His Merciless Redemption novel Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Isabella’s POV

Mateo’s head lolled against my shoulder as I carried him inside.

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The sun had tired him out more than he’d admit, his limbs loose and warm, curls damp from the pool and clinging to his forehead. He didn’t stir when I laid him down on the bed after changing his clothes, only sighed softly, fingers curling into the edge of his pillow like it was an anchor.

I brushed my thumb over his cheek, lingering there longer than necessary.

He was safe. He was loved. And that just made enduring everything that much easier for me.

I drew the curtains halfway, letting the room dim into a calm, drowsy quiet, and sat on the edge of the bed until his breathing evened out completely.

Only then did I allow myself to think.

The conversation with Dominic replayed in my mind, not in sharp fragments like they usually did, but in a strangely whole way. For once, it hadn’t left me spinning. No raised voices. No doors slamming shut. No old wounds ripped open and bleeding all over the present.

We hadn’t fought.

We hadn’t resolved anything either.

But my head wasn’t buzzing. My chest didn’t feel tight with panic. There was no familiar ache clawing at my ribs.

By Dominic Russo standards, that was progress.

I leaned back against the wall, staring at the ceiling.

I’d almost told him.

About the papers. About the signatures he’d scribbled down years ago without really looking, distracted, impatient, trusting me in a way I hadn’t deserved. About how I’d delayed sending them, three days, maybe four, just long enough to be gone when they arrived.

If they arrived.

I still didn’t understand how they hadn’t reached him.

But then again, did it even matter anymore?

He had moved on. Built another life. Another future. I’d been dead to him, quite literally, for five years. Whatever grief he’d carried, whatever guilt, he’d buried it and kept going. I was already dead to him, so divorce was basically a moot point. I couldn’t even fault him for moving on in life.

13:04 Sat, Jan 17

Chapter 73

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I hadn’t found someone else, but that was on me, too. I could’ve gone out and dated. But I’d been too busy with work and taking care of Mateo that nothing else had mattered. Even now, it didn’t. All that mattered to me was Mateo. And giving him all the love in this world that he deserved and then some.

Dominic’s sudden presence in our life had come as a shock, sure, but with the way he doted on Mateo, gave him all the love only a father could, I didn’t mind it as much anymore. Besides, I had a feeling he already thought of Dominic as his father, given the way he’d almost slipped at the pool and called him Papa. It had been a rather emotional moment, but I was glad Mateo liked Dominic enough to feel that way about him. It would make things much easier when I told him the truth.

But Dominic already had a wife now, one who obviously wasn’t me.

The thought was a dull, familiar ache rather than the sharp agony it used to be. Acceptance, I told myself. This was me being mature. Sensible.

We were always going to be connected.

Mateo made sure of that.

We didn’t need to be a traditional family. We didn’t need shared bedrooms or shared names or shared futures. What we needed was civility. Stability. Peace.

For Mateo’s sake.

And the more I thought about my plan, to move into a separate place nearby once the Vitellis situation settled, the more right it felt. Close enough for Mateo to have his father. Far enough for my heart to stay intact.

I couldn’t afford to become attached again.

Not when history had taught me how easily everything could burn. How much I still cared about him, how much I still worried about him when he came home too late. I knew it wasn’t my place to do that any longer. That right belonged to Alessia now. But I still couldn’t help it. The heart wanted what it wanted.

And despite everything, mine wanted Dominic.

I’d tried to deny that for so, so long. But I’d realised there was no point denying it. If I really wanted to move forward, I had to accept it and learn to live with the fact that even though I wanted him, he didn’t. He already had someone else. And the sooner I did, the better it would be for my heart.

So, I would just bide my time quietly, staying civil with him, until it was safe enough for me to move out.

With that thought, I stood, adjusted the blanket around Mateo one last time, and stepped quietly out of the

room.

My phone buzzed in my hand then.

The vibration alone made my stomach drop.

Unknown number. But I already knew who it was.

13:04 Sat, Jan 17

Chapter 73

Vitelli: If you’re done playing family, we’d like something useful. You’ve been quiet.

My stomach dropped.

Not because of the threat, but because of the certainty behind it.

They were watching. Closely.

I didn’t reply, not before I’d discussed it with Dominic first.

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Because as much as I didn’t want to, we were in this together. Even though I had somewhat of a plan in my head, I couldn’t quite deal with the Vitellis on my own.

I needed him.

I

AD