His Merciless Redemption novel Chapter 204

Chapter 204

Chapter 204

Dominic’s POV

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The moment Isabella’s call cut, I didn’t wait, didn’t think, didn’t give myself time to cool down. I drove straight to the penthouse.

By the time I reached there, the anger had already settled into something colder, sharper. A bit more controlled, but only a bit.

The door opened before I could reach for the handle, and Alessia stood there, like she had been waiting for me to get back.

“Dominic-”

“Inside.”

My tone left no room for softness.

She stepped back immediately, letting me walk in.

I didn’t sit, didn’t slow down.

I turned to face her, my jaw tight. “You went to see him again.”

Her expression shifted, just slightly. “I told you-”

“You told me it was a coincidence,” I cut in sharply. “At the park. Fine. I let that go.”

I took a step closer.

“But the grocery store?” I continued. “You talked to him again. After I explicitly told you not to go near him.”

Her fingers curled into her dress. “I didn’t plan it,” she said quickly. “I was already there-”

“That’s not the point,” I snapped.

Silence fell at my words, heavy and suffocating.

Her eyes widened slightly at the edge in my voice. “I wasn’t following him,” she insisted, her voice softer now. “It just happened. Caterina sent him to the aisle and he came to me. What was I supposed to do? Ignore him?”

“Yes,” I said immediately.

The word hung between us and she flinched.

“I didn’t think it would be such a big deal,” she said, her voice trembling now. “I was just helping him—”

“You don’t get to decide what is a big deal and what isn’t,” I cut in. “Not when it comes to him. Not when it comes to Isa.”

Her eyes filled with unshed tears, not dramatically, but enough that I noticed.

“I was being nice,” she said quietly. “I was just trying.”

I exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through my hair. “This isn’t about being nice,” I said, my voice still tight. “This is about boundaries. And you keep crossing them.”

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Chapter 204

“I didn’t mean to,” she whispered.

Her words softened something in me, just slightly, enough to make me pause.

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Because I could see it. She wasn’t attacking, wasn’t provoking. She was just trying to fit, trying to step into something that didn’t belong to her.

And failing. Badly.

I closed my eyes for a second and forced myself to breathe. When I spoke again, my tone was calmer but still firm. “You need to go back to Florence.”

Her head snapped up. “What?”

“I don’t want you here right now,” I said.

She seemed stunned at my words but recovered quickly, her eyes filling yet again. “You’re sending me away?” she asked, her voice cracking. “Because she told you to?”

“This isn’t about-”

“It is,” she said, tears slipping down now. “We’re getting married, Dominic. And you’re sending me away because your ex- wife is uncomfortable?”

My jaw tightened. “It’s not like that.”

“Then what is it like?” she demanded. “What exactly did I do that was so wrong? I spoke to a child? I helped him pick cheese?”

Her voice wavered.

I’m going to be his stepmother,” she said. “Is it such a terrible thing that I want to have a good relationship with him?”

The word hit. Stepmother. Again. A lie she didn’t even know was a lie.

And I was the reason for that. That familiar flicker of guilt moved through me again, unwelcome yet unavoidable.

“She doesn’t trust you,” I said finally.

“And that’s my fault?” Alessia shot back. “She’s the one who still has feelings for you. She’s the one who can’t accept that you’re moving on. And I’m the one being punished for it?”

I didn’t respond.

Because this wasn’t simple. Nothing in my life was at that point.

“I was thinking about the future,” she continued, her voice breaking more now. “If I build a bond with Mateo now, things will be easier later. For all of us.”

Her gaze held mine.

“I was just being thoughtful.”

I knew she believed that and that was the problem.

I exhaled slowly. “I understand where you’re coming from,” I said.

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Chapter 204

Her expression shifted, hope igniting in the depths of her still wet eyes.

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“But this is not the time,” I added firmly. “Not right now. Everything is already complicated. You going near them like this, it only makes things worse.”

Her shoulders dropped slightly. “I just wanted to be included,” she whispered.

And there it was. The truth beneath everything else.

I looked at her, and for a moment, the guilt pressed harder.

Because she was trying. In her own way.

And I was already planning to walk away from all of this. From her. From the future she thought they had.

I pushed that thought aside.

I had made my choice and it was what I wanted more than anything in the world.

‘I’ll arrange for you to meet Mateo,” I said. “After the wedding.”

The lie tasted bitter, but I forged on anyway.

‘But right now,” I continued, “I need you to go back to Florence.”

She shook her head slowly. “I don’t want to go,” she said. Her voice was small now, soft.

‘I want to stay here. With you.”

Something in me recoiled. I couldn’t let it show visibly, but internally, it felt all kinds of wrong. She was too close, too dependent. Too much.

forced myself to keep my expression neutral.

‘There’s a lot of work left for the wedding,” I said, keeping my tone even. “Preparations. Final decisions. You should be there for that.”

‘I can handle it from here,” she said quickly.

‘No,” I replied. “You need to be there.”

She stepped closer. “I want to be with you,” she said.

The words landed heavier than they should have. And all I could think was-I don’t want this. Not like this. Not with her.

But I couldn’t say that.

Not yet.

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