His Ruthless Redemption (Isabella and Dominic) novel Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Isabella’s POV

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Mateo was sprawled across the rug with his crayons, tongue poking out in concentration as he colored the same rocket he had drawn earlier for the third time.

“Blue fire this time,” he announced seriously. “Rockets need blue fire.”

I smiled faintly. “Of course they do.”

My phone buzzed on the table beside me.

Dominic.

My heart reacted before my mind could stop it, a small, traitorous leap.

I hesitated only a second before answering the video call.

His face filled the screen, familiar and unfamiliar all at once. He looked tired. Dark shadows under his eyes, jaw rough with stubble. Work did that to him. It always had.

“Hello, bella mia,” Dominic greeted me softly, before his gaze shifted past me. “Hey, champ,” he said, louder this time.

Mateo looked up instantly. “Hi!” he said brightly, scrambling closer. “I made another rocket.”

“I see that,” Dominic replied, smiling. “That one looks even faster.”

Mateo beamed. He launched into a breathless explanation of engines and planets and why this rocket could go all the way to the moon and back, and Dominic listened, really listened, asking questions, laughing at the right moments.

I sat just outside the frame, watching them interact quietly.

It was still strange to see how easily they fit together. As if something dormant had clicked into place the moment Dominic learned the truth. Mateo didn’t seem intimidated by him. Didn’t seem unsure. Just comfortable.

Too comfortable, maybe, given how little time had passed.

But I couldn’t deny it did something to my chest, watching my son light up like that.

Eventually, Mateo wandered off to show Caterina his masterpiece, leaving me alone on the screen.

Dominic’s attention shifted back to me.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

“You look tired,” he said gently.

19:10 Thu, Jan 15

Chapter 36

“So do you,” I replied.

A small smile tugged at his lips. “I miss him.”

The words were simple. Honest.

“I can tell,” I said quietly.

“And you?” he asked. “How are you holding up?”

38

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I shrugged. It had been two days since he had left. “We’re okay. The sea helps. Caterina keeps Mateo busy.”

“And you?”

The question lingered, soft, but careful.

“I’m managing,” I said. It wasn’t a lie. But it wasn’t the truth either.

For a few seconds, it felt almost normal. Like this could be a thing, him checking in, us sharing space across distance, slowly rebuilding something fragile.

Then movement flickered behind him.

A woman’s silhouette crossed the background.

My stomach tightened before my brain could catch up.

“Dominic?” a voice called, light and familiar. “Did you want me to-oh.”

Alessia stepped into view.

She was barefoot, her hair loose, wearing what could only generously be called a nightgown-silk, thin, clinging in all the wrong ways.

And very clearly in Dominic’s bedroom.

My breath caught, sharp and sudden.

“Oh,” she said again, smiling when she noticed the screen. “You’re on a call.”

Dominic turned, frowning slightly. “I thought you’d gone.”

“I forgot my tablet,” she said lightly, crossing the room. “You wanted the updated figures, remember?”

She didn’t look at me directly. Didn’t need to.

Her presence said enough.

Dominic glanced back at the phone. “I’ll be right there.”

“To finish?” she asked, her tone too intimate, too familiar.

19:10 Thu, Jan 15

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