His Merciless Redemption novel Chapter 168

Chapter 168

Isabella’s POV

The night air in Florence felt cool against my skin as Luca’s car pulled up in front of the Villa.

It was well after midnight and the city had quieted down. The streetlights cast soft golden pools across the pavement, and the world finally felt still after the long, exhausting evening.

Luca turned off the engine and looked at me with an easy smile.

“Well,” he said, leaning back in his seat, “that was a success.”

I let out a small breath I didn’t realize I had been holding. “It really was.”

The evening had gone better than I could have hoped. The exhibition had been packed. Critics had loved it. Donors had been enthusiastic. The press coverage alone would carry the project far beyond Florence.

It made me feel proud of myself without any shadows attached to the feeling.

“You were incredible tonight,” Luca added. “Truly.”

I laughed softly. “Thank you.”

“I mean it,” he said. “You’ve built something amazing.”

I looked back towards the Villa. Warm light glowed faintly through the windows. Home. For now.

Luca shifted slightly. “So…. Milan.”

The words lingered between us.

“I can book the flights whenever you’re ready,” he continued. “Just say the word.”

I nodded slowly. “I still haven’t talked to Mateo about it.”

“Ah.”

“He just started his vacation,” I said. “I want to explain everything to him first.”

“That makes sense.”

“Once I do that, we can book the flights.”

“Perfect,” Luca said. “Just let me know,”

There was a brief pause. Then his tone softened slightly. “I hope it’s a good chapter for you.”

I glanced at him.

Chapter 168

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“I mean it,” he added quietly. “I don’t know what exactly happened between you and Dominic, but I can see how much this whole thing has hurt you.”

My chest tightened.

“And watching him get engaged to someone else like that….” He shook his head. “That can’t have been easy”

No. It hadn’t been. Not even a little.

“It’s not as simple as it looks,” I said quietly.

“I’m sure it isn’t.”

“But yes,” I admitted after a moment. “I need to move on.”

The words felt strange in my mouth.

Move on.

They sounded so easy. Like something you could just decide one day. I wished it was that simple.

“Milan might be a good place to start,” I added.

Luca nodded.

“And I’m glad you’re coming with us,” I said sincerely. “It’ll help having someone familiar there.”

“Of course.” He smiled warmly.

Then he opened his arms.

I leaned over and hugged him briefly.

“Thank you,” I said. “For everything.”

“Anytime.”

I stepped out of the car.

“Goodnight, Isa.”

“Goodnight, Luca,”

His car pulled away slowly down the street.

For a moment I stood there in the quiet.

Then I turned and walked inside.

The house was silent given that it was well after midnight. Maria had assured me earlier that Mateo had gone to sleep on time. The hallway lights were dim.

Chapter 168

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I slipped off my heels near the entrance and walked towards the kitchen, craving a glass of water after the long evening.

But the moment I stepped through the doorway-

I froze.

For a second my brain refused to process what I was seeing.

No. That’s not possible.

But it was.

Dominic sat at the kitchen island, still in a suit. The same one he must have worn to his engagement tonight.

He looked exactly the same.

And completely different.

My heart slammed violently against my ribs.

What is he doing here?

For one dizzy second, I wondered if I was imagining it.

But no.

He was very

real.

And the sight of him hurt.

God.

It hurt so much.

A thousand emotions collided inside me all at once.

I wanted to slap him. I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to run across the room and throw my arms around him.

The intensity of it was overwhelming. This was too much, too soon. Too unexpected.

I turned.

I couldn’t do this.

But his voice stopped me cold,

“You’re going to Milan.”

I froze in the doorway,

“With Luca.” His tone was sharp. Accusatory. “And you didn’t tell me.”

For a second there was only silence.

Then, something inside me just snapped. A harsh laugh ripped out of my chest. It sounded almost hysterical.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

He stood abruptly. “I’m serious.”

I turned back slowly. “You’re serious?” My voice rose.

