His Merciless Redemption novel Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Isabella’s POV

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Mateo came running into the living room, clutching a paper with excited energy vibrating through him.

“Mommy! Look! I made a rocket!”

The drawing was crooked and colorful and perfect, a sharp reminder of why I was enduring all of this.

“It’s amazing,” I said, smiling because he needed me to smile.

“I want to show it to Dominic. I know he will love it!” Mateo said eagerly before grabbing my hand and pulling with all the strength his five year old body could muster. “Come with me! Come!”

I let him drag me down the hall, past the framed portraits of a family I barely knew, and towards Dominic’s study door.

But before Mateo could knock, Dominic’s voice filtered through the wood, low, controlled, and laced with

tension.

“We knew the Vitellis were the strongest in Florence,” he said. “It’s their home base. They have numbers, resources, allies, everything in their favor there.”

Alessia responded, calm and businesslike. “We planned for that. We came to Florence ready to attack. To eliminate them.”

“Yes,” Dominic agreed. “But when they found out about Isabella and the child, everything changed.”

My chest tightened.

“I couldn’t risk anything happening to them,” Dominic murmured. “Not with the Vitellis on their own territory. Every step I took became defensive instead of offensive.”

Alessia exhaled sharply. “You didn’t have the manpower to protect them and attack at the same time.”

“No,” Dominic said. “Not in Florence. Not when they held all the advantages and now had leverage.”

Leverage. Me. Mateo.

“So moving them was necessary,” she said. “Now that they’re here safe, you can put everything back on

offense.”

“Yes,” Dominic said, firm. “Now we can finish what we went to do there in the first place.”

I froze.

My blood ran cold.

We weren’t here because he wanted us here. We were here because we were liabilities.

19:09 Thu, Jan 15

Chapter 32

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Mateo, unaware of the hurricane twisting inside me, pushed the door open cheerfully. “Dominic! Look what I made!”

Dominic turned, startled, and Alessia’s smile appeared instantly, false and sweet.

“Oh Mateo, what a wonderful rocket!” she chimed, but she was looking at Dominic, not Mateo.

Dominic’s attention shifted fully to his son, regret and relief mixing in his expression.

“It’s incredible,” he said softly, taking the paper with careful fingers. “You did all of this?”

Mateo puffed out his chest proudly. “Yes! All on my own!”

Dominic gave Alessia a look, as if telling her silently that they would continue their talk later.

Alessia’s gaze flickered between us, sensing the shift, then she offered a syrupy smile.

“I’ll let you guys talk,” she said, voice dripping faux innocence. “Dominic, we’ll continue going over the plan later.”

She turned towards me with a tiny smirk, and glided out.

“And I made planets too!” Mateo exclaimed, barely paying attention to Alessia as she left. “But they’re in the other book. I’ll go get it!”

Before either of us could stop him, he dashed out of the room with a happy squeal.

The door swung shut behind him.

Silence pressed like a weight.

Dominic looked at me, mouth parting to speak, but I beat him to it.

“So that’s what this is,” I said, voice brittle.

He blinked. “What?”

“Us being here,” I clarified sharply. “This house. This city.”

Confusion creased his brows, until realization dawned on him.

“You heard,” he murmured.

“Yes,” I snapped. “I heard everything.”

He took a cautious step towards me. “Isabella-”

“You couldn’t have just explained this to me?” My voice rose. Shaking. Breaking.

“If you had come to me like a human being, not a tyrant, and told me the real reason, I might have agreed to come. I might have understood. For Mateo. For us.”

19:09 Thu, Jan 15

Chapter 32

“I didn’t know if you’d listen-”

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“You never assume I can think for myself!” I fired back. “You treat me like some delicate ceramic doll. Breakable. Foolish. A child. But I survived things you can’t even imagine. I protected our son for years without you. I made choices while you made enemies.”

He stiffened, his defensive instinct clearly flaring.

“I know you’re strong-

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“No, you don’t!” I cut him off. “You never have. Because to you, I’ve always been something to shelter and hide and silence. But I’m more than that, Dominic. I deserve respect. I deserve truth.”

His temper flared, that old familiar spark lighting his eyes.

“And I guess your escape proved that, right?” he bit out. “Proved how capable you were, running from me under my nose. Disappearing so cleanly I had to bury an empty coffin.”

The words landed like a knife to the ribs.

Dominic’s face changed instantly.

Horror. Regret. Realization.

Because he felt the cruelty too.

“Isa-” he breathed, reaching out.

I jerked away from his touch like it burned.

I opened my mouth, not even sure what pain would spill out, but footsteps thundered down the hall.

“I got the planets!” Mateo’s voice chirped as he returned.

Dominic fell silent instantly, jaw locking.

Mateo rushed in, waving another page, blissfully unaware of the emotional wreckage simmering inches above his head.

“Dominic, look! I made the sun the biggest. It’s the boss!”

His

eyes softened instantly at Mateo’s words, heart breaking and healing at once as he crouched to Mateo’s height.

“It’s amazing,” he said, voice gentle again. “You’re so talented.”

Mateo giggled and flung his arms around him.

Dominic hugged him tightly, tighter than necessary, eyes slipping closed like he needed the anchor.

I swallowed past the ache in my throat.

19:09 Thu, Jan 15

Chapter 32

Because despite everything, watching them hurt and healed all at once.

I forced myself to breathe. Forced the walls back up.

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“Mateo,” I said quietly, “I’ll be in the kitchen when you’re done showing Dominic your drawings, okay?”

He nodded happily. “Okay! Can we have pasta again?”

“Maybe,” I murmured, mustering a smile.

I turned to leave.

Dominic rose halfway. “Isabella-”

“Don’t,” I said without looking back.

Then I walked out.

One step at a time.

Leaving Dominic drowning in the silence he created.

Leaving myself before I shattered in front of him.

Leaving because the wound he split open

might never close again.

I

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