His Ruthless Redemption (Isabella and Dominic) novel Chapter 254

11:42 Tue, Jul 28

Chapter 254

Chapter 254

Isabella’s POV

80

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I had imagined freedom a thousand different ways.

Over the past few months, whenever things became too heavy, whenever another nightmare stole my sleep or another goodbye felt dangerously close to becoming permanent, I would close my eyes and imagine a different life.

A quiet little home, morning coffee on a sunny porch, Mateo laughing somewhere in the background. No guards. No whispered conversations behind closed doors. No checking every unfamiliar face twice.

It had become my favorite daydream.

Something to hold onto on the hardest days.

What I hadn’t realized was that reality would somehow be even better.

The morning sunlight spilled through the enormous kitchen windows, bathing everything in a warm golden glow. Outside, birds sang somewhere in the distance while a gentle breeze stirred the flowers lining the small garden.

It was so ordinary. Beautifully, wonderfully ordinary.

For the first time in years, the silence didn’t make me anxious.

It comforted me.

There were no bodyguards waiting by the gate. No weapons hidden beneath jackets. No danger lurking around the next corner,

Just peace.

I wrapped my hands around the warm mug of coffee Dominic had made me and stepped onto the little wooden deck overlooking the backyard.

Mateo was already outside. He had woken up on the flight and had still been groggy. But I’d slowly and patiently explained to him about how we were going to go to a beautiful new place where Dominic and Caterina were going to live with us, too. And that had all it had taken for him to be happy.

We had only landed here yesterday morning, and the house the Relocation Agency had given us was far from any of the extravagant Russo properties, but it felt more like home than any place had before now.

I watched with a smile as Mateo sat cross-legged on the grass in the front lawn, completely fascinated by a family of ducks waddling past the fence. He giggled every time the smallest duckling stumbled.

The sound reached something inside me I hadn’t realized was still broken.

My smile widened. He was okay, happy even.

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11:42 Tue, Jul 28

Chapter 254

Behind me, familiar footsteps approached.

Dominic slipped an arm around my waist before resting his chin lightly on my shoulder.

“What are you smiling at?”

I nodded towards the lawn. “Our son.”

He looked over and a soft smile spread across his face, too. “I could watch him all day.”

“So could I.”

Neither of us spoke for a while. We simply stood there together, watching Mateo point excitedly toward another duck as though he’d discovered something extraordinary.

Eventually Dominic spoke. “Do you hear that?”

I listened carefully, the rustling leaves, birdsong, Mateo laughing. “What?” I asked, unable to figure out what exactly he wanted me to listen to.

I looked at him and he squeezed my hand. “Nothing. That’s what peace sounds like.”

My throat tightened.

I hadn’t realized how loud fear had been until it disappeared. Every day of our old life had been filled with invisible noise, constant vigilance, constant planning, constant worry.

That made this quiet feel almost sacred.

I leaned my head against him. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it.”

“I hope not.” He kissed my temple. “Because neither will I.”

Eventually, the ducks went away and Mateo went back inside, claiming he was going to help his Nonna make breakfast. Then a few minutes later, Caterina called us inside for breakfast.

The kitchen looked like controlled chaos. Pancakes that were slightly too brown, fresh fruit, juice and coffee filled the table.

Mateo proudly informed me that Nonna had let him stir the batter.

Judging by the flour covering both of them, I believed him.

We spent breakfast laughing, and playfully teasing each other. It was the easiest breakfast we had ever had.

After we’d finished eating and Mateo disappeared into the garden again with Caterina, Dominic reached into a leather satchel resting beside his chair. “I have something for you.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You’ve already given me enough.”

“I don’t think that’s possible.”

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Chapter 254

He slid a neat folder across the table.

Curious, I opened it.

My eyes moved slowly over the first page. Then the second. Then back again.

I blinked. “Dominic…”

He smiled. “It’s yours.”

I looked up at him. “My own studio?”

He nodded. “It’s a small one and it’s already renovated. But you can make whatever changes you want. It’s all yours. I figured that after everything…” He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly looking almost nervous. “….you deserved something that belonged entirely to you.”

My eyes burned. “It’s in my new name.”

“It is.”

I stared at the papers again.

My own studio. My own business.

The office I’d worked at back in Florence hadn’t truly been my own. I’d never really given opening my own studio a lot of thought back then. But now that Dominic had handed me documents to a place that was entirely mine, I realised it was better than anything I could’ve ever asked for.

Somehow, he had figured out what I wanted even before I’d known I needed it. It made me feel cared for in a way not many things had made me feel before. It also made me feel extremely emotional.

Without realizing it, tears slipped quietly down my cheeks.

Dominic reached across the table. “You don’t like it?”

I laughed through the tears. “I love it. So much.” I stood, walked around the table and wrapped my arms around him. “This is the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given me.”

He hugged me tightly. “You’ve spent your whole life helping other people build their dreams.”

He kissed my forehead. “I thought it was finally time someone helped you build yours.”

For several moments, I couldn’t speak. I simply held him.

Eventually another thought crossed my mind. I pulled back slightly. “What about you?”

He looked amused. “What about me?”

“What are you going to do now?”

He leaned back in his chair thoughtfully. “I’ve actually known the answer to that for years.”

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:))

Chapter 254

“You have?”

He nodded. “If I’d never been born into that life, I always imagined I’d build things.”

I frowned. “Build things?”

“Houses. Commercial buildings.” He smiled. “I’ve always loved construction.”

I couldn’t hide my surprise. “You never told me that.”

“There wasn’t much point.” His smile held a trace of sadness. “It wasn’t exactly a career option before.”

“But now?”

His entire face lit up in a way I’d never seen before. “Now it is.”

He reached into the satchel again and pulled out another folder. “This one’s mine.”

I laughed. “You’ve already started?”

“I have.”

I opened it.

A business plan, licensing paperwork, architectural concepts, everything you would need to start your own construction company.

I couldn’t stop smiling. “I think you’ll be incredible.”

“I hope so.”

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