His Merciless Redemption novel Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Isabella’s POV

If I pretended hard enough, life almost felt normal.

Almost.

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It had been a few days since we returned to Florence. A few days of a routine I never expected to have again. with Dominic dropping Mateo and me off every morning, picking us up every evening. On the days he couldn’t make it, a car always waited outside, tinted windows and security detail etched into the very air.

We had all our meals together most days. Not candlelight or romance. Just presence. He listened when Mateo talked. He asked me about work. It was civil. Steady.

Safe.

Sometimes the steadiness felt like a blessing. Sometimes it felt like a trap.

“Aperitivo night,” Chiara had declared yesterday. “You’re coming out with us. No excuses.”

And the truth was, I needed it.

I needed one evening where I didn’t feel like I was living inside a minefield of my own memories.

Saturday morning arrived too quickly. I’d already told Mateo that I’d be home late at night today while I was getting him ready for school. He had happily agreed. He had been used to me coming home late sometimes when I went out with friends or when my meetings ran too late. So, it wasn’t too big of an issue for him. Besides, Maria doted on him as much as Dominic’s mother had, and I had no doubts in my mind that she would take good care of him.

Later, I stood in the kitchen finishing my coffee, Mateo perched on the counter beside me kicking his legs. Maria moved around with practiced ease, preparing breakfast plates.

“I’ll be home late tonight,” I told her, passing Mateo his sandwich. “If he gets sleepy, just tuck him into bed. I’ll check on him when I’m back.”

Maria nodded with the warm affection of someone who had loved us long before she knew us. She touched Mateo’s hair. “We will have fun, sì? Maybe a movie before bed.”

He grinned. “Can we watch the one with the lion?”

“Yes, piccolo.”

I exhaled. I could do this. I could have one evening for myself.

Then, Dominic walked in.

He moved to the table with calm ease but his eyes flicked to me, sharp as ever.

12:58 Sat, Jan 17

Chapter 56

“You’ll be home late?” he asked, like he was just clarifying.

“Yes.” I took a steady breath. “Some friends asked me to go out. It’s been a while.”

His jaw ticked, barely, but I saw it.

He didn’t argue, didn’t tell me not to go.

He just nodded once and said, “Finish your breakfast, I’ll drop you both off.”

The car ride was its own silent battlefield.

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Mateo chattered in the backseat and Dominic answered every question, voice warm. I stared out the window, trying not to look at the way his hand flexed on the steering wheel.

We dropped Mateo first like usual. I hugged him, pressing a kiss to his cheek before letting him go. The moment he disappeared through the doors, Dominic spoke.

“Luca will be there tonight?”

Of course that was what this was about.

“Yes,” I said quietly. “He’s my friend. So yes, he’ll be there.”

Dominic’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel. “Be careful.”

My brows pulled together. “I’m going out with my friends, not into a war.”

“You don’t have to go to war for danger to find you,” he said, looking straight ahead. “And you don’t have to do much for someone to take advantage of you.”

I stared at him. “Is that what you think Luca would do?”

He didn’t answer. But the way his jaw clenched was an answer.

“I appreciate your concern,” I said, voice too calm for what I felt. “But I can take care of myself.”

His eyes flicked to mine, frustration simmering like a storm. “You’ve been doing that for five years. I’m just not used to being on the outside of it.”

It was the closest thing to vulnerability I’d heard from him.

It hurt more than I expected.

“I’ll be fine,” I whispered, needing the conversation to end before it could crack me open.

He nodded and pulled up outside my office. I got out before he could say anything else.

I needed space.

I needed air.

12:58 Sat, Jan 17

Chapter 56

I needed to stop wanting the one person I shouldn’t.

By II p.m., the bar lights were blurry.

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Somewhere between the second cocktail and the third, the world went soft around the edges. Laughter echoed, glasses clinked, and music pulsed like a heartbeat around us. Chiara leaned against me, both of us swaying to the beat.

“You should smile more,” she teased. “You’re too pretty to look like you’re planning a murder.”

“I’m not.” I hiccupped. “I’m just thinking.”

“About him?”

I opened my mouth.

Then, closed it.

Luca joined us with another round of drinks, and for a moment, I let myself think that maybe I could exist without Dominic taking up all the space in my mind.

But as soon as my phone buzzed in my hand, that fantasy crumbled.

DOMINIC: Are you safe?

I stared at the message.

The room spun gently. I should’ve ignored it. I should’ve dropped the phone into the bottom of my bag and danced until my legs ached.

Instead, I typed.

ME: Why do

you care?

The bubbles appeared, indicating he was typing.

Stopped.

Appeared again.

But no reply came through.

I took a shaky breath, something hot and stupid rising up in my chest.

ME: You only care about Alessia anyway.

My thumb hovered over send for a second before I pressed it anyway.

Sent.

The moment it delivered, panic clawed up my spine. I dropped the phone onto the bar as if it burned.

12:58 Sat, Jan 17

Chapter 56

And of course, it rang seconds later.

His name lit up the screen.

I answered before I could stop myself. “What?”

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There was a pause. His voice came through low, controlled, like he was holding something back.

“Are you drunk?”

“No,” I lied.

He exhaled sharply. “Where are you? I’ll come get you.”

I laughed. It came out broken. “Why? So you can go back to her after?”

Silence thundered across the line.

“Isabella,” he said quietly. “Why would you say that?”

“Because it’s true,” I whispered, nails digging into my palm. “Because I’m just Mateo’s mother to you. Nothing else. I get it.”

“That’s not-”

“Don’t,” I snapped, voice breaking. “Just don’t. Whatever you think this is, it is not.”

“Isa-”

“I should go.”

I didn’t wait for him to respond.

I hung up.

And the last thing I heard before the call dropped was the sound of him saying my name like a promise.

Or maybe like a prayer.

I wasn’t sure.

The world blurred and swayed, lights fracturing around me like stained glass. I blinked hard, trying to breathe through the thickness in my throat.

I shouldn’t have said any of it.

I shouldn’t have meant any of it.

But I did.

God help me, I did.

12:59 Sat, Jan 17