Chapter 239
Isabella’s POV
55 vouchers
The relocation agency I went to the very next day, was tucked away on the fourth floor of a quiet building overlooking one of Milan’s older streets. It wasn’t flashy as such. There were no marble floors, no gleaming reception desk, no expensive artwork hanging from the walls trying to impress wealthy clients.
Instead, it felt almost peaceful with its soft cream–colored walls, shelves lined with travel books from every corner of the world, and large windows that let the afternoon sunlight spill across polished wooden floors. Someone had placed fresh lilies in a glass vase near the reception desk, their faint fragrance mingling with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.
It felt like a place where people came looking for new beginnings.
I wondered if they ever realized that some new beginnings only existed because an old life had fallen apart.
The consultant greeted me with a warm smile and introduced herself before leading me into her office.
“So,” she said gently after we had both taken our seats, “what can I help you with today?”
For a moment, I simply stared at the folder lying on her desk. It was blank, waiting to be filled with the details of a new life, a life that wouldn’t include Dominic.
The realization lodged itself painfully somewhere beneath my ribs.
“I’m looking to relocate,” I finally said.
Her smile remained warm, though I noticed the slight shift in her expression as she opened a notebook. “Temporarily?”
I shook my head. “No.” The word came out far steadier than I felt. “Permanently.”
She nodded without asking why and I appreciated that greatly. Sometimes kindness was simply knowing which questions not to ask.
“And who will be relocating?”
“My son and I.”
She scribbled something down before looking back at me. “What are you looking for?”
The question should have been easy.
Instead, it felt impossibly difficult.
Because I wasn’t looking for a country, I was simply looking for peace.
“I want somewhere…” My voice faltered before I tried again. “….somewhere safe.”
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11:26 Fri, Jul 10
Chapter 239
She waited.
56 vouchers
“Somewhere my son can ride his bicycle without security following him.” The words came more easily now. “Somewhere I don’t wake up every morning wondering whether the people I love will come home safely that night. Somewhere he can grow up worrying about homework instead of bodyguards.”
The consultant’s pen stopped moving. For a long moment, she simply looked at me with quiet understanding. “I see.”
I smiled sadly. “I know it probably sounds strange.”
“No,” she said softly. “It doesn’t.”
She reached for a brochure from a nearby shelf and placed it gently on the desk between us.
“I think New Zealand might be exactly what you’re looking for.”
I looked down at the photographs, at the rolling green hills, the crystal–blue lakes, children laughing in parks, families walking through quiet streets.
It looked peaceful, almost painfully so.
She began explaining residency pathways, work visas, work opportunities, schools, healthcare, neighborhoods that were popular with young families.
I listened. Or at least I tried to. But somewhere in the middle of her explanation, my mind drifted.
I imagined Mateo running across one of those parks. No Marco. No security team. No checking over my shoulder every few seconds. No panic if he disappeared behind a tree for two minutes because he was chasing a butterfly.
Just life, a simple, normal life. The kind of life I’d once believed everyone had. The kind I’d wanted for my son from the moment I first held him in my arms.
“I’d like to begin the process.”
The consultant smiled. “We can certainly do that.”
She slid several forms across the desk. “We’ll prepare everything for you over the next few days. Once you’re ready to leave, most of the difficult work will already be done.”
Ready to leave.
My fingers tightened ever so slightly around the pen.
Would I ever really be ready? Could anyone truly prepare themselves to walk away from the love of their life?
Because that was the cruel irony of it all. I wasn’t leaving because I had stopped loving Dominic. If anything, I loved him more now than I had in years. That was what made this hurt so much.
If he were only the ruthless Mafia boss I’d once believed him to be, this decision would’ve been easy.
2/4
11:26 Fri, Jul 10
Chapter 239
26
55 vouchers
Instead, somewhere along the way, he’d become the man I’d always hoped he could be. He was patient, gentle, thoughtful, the kind of father Mateo deserved. The kind of partner I had dreamed about during countless lonely nights after our divorce.
He had redeemed himself, completely. He had stayed beside my hospital bed. Held me while I cried. Planted Aspen’s tree with me. Brought me lunch every single day. He had learned to listen instead of command, apologize instead of defending himself.
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