His Merciless Redemption novel Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Isabella’s POV

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The Sicilian morning spilled golden light into the villa, warm enough that it made the night before feel like a bad dream.

If only it were.

Mateo had bounded out of bed the second he smelled breakfast, dragging me along behind him with way too much energy for someone who had survived a near-kidnapping two days ago.

“Nonna! Nonna!” he cried, rushing into the sunlit kitchen.

Caterina beamed as she scooped him up, peppering his cheeks with kisses he pretended to hate but secretly loved.

“You’re hungry, sì?” she asked.

“Yes! Super hungry!” Mateo announced grandly.

I stood at the doorway, watching them, something warm and fragile stirring in my chest. Caterina caught my eye and smiled like she was grateful I existed, like us being here had suddenly given her a purpose in life.

I didn’t know how to accept that kind of love anymore.

But I tried.

After breakfast, Caterina took Mateo outside to play in the gardens. They chased butterflies. Fed the koi fish in the courtyard pond. Built tiny sandcastles in the garden’s sandbox until his curls were dusty and he was laughing so hard he had hiccups.

He had joy here.

He had family here.

And it terrified me.

Because what if he loved this place so much that he never wanted to leave?

What if this became home?

What if Dominic made sure it did?

I tried focusing on work with my laptop open, emails piling, Chiara checking in with gentle concern, but my eyes kept drifting to the empty doorway.

Dominic hadn’t shown himself once today.

Hours passed.

19:08 Thu, Jan 15

Chapter 31

The sun shifted.

Dinner prep began.

Still nothing.

:

My chest tightened with an unfamiliar kind of anxiety.

Not fear.

But absence.

I hated that I noticed. Hated that I cared.

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At one point, Caterina leaned against the doorway, wiping her hands on an apron, watching me stare toward the hall again.

“He’s out for work,” she said softly. “He will come back.”

I swallowed, pretending his absence didn’t matter. “I wasn’t asking.”

“Mmhmm.” She nodded, eyes knowing. “But you were wondering.”

I closed my laptop a little too forcefully.

“I’m just making sure Mateo feels safe here,” I muttered.

“I know,” she said gently. “And Dominic wants the same.”

I let that statement hang, not saying anything.

Because believing it still hurt.

Evening fell slowly, the sky streaked with pink and lavender. I was in the courtyard with Mateo when voices drifted in from the front entrance.

Familiar voices.

My stomach sank.

Dominic.

And Alessia.

They rounded the corner and came into view, talking, laughing lightly, their heads inclined in that easy way old friends do.

He noticed us first.

His expression shifted. A flicker of guilt. Or maybe caution.

19:08 Thu, Jan 15

Chapter 31

:

But Alessia? She looked right at me and smiled with pure sugar.

“Isabella! You’re looking much better today.”

The urge to scratch that smile off her face was almost concerning.

B

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Caterina hurried out behind them, delighted. “Dominic! You’re home. And Alessia, cara, welcome. It has been too long.”

Of course she belonged here too.

She always had.

Alessia kissed Caterina’s cheeks. “I came to help Dominic with the business situation. You know how it is.”

Yes. I knew exactly how it was.

She had always been his shadow. His confidante. His priority.

And here she was again.

Falling right back into her place.

Mateo, oblivious to tension, bounced toward Dominic. “We fed the fish today! And Nonna made me cookies! And look, I have a flower!” He held up a wilted daisy proudly.

Dominic smiled, that soft, breathtaking smile he reserved only for this little boy. “That’s a beautiful flower, champ.”

My heart betrayed me with a painful twist.

Because he was so good with Mateo. And so good at ruining me.

Caterina clasped her hands. “Dinner is ready. Come, all of you.”

I stepped back. “Actually, I—”

“No!” Mateo grabbed my hand. “You have to come too! Please, Mommy?”

With his wide eyes, his cute pleading, how could I ever refuse him anything?

Before I could answer, Caterina added softly, “We will feel better with you there.”

Dominic said nothing.

He didn’t push.

He didn’t demand.

He simply waited, hands loose at his sides, gaze steady on mine.

19:09 Thu Jan 15

Chapter 31

He was not commanding me, not trying to control me.

I sighed. “Fine. Dinner.”

Mateo cheered. “Yay! Pasta!”

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But as we all headed inside, Alessia slipped into step beside Dominic, her hip brushing his, their conversation resuming in low, business-like tones that felt far too familiar.

And I could feel my heart tightening into a fist again.

Dinner was a warm affair, at least on the surface.

Caterina talked animatedly. Mateo chattered with the enthusiasm only a child could muster. Even the food was comforting-homemade gnocchi and fresh seafood that tasted like sunlight.

But all I could hear was Alessia’s laugh.

All I could feel was Dominic’s eyes flickering towards me when he thought I wasn’t looking.

All I could think was that I don’t belong here. Not really.

Not when she slid into conversations with him like a matching puzzle piece. Not when she had known him longer, and better in ways that mattered to his world. Not when she felt like the one who had always been meant to stay.

Anger simmered beneath my ribs.

Not fiery. But something cold.

The kind that came from remembering over and over what it felt like to be the afterthought.

Served last. Seen last. Loved last.

And even though Dominic tried to meet my gaze a few times, checking in, searching, I turned away every time.

He didn’t get the comfort of knowing where I stood. Not anymore.

Because part of me had thought, just for a moment, that maybe he really had changed.

But tonight?

Tonight reminded me of the truth- some patterns don’t break. They just go quiet until the next storm.

After dinner, Caterina took Mateo to show him where the stars reflected in the pool.

Dominic stepped closer then, a careful, hesitant approach. “Can we talk?”

“About what?” I asked coolly.

19:09 Thu, Jan 15

Chapter 31

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His jaw tightened, frustration and longing wrestling behind his eyes. “About us. About everything.”

I gave a humorless laugh. “Seems like you already have someone to talk to about everything.”

His gaze snapped to Alessia across the room, and then back to me, a flicker of panic hidden in it’s depth.

“It’s not what you think,” he said. “Alessia-”

“I don’t want to hear her name,” I cut in sharply.

Silence.

Thick and dangerous.

I took a slow breath, the kind that tasted like smoke and regret.

“I agreed to dinner,” I said quietly. “Don’t ask for more tonight.”

Dominic stepped back like I’d shoved him.

He swallowed hard. “I understand.”

And he did.

That was the worst part.

He understood he had broken something precious, and he didn’t know how to fix it.

I turned away before he could see the tears threatening to fall.

Because anger was easier than heartbreak.

And I was so, so tired of breaking.

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