His Ruthless Redemption (Isabella and Dominic) novel Chapter 217

1:46 Thu, Jul 2

Chapter 217

Chapter 217

Isabella’s POV

06

By noon, I already felt exhausted. Not physically. Not exactly. It was the kind of exhaustion that came from thinking too much for too long. From constantly being alert. Constantly waiting for something to go wrong. Constantly imagining worst-case scenarios before they even happened.

I sat at my desk staring blankly at an email I’d read three times already without processing a single word of it.

This was getting ridiculous.

I rubbed a hand over my face tiredly.

Maybe Caterina was right. Maybe I really was spiraling.

But how was I supposed to stop?

Every time I managed to calm down, something happened again. Alessia coming back to Milan. Mateo disappearing for ten minutes. It felt like an endless of worrying where I just couldn’t breathe freely for longer than a few days at a time. Every time I managed to fall into a rhythm, managed to start enjoying life as it came, something or the other happened to disrupt it. And I hated it.

As for Dominic, he had tightened security even further.

God.

I knew he had done it out of concern and it did make me feel safe when it came to Mateo. But it also made my chest feel tight.

Because now everywhere I went, I could feel it. The surveillance. The protection. The watchfulness.

Dominic thought he was helping, this was his way of ensuring our safety.

But to me, it felt more suffocating than anything else.

A soft knock interrupted my thoughts before Luca leaned into

my

office.

“You look like someone stole your happiness and sold it on the black market.”

I snorted quietly. “Maybe they did.”

His expression softened immediately as he walked in. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired.”

“I don’t even know why I bother asking anymore when I know what your answer is going to be. It’s becoming deeply concerning though.”

I leaned back in my chair. “Everything is becoming deeply concerning.”

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11:46 Thu, Jul 2

Chapter 217

He studied me carefully for a second. Then abruptly said, “You need gelato.”

I blinked. “What?”

“You heard me.”

“Luca-”

“You can’t drink right now, so this is the next best thing”

Despite myself, a weak smile tugged at my lips. “That logic feels medically questionable.”

“It’s emotionally correct.”

I laughed softly.

God.

I needed that laugh more than I realized.

He pointed towards the door dramatically. “Come on. I know a place.”

“You always know a place. And I have work.”

“You have anxiety.”

Fair.

Unfortunately.

90

Thirty minutes later, we were walking down one of Milan’s quieter streets towards a little gelato place Luca insisted was “life-changing.”

“It’s not life-changing,” I informed him as we walked.

“You haven’t tasted it yet.”

“I feel like you’re overselling frozen milk.”

“It’s artisanal frozen milk.”

“Ah. My mistake.”

Luca grinned. Then his expression shifted slightly as he glanced behind us.

I followed his gaze automatically.

Marco was walking several feet behind us. Not close enough to interrupt. But close enough to monitor and step in in case something went awry.

My chest tightened immediately.

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11:46 Thu, Jul 2

Chapter 217

Luca noticed the shift in my expression. “He’s been following us since we left the office.”

“Yeah.” The word came out flatter than I intended.

I looked away quickly.

Because suddenly I felt trapped all over again. Like I couldn’t even breathe normally anymore without someone watching.

I knew Dominic meant well.

That was the worst part.

Everything he did lately came from concern. Protection. Love.

But God, I was tired of being protected. Tired of feeling watched. Managed. Contained.

And now even leaving work for gelato came with security detail attached.

I wrapped my arms around myself slightly as we walked.

The instinct to go back home and check on Mateo nearly overwhelmed me again.

He was fine. I knew he was fine. Caterina and Maria were with him. Caterina had practically sworn on Dominic’s life that Mateo wouldn’t leave her sight at all.

That had calmed me a little, but only a little.

Because a terrible truth had started settling inside me over the past two days that I no longer trusted peace. Every calm moment felt temporary now. Like disaster was always waiting nearby.

The gelato place was small and charming, tucked between bookstores and little cafés.

Normally I would’ve loved it.

Today, even the sweetness in the air couldn’t fully settle me.

Luca ordered for both of us after declaring I looked “too emotionally compromised to make dessert decisions.”

I sat near the window quietly while he went to collect the order.

And immediately my eyes drifted outside again. Scanning. Searching.

I hated that. Hated that I did it automatically now.

A woman passed outside in dark sunglasses and pale clothing.

For one horrifying second, my heart nearly stopped.

Alessia.

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11:46 Thu, Jul 2

Chapter 217

I shot upright so quickly the chair scraped loudly against the floor.

The movement made the room tilt instantly. Too fast. Too sudden.

“Isa?”

Luca’s voice sounded distant suddenly.

The woman turned slightly. And I realised it was not Alessia. Wrong hair. Wrong face.

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