His Merciless Redemption novel Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Isabella’s POV

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The morning after felt like a room I wasn’t sure how to walk through.

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The meeting at Club Nero had rattled me for sure, but this morning, I felt unsettled not because of what happened at the club, but because what had almost happened between Dominic and me in the kitchen afterwards.

Nothing had happened last night. I reminded myself forcefully for the fourth time since waking up.

No lips had touched. No promises were made. No lines were crossed.

My brain repeated those truths like a mantra as I dressed for the day, tying my hair back, smoothing down my blouse, pretending that I didn’t feel my skin still buzzing from the memory of his hands guiding mine as we made hot chocolate, the space between us crackling like a livewire.

It had only been a momentary lapse in judgement. A moment suspended in time, and nothing more.

Dominic still had Alessia.

So why did my heart feel like a teenager’s, stuttering in my chest when I walked into the kitchen and found him there leaning against the counter, coffee in hand, sleeves pushed up, hair damp from the shower?

He looked up. Our eyes met.

The air seemed to shift. My pulse did, too.

“Morning,” he said, his voice low, and careful. It was the ‘careful’ that made my stomach flip. It was almost as if he was afraid to push too hard and shatter something fragile between us.

“Morning,” I replied, aiming for normal. My voice cracked anyway. Great.

Dominic cleared his throat. “I won’t be driving you both today. After what you told me last night, there’s a lot I need to handle today.”

“Oh,” I nodded, clutching Mateo’s lunchbox like it was a shield. “Of course. I understand. We’ll manage. You don’t need to worry.”

His eyes held mine for a second too long. The silence between us felt heavy with last night’s almosts.

“Just be careful,” he murmured.

I forced a smile. “Of course,”

Mateo and I quickly finished our breakfast before leaving. I dropped Mateo off at school, making sure the bodyguards were there before going to my office.

The day passed in a blur.

13:01 Sat, Jan 17

Chapter 67

Work felt longer today.

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The only highlight of the day was that the first leg of the project between our company and the Russos was done. And we would be having a party this weekend to celebrate that accomplishment. A formal invite had already been sent to Dominic, but since we lived in the same place now, I figured I’d give him a personal invite today as well.

When the car dropped me home that evening, I quickly freshened up before going downstairs for dinner.

Dominic was at the dinner table already with Mateo beside him, untouched food in front of him, fingers. pressed against his temple, his expression the picture of exhaustion. Like every minute he wasn’t solving something was costing him air.

“Hey,” I greeted them both softly before taking my seat beside Mateo.

Dominic looked up then, his features softening into a small, tired smile as he looked at me.

“Mamma, can I have some bread?” Mateo asked, and I nodded, passing him the bread.

We ate dinner with Mateo filling up the silence as he told me about school.

By the time he was done and tucked into bed and asleep, I found Dominic standing near his bed as he always did, watching our son breathe like it was the only thing grounding him to this earth.

It had become an almost sacred ritual for him at this point, one he hardly ever missed.

I lingered in the doorway. Softly, I asked, “How are you?”

He didn’t look at me, just exhaled a shaky breath.

“After what you told me last night, I don’t know who to trust,” he admitted, his voice just as soft as mine.

My heart stilled.

He turned then, eyes dark and raw in the dim light. “I haven’t told anyone we have a mole. Not yet.”

“That’s smart,” I said quietly.

“Is it?” he rasped. “Every face I look at, every man I’ve known for years, I’m wondering who would sell me out. Who would risk Mateo. And you.”

My chest tightened. “I’m sorry.”

His jaw clenched. “Things like this happen in my world. Betrayal, deception, it’s not new. I expected it someday. But now,” His voice broke a little. “Now it’s not just me on the line. If I make the wrong call, if I trust the wrong person, I can’t risk that. Not where Mateo’s safety is concerned.”

“I know,” I whispered. “I know.”

He finally met my eyes. And for a second, I saw the man beneath the name. Not the Russo empire. Not the mafia legacy. Just a father terrified of losing his child.

13:02 Sat, Jan 17

Chapter 67

A man who looked like his ribs were made of worry and hope in equal measure.

I stepped closer.

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“But I have faith in you, Dominic. I know that you will eventually figure it out. You always do. I’ve seen the hard work you put in after your father handed things over to you. If anyone can do this, it’s you,” I said to him, more honest than I’d ever been.

Sure, him always being busy with work, neglecting me, prioritising Alessia had driven a deep rift between us. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t a hard working man. Because he was.

He looked at me with something akin to adoration in his eyes then. “You really think so?”

I didn’t hesitate. “Of course.”

He stepped closer then, slowly, as if approaching a skittish animal. “Thank you, Isabella. For being here. For -“He inhaled. “For trusting me, even when you shouldn’t.”

“I didn’t say I trust you when it comes to me,” I whispered.

His eyes burned. “No. But you haven’t given up on me. That’s more than I deserve.”

He lifted a hand, slow, giving me time to pull away. I didn’t.

His fingers tilted my

chin up.

For a second, I thought he would kiss me.

For a second, I wanted him to.

Instead, he leaned in and pressed his lips to my forehead, soft, reverent, and too gentle for a man built of iron.

It felt like a promise.

One I wasn’t sure I wanted to trust.

Then, I stepped back, putting some distance between us before it got to my head too much.

“Our company is having a party seeing as the first leg of the project has been completed. Pretty sure you must’ve gotten the formal invitation already. Will you be there?” I asked. After everything that had happened, I wasn’t sure if he would have the time to come himself.

But he nodded. “Yeah. I’m the CEO. I have to be there.”

“Right,” I murmured. It was his responsibility, and he wasn’t one to shun them. Just like I was.

“Isabella?”

I looked up, waiting for him to speak. He opened his mouth once, then closed it again before shaking his

head.

13:02 Sat, Jan 17

Chapter 67

“Goodnight,” he murmured instead, voice a little rough.

“Goodnight,” I breathed and walked away.

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Because if I stayed another second, I might forget why I needed to protect myself from a man who made me feel like home and heartbreak at the same time.

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