His Ruthless Redemption (Isabella and Dominic) novel Chapter 247

Chapter 247

İsabella’s POV

For a long moment, I simply stared at Luca.

My mind refused to accept what my eyes were seeing.

No. This wasn’t possible.

Luca had stood beside me through impossible deadlines, sleepless nights and one of the darkest periods of my life. He visited me in the hospital. He had comforted me after I lost Aspen. He had promised that he’d always have my back.

He simply couldn’t be standing beside Alessia.

“Luca?” My voice came out barely above a whisper. “What are you doing?”

His smile faltered for the briefest moment before he took a few slow steps toward me. “I’m trying to help you.”

A hollow laugh escaped me. “Help me?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“You call kidnapping my son helping me?”

His jaw tightened. “I didn’t want it to come to this.”

“No?” I laughed again, this time louder. “Then what exactly did you think would happen when you helped kidnap a six-year old child?”

His eyes flickered briefly toward Mateo before settling back on me. “He isn’t hurt.”

“He’s unconscious!”

“He’ll wake up.”

“When?”

“Soon.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “I don’t even know who you are anymore.”

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Something flashed across his face, pain, regret but then determination buried it again. “I’ve been trying to get you to see reason for months, Isa.”

My stomach twisted. “Reason?”

“Yes.” He spread his hands helplessly. “You’re destroying your own life.”

I stared at him. “What?”

“You keep choosing Dominic.” He said it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Even after everything he’s done. After every lie, every secret, every danger, you still choose him.”

I blinked slowly. What was he talking about? What did that have to do with any of this? “I don’t unders-”

He cut me off. “If Dominic Russo didn’t exist in your life, none of this would’ve happened.”

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He pointed towards Mateo. “He wouldn’t be here.” Then towards me. “You wouldn’t be tied to that chair. You would’ve had a normal life.”

I stared at him in stunned silence. Then quietly asked, “What does any of this have to do with you?”

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he looked at me with an expression I’d never seen before, something frighteningly close to desperation.

“Everything,” he replied quietly.

A chill ran down my spine.

“I love you.”

The words landed like a physical blow.

I forgot how to breathe. “No.”

He stepped closer. “I’ve loved you for a long time.”

“No,” I shook my head, not wanting to hear this. This was absurd. God, what was even happening?

“I wanted to tell you.”

“No.”

“But every time I tried, he was always there.”

“Stop.”

“You couldn’t see anyone except Dominic.”

“Stop.”

“I kept waiting for you to realize-”

“I said stop!” My voice cracked through the warehouse. “I don’t want to hear this.”

“But you need to.”

“No, Luca.” I shook my head violently. “You need help,”

He ignored me. “I can give you everything he never could.”

I stared at him as though he were a complete stranger.

“We can leave.” He smiled hopefully. “Go anywhere. A different country. A different life. Just you and me and Mateo. We can finally be a real family,”

For several long seconds, I couldn’t even process what I’d just heard.

Then I laughed, not because it was funny. But because it was so utterly insane that my brain didn’t know how else to react.

“A family?” I looked at him in complete disbelief. “Have you completely lost your mind?”

His expression hardened. “No.” He pointed directly at me. “You’re the one who’s lost yours.”

He took another step closer. “You’re still defending Dominic after everything. You’re still making excuses for him. You keep forgiving him.” His voice became almost angry. “You’ve convinced yourself that love is enough. And look where it’s gotten

Chapter 247

you.”

My own anger finally exploded. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“I know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“No, you don’t.”

“I know he keeps dragging you into danger.”

“He-”

“I know you lost your baby because of his family.”

Pain shot through my chest. “Don’t.”

“I know he keeps promising things will change.”

“Stop.”

“And I know they never do.”

“I said stop!”

Silence crashed over the warehouse.

Then Luca spoke again, much more quietly. “I met Alessia at the hospital.”

I frowned. “What?”

“The day I came to see you after you lost your baby, we talked.” He glanced towards Alessia. “And we both realized the same thing. That you’re too stubborn to save yourself. So we came up with a plan.”

Everything inside me froze. No. This was not a plan. This was manipulation. Again.

I slowly turned towards Alessia. She wasn’t saying a word. But she didn’t need to, that satisfied little smile on her face told me everything.

Of course she’d done it again. Another person. Another pawn. Another mind she’d poisoned.

“You manipulated him too,” I whispered.

Luca frowned immediately. “No.”

| “Yes.” I looked directly into his eyes. “You think this was your idea?”

“It was.”

“It wasn’t.” My voice was frighteningly calm now. “She fed your obsession. She encouraged your delusions. She made you believe she wanted to help me.”

I laughed bitterly. “Luca, you’ve been played.”

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