sure.”

“I am.”

Another small voice in my head whispered the real reason.

If I stay in Florence, Dominic will always be nearby. Our worlds will keep colliding.

Milan changes that.

New city. New routine. New focus.

Mateo’s voice drifted faintly from the hallway as he woke up.

Another thought clicked into place.

“Mateo’s vacation starts next week,” I added. “It’ll actually be a nice break for him. A different city for a while.”

Chiara’s expression softened. “That does sound lovely.”

Honestly? It did. Removing myself from this whole thing with Dominic even if it was temporary felt like the right thing to do.

Luca’s face appeared on the screen then. “I just joined,” he said. “Did I miss anything important?”

“We’re sending Isa to Milan,” Chiara replied.

Luca’s eyebrows rose. “Oh?”

I shrugged lightly. “Temporary relocation.”

“Well,” Luca said easily, “in that case I’ll come along too.”

“You don’t have to,”

“I know,” he grinned. “But Milan in spring? I’m not missing that.”

I felt a small, genuine wave of relief. It would be nice to have a familiar face there, someone who knew me before all of this.

“That would actually help,” I admitted.

“Then it’s settled,” Luca said.

Chiara laughed lightly. “Look at that. The Milan office already has a team.”

The call continued for another twenty minutes as we discussed logistics, office spaces, housing arrangements and press coordination.

But the entire time my mind kept circling the same thoughts.

Milan. Distance. A new beginning.

When the meeting ended, I sat quietly for a moment staring at the blank screen.

You’re running, my mind whispered.

Maybe, I was.

But maybe I needed to.

Because staying too close to Dominic right now felt like reopening a wound that had barely begun to close.

The smell of fresh coffee drifted up the stairs, prompting me to

go

downstairs.

Caterina was at the kitchen table reading. She looked up as I entered. “How are you doing, Isabella?”

“Fine,” I answered, pouring myself another cup of coffee. “My Boss wants me in Milan for the next phase of the project.”

Her eyebrows lifted slightly. “For how long?”

“A while.”

She studied me carefully. “I see.”

“You can come with us,” I said, meaning it. While she was mostly doing fine now once she had begun to follow the doctor’s instructions, I still didn’t feel comfortable leaving her alone. “If you want,” I added, when she didn’t say anything immediately.

Her expression softened. “That is very sweet of you,” she started, but I could already hear the ‘no’ she hadn’t. said out loud yet.

“But?”

She smiled gently. “I think I will either stay here or return to Florence to be closer to Dominic.”

“Oh.”

“I would miss Sicily,” she said quietly, “And Florence still feels like home.”

There was a pause and her gaze lingered on me.

“I am sorry things stand the way they do between you and Dominic.”

My chest tightened slightly. “So am I.”

“But this is between the two of you,” she continued softly. “There is little an old woman can do.”

I reached across the table and squeezed her hand. Of course I knew that. “I’ll stay in touch.”

“I know you will.” She smiled sadly. “I just hope one day the two of you find your way back to peace.”

I didn’t answer that.

Because right now, peace

felt very far

away.

I

田

AD

Comment

Send gift

No Ads