His Merciless Redemption novel Chapter 207

Chapter 207

Chapter 207

Dominic’s POV

It hadn’t even been two days and Florence was already starting to feel like a prison.

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Every room in the Moretti estate felt too polished, too controlled, too full of expectations I had no interest in meeting. Every conversation somehow circled back to the same thing-wedding dates, guest lists, alliances, appearances.

And through all of it, my mind stayed somewhere else.

Milan. Isa. Mateo. The baby.

I stood by the window in the guest office of the estate, staring out at the gardens without actually seeing them, my phone still in my hand.

No reply. Again.

I had texted Isa twice since yesterday. Nothing. Not surprising per se but still irritating, still worrying.

Because silence from her never meant peace. It meant she was thinking. And when Isa was thinking too much, it usually meant trouble for me. Or deserved suffering. Both were fair.

I rubbed a hand over my face and leaned back against the desk. I had done this once already. Left her alone during a pregnancy. Left her feeling abandoned, unsupported, angry.

And look where that had taken us.

Five years of regret. A son I had missed growing up. A woman I had loved from a distance because I thought she was dead.

I wasn’t doing that again. Not if I could help it.

I knew my mother was with her. I trusted that. Probably more than I trusted myself half the time.

But that wasn’t enough. I wanted to be there. For the doctor appointments. For/the nausea and mood swings and late-night cravings. For every stupid little thing I had missed the first time.

I wanted all of it.

Because this time, I knew exactly what losing it would cost.

A knock came at the door.

Before I could answer, Alessia walked in carrying a folder and entirely foo much bridal enthusiasm for this early in the morning.

“There you are,” she said. “I’ve been looking for you.”

That was never a comforting sentence.

She smiled and placed the folder on the desk. “The florist sent new options, and my mother wants us to finalize the venue

this week.”

I looked at the folder. Then at her. Then back at the folder.

I would rather be shot.

“I have to leave.”

12:45 Tue, Apr 21 JOD

Chapter 207

She blinked. “What?”

“Work,” I said smoothly. “Something came up.”

Technically not a lie.

Everything in my life was work.

She frowned slightly. “Now?”

“Yes.”

“But we were supposed to-”

“I know.”

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I stepped forward, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead because it was expected and because I needed the interruption to end.

“I’ll be back soon.”

Her expression softened, but only slightly. “Is it urgent?”

“Yes,” I replied because my sanity was urgent.

She sighed. “Fine. But come back quickly. My mother is already planning enough for all of us.”

I almost smiled. “Trust me. I know.”

She reached for my hand, holding it a little too tightly. “Don’t disappear on me.”

Something about the way she said it made my chest tighten, not with affection, but with guilt.

Because I was already halfway gone.

I squeezed her hand once. “I’ll be back.”

That was another lie. Or maybe just a delayed truth. Either way, I left before she could ask more questions.

The flight to Milan felt longer than it should have. Or maybe I was just impatient.

By the time I landed, I was already mentally planning the conversation.

Isa would be angry. Obviously. Probably suspicious. Definitely unimpressed.

But if I could at least tell her that Alessia was back in Florence, that she wasn’t hovering around Mateo anymore, maybe that would help. Maybe she’d stop looking at me like I was personally responsible for every bad decision in the universe.

Which, admittedly, was sometimes fair.

I told the driver to take me straight to her office.

If she was going to ignore my messages, then I would simply become a physical inconvenience.

A strategy that had worked for me before. I knew I had told her I wouldn’t drop by unexpectedly now but desperate times called for desperate measures.

When I stepped into her office, she didn’t look surprised.

12:45 Tue, Apr 21 d.

Chapter 207

Annoyed, yes. Surprised, no.

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She glanced up from her desk, saw me, and immediately leaned back in her chair like she was preparing for combat. “Please tell me you’re not here to defend Alessia again.”

I shut the door behind me. “Good to see you too.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

I walked closer, watching her carefully.

She looked tired, but still beautiful. Also still angry. Still very much the woman capable of ruining me with one look.

“Alessia is back in Florence,” I said.

That made her pause.

“She won’t be bothering you or Mateo anymore.”

Her expression didn’t soften immediately. Good. That would’ve been suspicious.

“You sent her away?”

“Yes. For now.”

She folded her arms. “And I’m supposed to trust that?”

“No,” I said honestly. “But I thought you should know.”

That seemed to catch her off guard more than if I’d tried to persuade her.

Silence stretched for a moment.

Then I stepped closer. “How are you feeling?”

She sighed softly, some of the fight leaving her shoulders. “Fine.”

I raised an eyebrow. “That sounded believable.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m tired, Dominic.”

“I know.”

“And before you ask, yes, I’m eating. Yes, Caterina is feeding me enough for three generations.”

That actually made me smile. “That sounds like her.”

“She threatened me with olive oil yesterday.”

“Also sounds like her.”

A reluctant smile pulled at her lips. There it was. Small, but real.

God, I had missed that.

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