His Merciless Redemption novel Chapter 201

Chapter 201

Chapter 201

Isabella’s POV

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I didn’t remember the drive back, not properly. Everything between Isa’s voice telling me to leave and the moment I stepped into the penthouse felt like a blur of restrained anger and something colder beneath it.

Something sharper. Because this wasn’t just about Alessia showing up at Isa’s office. This was about her being near Mateo, near Isa. Without me knowing.

And that was something I wouldn’t tolerate.

The penthouse was quiet when I walked in. I found her in the living room, scated on the couch, a book open in her hands as if it were any other evening. As if nothing had happened. As if I hadn’t pulled her out of Isabella’s office and dropped her here a few hours back. As if she hadn’t just crossed a line.

She looked up when she heard me.

“Dominic,” she said softly, setting the book aside. “You’re back.”

I didn’t respond, didn’t soften, didn’t pretend. I hadn’t asked her about it then because I’d had to take care of an urgent work matter then. But it wasn’t until I talked to Isa that I realised she hadn’t just gone to her office but had been keeping tabs on Isa and Mateo. And that was just unacceptable.

I walked towards her slowly, my gaze fixed on hers. “Why did you go to the park?”

Her brows drew together slightly. “What?”

“You heard me,” I said, my voice low, controlled. “Why were you at the park where Isa and Mateo were?”

Her expression flickered, small, but there. Her fingers tightened slightly in her lap. “I-”

“And the keyring,” I continued, cutting her off. “Mateo’s keyring. How did you get that?”

She looked at me now, and something in her expression shifted, softening.

“Dominic,” she said quietly.

“And why did you go to Isabella’s office today?” I pressed. “What exactly were you trying to do?”

Silence stretched between us. For a moment, I thought she might deflect. Deny. But instead, her eyes filled just slightly, but enough to make it visible.

“I wasn’t trying to do anything wrong,” she said, her voice trembling just a little.

I stilled.

She swallowed, looking down at her hands. “I lost my baby, Dominic.”

The words were soft, but they carried weight.

“I know,” I said, my tone quieter now, but still firm. “That doesn’t explain-”

“I know it doesn’t,” she cut in, her voice breaking slightly. “But it matters. I’m going to be Mateo’s stepmother,” she continued, looking up at me again. “Whether Isabella likes it or not, that’s what’s going to happen.”

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3:40 pm P PPP.

Chapter 201

My jaw tightened.

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“And I know,” she went on, “that Mateo is always going to be a part of your life. I’m not trying to change that. I don’t want to.”

She shook her head slightly. “I just want to be a part of his life too. I know I didn’t try much when we were all living together in Florence. But I want to now.”

Something in her tone, it wasn’t manipulative or sharp. It was soft. Earnest.

“And that’s why you went to the park?” I asked.

She nodded slowly. “I saw them.” she admitted. “I didn’t plan it. I was nearby and I saw them together and I thought maybe I could talk to him,” she said after a moment. “Begin a new friendship. Start somewhere.”

My brows drew together slightly. “And did you?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Why not?”

Her lips pressed together. “Because Isabella was there,” she said quietly. “And I know she doesn’t like me.”

That wasn’t entirely wrong.

“She still has feelings for you,” Alessia added softly. “Anyone can see that. And now that we’re getting married….” She let the sentence hang.

“I didn’t want to make things worse,” she finished.

I watched her carefully, measuring. She didn’t look like she was lying about this. Besides, come to think of it, it seemed logical enough.

“So you left,” I said.

“Yes.”

“And the keyring?”

Her fingers curled slightly. “I found it on the ground,” she said. “Near where they were sitting.”

I didn’t interrupt.

“I picked it up,” she continued. “I thought maybe I could use it as an excuse to talk to her later.”

“To Isa,” I clarified.

She nodded. “I went to her office because I thought it would be better,” she said. “More controlled. Less emotional.”

A faint, humorless breath left her.

“That didn’t go as planned.”

No. It hadn’t.

I exhaled slowly, running a hand through my hair.

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3:40 pm

Chapter 201

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For a moment, I didn’t say anything. Because, objectively what she was saying made sense. She hadn’t threatened, hadn’t acted aggressively. She had tried. And it had gone wrong.

Because Isa already disliked her. Because the situation was already complicated. Because nothing about this was simple.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” I said finally.

Her eyes lifted to mine again. “I know,” she said softly.

“You don’t approach Isa or Mateo like that,” I continued, my tone firm again. “Not on your own. Not without telling me.”

“I just thought-”

“That’s the problem,” I cut in. “You thought. And you acted. Without considering what it would look like. What it would do.”

Her gaze dropped slightly. “I didn’t mean to upset anyone.””

“I know,” I said.

And I did. That was the problem. It wasn’t malicious. It was just misguided.

“You should’ve come to me,” I added. “If you wanted to meet Mateo, I would have arranged something. Properly. In a way that didn’t-”

I stopped myself. Didn’t what? Didn’t make Isa feel unsafe? Didn’t make her spiral?

Too late for that.

“I understand,” Alessia said quietly. “I won’t do it again.”

I held her gaze for a second longer. “Don’t,” I said. A pause. Then, more firmly, I added, “Stay away from Isa. And from

Mateo.”

Her eyes flickered just slightly. But I caught it. “Dominic-”

“I mean it,” I said. “If there’s going to be any interaction, it happens through me. After the marriage. Not before.”

Silence.

Then, she nodded. “Alright,” she said softly.

And just like that, it was settled, at least on the surface.

But something in me didn’t. Because as I stood there, looking at her, at the effort she was claiming to make, at the way she had tried, however poorly, to step into that role, and a flicker of guilt surfaced, unwanted and uninvited.

Here she was, trying to build something, trying to fit into a life that was already fractured,

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