His Ruthless Redemption (Isabella and Dominic) novel Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Isabella’s POV

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Z.(49)

We were still by the pool with Mateo wrapped in a towel and chattering about how he was “almost a pro swimmer now,” when the last voice I wanted to hear drifted across the stone deck.

“Oh my God… Isabella?”

The world tilted.

I turned slowly, like my body already knew who I’d see before my mind caught up.

Alessia Moretti.

She stood there in a fitted white dress that probably cost more than my monthly rent, sunglasses perched on her head, hair perfect, perfume drifting in on the breeze like something carefully curated and expensive.

She put a hand to her chest, eyes going wide with pretend shock. “You’re alive.”

I stared at her for a long second, then said flatly, “Apparently.”

A tiny crease appeared between her brows, like she was offended I hadn’t burst into grateful tears at her reaction. But she smoothed it away almost immediately.

“It’s just, Dominic never-” she stopped herself, glancing down at Mateo, the towel, the floaties, the evidence of my life.

“Oh,” she said softly. “You have a little boy.”

Every instinct I had went razor-sharp. Without thinking, I shifted my body slightly, putting myself between

her and Mateo.

“Yes,” I said. “I do.”

She smiled that slow, practiced smile. The one that always made me feel like I was standing at the edge of a cliff and might fall any second.

“He’s adorable,” she said. “He looks… familiar.”

My heart lurched, but I didn’t respond.

Before she could say another word, Dominic walked forward so the three of us were standing in a small circle.

For just a moment, his eyes landed on me first. And in that heartbeat, I saw it, the tension, the concern, the awareness that hadn’t been there years ago.

Then Alessia turned, and the spell snapped.

21:46 Wed, Jan 14 J

Chapter 23

“Dominic,” she breathed, like his name wasn’t just a word but a claim. “I came as soon as I heard.”

A

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She reached out and rested her fingers lightly on his forearm, like it was the most natural thing in the world. My stomach flipped.

“I’ve been looking into the Vitelli situation,” she continued, voice smooth. “I dug through what I could as soon as your men reported the attack. There’s something you need to see. It can’t wait.”

She angled her body closer, forcing him to face her. To choose.

It was like being punched in the chest with a memory.

Her beside him. Me alone.

Again.

Dominic’s eyes flicked to me. He seemed to notice it. The hurt. The hesitation. The way my hand tightened subconsciously around the towel at my chest.

“I’ll be back,” he said quietly, directed only at me, almost reluctant to leave.

The apology sat there between us, unsaid but loud.

I swallowed. “Go. Do what you need to do.”

I hated how small my voice sounded. Hated how familiar this felt, being the one left behind while he walked away with Alessia at his side.

He hesitated for half a beat, like he wanted to say something else.

But Alessia gently tugged at his arm. “Come on,” she urged, in that soft tone that used to make me feel like an outsider in my own marriage. “This is important.”

He went with her.

Of course he did.

They disappeared through the glass doors back into the house, their silhouettes briefly reflected in the glass, sliding together like they had done that walk a hundred times.

Maybe they had.

My chest ached.

“Mamma, look!” Mateo yelled from the shallow end he had run off to the moment the adults weren’t looking, completely oblivious to the storm brewing in my heart. “I can splash super high!”

“Wow,” I said, but the word came out thin and breathless.

I sank down onto one of the loungers, wrapping a towel tighter around me, like I could hold myself together if I just squeezed hard enough.

21:46 Wed, Jan 14 …

Chapter 23

The house looked beautiful under the sun. The pool glittered. Mateo laughed.

And I felt like I was right back where I’d started.

Invisible. Optional. Secondary.

It was stupid. He hadn’t yelled at me. He hadn’t dismissed me. He’d even looked reluctant to leave.

But seeing Alessia slide in beside him, hearing her talk about work, about strategy, about things he’d never thought I needed to know, it scraped over old scars like sandpaper.

He has always trusted her with his world, the bitter part of me whispered. Never you.

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My vision blurred. I blinked hard, but one hot tear escaped anyway, sliding down my cheek. I wiped it away quickly.

Not here. Not in front of Mateo.

I took a deep breath and stared fixedly at the water.

What had their relationship been like while I was gone?

She’d always been there. When his father got sick. When Dominic took over. When the empire needed a steady hand and a familiar ally.

Did she stand beside him in meetings? Travel with him? Sit with him late at night, going over files and plans, while I had been…. what?

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