His Merciless Redemption novel Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Isabella’s POV

I had been alone at every appointment.

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The thought came to me without warning, sharp and intrusive, as I folded Mateo’s clothes into neat piles on the bed.

I still remembered my first gynecologist visit, my hands shaking as I filled out forms, my heart racing with equal parts fear and wonder. I remembered sitting in the waiting room, surrounded by couples. Men holding purses. Men rubbing backs. Men looking terrified and proud and present.

I had sat by myself.

Every appointment after that had been the same.

I had learned how to read ultrasound screens alone. Learned the sound of a heartbeat alone. Learned the weight of responsibility pressing into my chest alone.

There were days during that pregnancy when I had missed Dominic so badly it felt like my bones ached. Days when I had wondered, stupidly, and desperately, what it would have been like if he had wanted us. If he had been there, standing beside me, his hand wrapped around mine while the doctor spoke.

But he hadn’t.

He hadn’t wanted me.

He hadn’t wanted the child.

And now, Alessia would have everything I never did.

He would be there for her appointments. He would worry. He would accompany her. He would care.

The bitterness burned quietly in my chest, slow and consuming.

I pressed my lips together, forcing myself to breathe.

Why did it still hurt?

I knew better than this. I had known better for years.

To Dominic, I was the mother of his child.

Nothing more.

That was the role I fit into neatly, something he could care for without risking himself emotionally. Something safe. Contained.

It made sense.

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Chapter 51

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And then another memory surfaced, unbidden and cruel.

The divorce papers.

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I had signed them with steady hands, my resolve ironclad at the time. I remembered hiding them, slipping them into his paperwork, knowing he would sign without reading, trusting, and careless, like he was with all things when it came to me.

He must have received them later after I’d disappeared. At some point. Quietly.

Which meant I wasn’t even his wife anymore.

The realization sat heavily in my chest.

What right did I have to expect anything from him now?

What right did I have to feel disappointed, jealous, heartbroken?

None.

I had walked away. I had ended it. I had built a life without him.

He had every right to build a life without me, too. I had no right to hold that against him when he had supposedly buried me five years ago.

And yet, here I was, allowing myself to bleed over a man who had never promised me anything.

I exhaled shakily and folded another shirt.

Enough.

It had been three days since Mateo had fallen ill. Dominic, Caterina and I had cared for him, keeping constant vigil, making sure he was well fed and taken care of. He was doing much better now, back to his chatter, his appetite slowly returning, his eyes bright again. He deserved stability. Not a mother distracted by pain she had no business holding onto.

So I did the only thing that made sense.

I began packing.

Mateo watched from the doorway, swinging his backpack thoughtfully,

“We’re going home?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said softly. “Soon.”

His face lit up. “Really?”

“Yes,” I smiled faintly. “You’ll be back in Florence soon. And then you can go back to school, too, meet all your

friends.”

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Chapter 51

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He nodded eagerly, but then paused, his smile dimming a little. “I’ll miss Nonna,” he confessed in a small voice.

The words twisted something inside me.

“I know,” I said, pulling him into a hug. “She’ll miss you too.”

Caterina appeared not long after, her eyes immediately going to the open suitcase.

“Oh,” she said quietly.

“I think it’s time,” I told her gently.

She nodded, though sadness crept into her expression. “I understand.”

She crouched in front of Mateo, pulling him into her arms. “You come visit me, sì?”

“I will,” Mateo promised seriously. “A lot.”

She kissed his forehead. “I’ll come see you too. As often as you’ll let me.”

I watched them, my chest aching with a mix of gratitude and sorrow.

This house had been warm. Safe. Almost tempting.

But it wasn’t mine.

And I couldn’t afford to forget that again.

As the suitcase clicked shut, a strange calm settled over me.

Distance wasn’t cruelty.

It was survival.

I would stay polite. Civil. Grateful. For Mateo’s sake. And mine too.

But I would stop reaching.

Stop hoping.

Stop imagining a place for myself in a life that had already moved on.

Because loving Dominic, and hoping for him to love me back had always been the most dangerous thing I’d ever done.

And this time, I wouldn’t let it destroy me again.

Even if it meant walking away while my heart still hadn’t learned how.

12:57 Sat, Jan 17