His Ruthless Redemption (Isabella and Dominic) novel Chapter 117

Chapter 117

Chapter 117

Isabella’s POV

Dominic left late.

; (80)

5 vouchers

He lingered by the door of Caterina’s room longer than necessary, checking the monitors one last time, adjusting the blanket, murmuring that he’d be back early in the morning. I nodded, too tired to argue, too drained to ask him to stay.

When the door closed behind him, the room felt larger. Quieter.

I curled up on the narrow sofa beside Caterina’s bed, my body finally giving in to exhaustion, but my mind refused to follow. Sleep came in fragments that night. Shallow. Restless. Every small sound pulled me back to the surface.

By early morning, I was awake again.

Caterina was still asleep, her breathing steady, her face peaceful in a way that eased my chest just a little. I checked the clock on the wall.

Breakfast should have arrived by now.

I waited a few more minutes, then another. Nothing.

Careful not to wake her, I slipped out of the room, pulling the door shut softly behind me. The corridor was quiet, early–morning stillness settling over the ward like a held breath.

I was halfway to the nurse’s station when a familiar voice stopped me cold in my tracks.

“… I already paid you enough to keep your mouth shut.”

I froze.

The voice came from a room down the hallway, the door slightly ajar.

Alessia.

My pulse spiked instantly.

“I can pay more,” she continued, her tone low but sharp. “If that’s what it takes.”

I edged closer without thinking, heart hammering so loudly I was sure it would give me away.

A nurse murmured something in response, but it was too quiet for me to catch clearly.

Alessia exhaled sharply. “I don’t need complications. Just….make sure it stays handled.”

Handled.

1/4

12:55 Sat, Jun 6

Chapter 117

A sick, crawling feeling spread through my stomach.

Paid for what?

The question slammed into me all at once, sharp and unavoidable.

The DNA reports.

6; 180 )

5 vouchers

The timing. The way she’d appeared in my room that day, perfectly prepared, perfectly composed, while I’d been shattered, raw, barely holding myself together.

I hadn’t questioned it then. I’d been too overwhelmed. Too emotional.

But now, the questions came to my mind unbidden.

What if the child wasn’t Dominic’s?

What if the reports were forged?

It would be easy. A few signatures. A stamp. Money passed quietly into the right hands. And wasn’t money what she was talking about just then? That she had paid enough and was ready to pay more if need be?

The thought made my skin prickle.

Just then, the door creaked open.

Panic shot through me. I couldn’t let her see me.

I ducked into the adjacent room instinctively, pressing myself against the wall as Alessia stepped out into the hallway. I held my breath, barely daring to move as she walked past, heels clicking softly against the floor.

A moment later, the nurse followed.

When the hallway finally emptied, I slipped back out, my heart racing.

I scanned the area until I spotted the nurse going towards the station a few steps ahead of me. I watched as she reached the desk and began organising some files.

I approached casually, forcing my voice to stay steady.

“Excuse me,” I said. “I was wondering about breakfast for Caterina Russo in room 412.”

The nurse glanced up. Her name tag caught the light.

Robin.

“I’ll send it right away,” she said, polite but slightly tense.

“Thank you,” I replied, committing her name to memory. I would have to find out what Alessia was hiding. I couldn’t do it today, but I vowed silently to myself that I would come back here and find out what exactly was going on.

2/4

12:55 Sat, Jun 6

Chapter 117

When I returned to the room, Caterina was awake.

And Alessia was sitting beside her bed.

“Oh, Isa,” Alessia said brightly when she saw me. “Good morning.”

She stood, smoothing her dress. “I came to check on Caterina.”

80

5 vouchers

I almost wanted to say that that was why she was talking to the nurse outside about money and paying her, wasn’t her? I wanted to scream at her as to what she was hiding, as to why she was such a conniving little bitch.

But I did none of that. I couldn’t alert her that I knew something or she would just become more vigilant. I had to be more tactical than that. So, I pasted on what I hoped was a convincing smile.

Caterina smiled warmly. “She’s very kind.”

“Oh, it’s nothing like that,” Alessia said.

“No, no, Alessia, given your pregnancy, you really shouldn’t have come. You should rest as much as possible. We could’ve met at home later when I got back,” Caterina said to her, her eyes going to Alessia’s baby bump.

“I was already on my way over when Dominic informed me that you would be coming home today. So I came anyway,” Alessia replied, and I almost wanted to roll my eyes at that.

The real reason she had come here was to talk to that nurse, not to see Caterina.

Then, her gaze flicked to me. “Dominic should be here soon. He will bring Mateo along, too.”

I nodded silently. He had already texted me the time he’d be here.

But my focus had shifted almost entirely to Alessia even as I talked to Caterina’s doctor once and completed

all the discharge formalities while she ate her breakfast in her room.

Whatever Alessia was hiding, whatever she had paid for, I was done being blindsided.

This time, I would find the truth.

And I would expose it.

No matter what it cost.

3/4