“You-”

I laughed again.

“You have the nerve to sit here and question me about not telling you something?”

His jaw tightened. “You’re leaving Florence.”

“For work!” I exploded. “For my job!”

“You didn’t say a word to me!”

“Oh I’m sorry,” I shouted. “Should I have called you? Interrupted your engagement party to Alessia?”

The words hung in the air like a slap.

Dominic’s eyes flashed. “That’s not the point.”

“No?” I shot back. “Then what exactly is the point?”

“You’re running away again.”

My temper detonated. “I am not running away!”,

“You’re leaving without telling me.”

Jesus fucking Christ!

What the hell gave him the right to come in here and talk about not telling him things when he was the one who hadn’t told me shit until the last moment?

“You lost the right to know anything about my life the moment you got engaged to someone else!” I practically screamed, my voice echoing through the kitchen,

Dominic stepped closer. “You think I wanted that?”.

“I don’t care what you wanted!” I shouted again, the words tearing out of me before I could stop them, raw and unguarded. “You did it anyway!”

Chapter

We were standing only a few feet apart now.

“You didn’t even talk to me!” I continued, fury spilling over, something almost primal taking over me as all the pent up rage and frustration boiled over. “You didn’t give me a choice! You just decided and expected me to accept it!”

“You think this was easy for me?” he demanded.

“Oh spare me,” I snapped. “You looked very comfortable standing there with Alessia tonight.”

I hadn’t seen him with her, but I could image it like I had. And the image made my anger flare hotter.

His face darkened. “You don’t know anything about tonight.”.

“I know enough!” I declared, stepping closer still. “And now you walk in here like you have the right to interrogate me about my job?”

“You’re leaving with Luca.”

“Because he actually respects me!”

The moment the words left my mouth I saw something flicker in Dominic’s eyes.

Pain.

Good.

I didn’t stop.

“At least he didn’t string me along for months only to marry someone else.”

“That’s not what happened!”

“Oh really?” I shouted. “Because that’s exactly what it feels like!”

By now we were practically nose to nose. Both breathing hard.

Both angry.

Hurt.

Barely an inch apart.

My heart pounded wildly.

And suddenly, I realized just how close we were.

One step.

That’s all it would take.

One step and-

No.

The thought hit me like a shockwave.

The sound of footsteps broke the moment.

“Good lord,” Caterina’s sleepy voice said.

We both stepped apart instantly.

She stood in the doorway in her robe, looking exhausted.

“You two are being incredibly loud,” she said. “You’ll wake Mateo.”

Guilt crashed through me. I hadn’t even thought about that.

Dominic ran a hand through his hair. “Did you know?” he asked suddenly.

Caterina blinked. “Know what?”

“That she’s moving to Milan.”

“Yes,” she said calmly.

The word hung in the air. Dominic stared at her.

“And

you

didn’t tell me.”

Her expression hardened slightly. “You’ve hurt her enough, Dominic.”

The words landed heavily.

“She deserves to do whatever she needs to do to feel like herself again.”

Silence followed.

Dominic didn’t respond but I knew whatever he was going to say wasn’t going to be pretty. Not when both our emotions were running so high.

Suddenly, I didn’t want anything to do with any of this, the exhaustion of the day catching up to me all at once to the point where even standing felt like a task.

“I need to check on Mateo,” I muttered before I walked out of the kitchen quickly, my chest still tight with anger. And grief. And exhaustion.

I was so tired of all of it.

The fighting. The heartbreak. The endless emotional chaos.

Chapter 168

I just wanted peace.

And in that moment, I truly believed Milan might give it to me.

When I entered Mateo’s room, he was still sleeping peacefully. I climbed into bed beside him, uncaring that I was still in my evening gown.

He stirred slightly and curled closer.

And finally, I felt a small sense of comfort.

Tomorrow would come.

And with it, a new life.

Far, far away from Dominic Russo.