~Alistair’s POV~
I turned to Alex, my voice like a whip. "You. Follow ."
Alex didn’t hesitate. He scrambled to his feet, keeping his head down and his eyes on my back as he followed out of the room, leaving his mother and Sarah sitting in the wreckage of their own lies, speechless and humiliated.
I didn’t glance back to see their reactions, the stunned silence behind us was more satisfying than any shout could have been. I strode down the hallway toward our bedroom, each step deliberate and asured.
When we reached the bedroom, I stepped inside and held the door just long enough for him to follow, then closed it behind us with a firm, decisive thud.
I walked over to the window, staring out at the darkening estate, my arms crossed tightly over my chest. The adrenaline from the confrontation was beginning to fade, leaving behind a jagged, icy exhaustion.
"Alis..." Alex’s voice trembled, a fragile mix of relief and fear. "Thank you... For what you said in there, for standing up for us... I don’t deserve you."
I didn’t turn around. "You’re right. You don’t."
The silence stretched, heavy and suffocating. I could hear him take a step toward , then stop, his hesitation palpable.
"Babe, please," he choked out. "The way you talked to them... I thought maybe... maybe you were starting to believe . I swear on my life, I never touched her. Everything she said about the bed, the protection... It’s all a script my mother wrote."
"Don’t confuse my hatred for them with forgiveness for you, Alex," I said, finally turning to face him. My eyes were like chips of ice. "I defended my marriage because I refuse to let a cheap girl like Sarah think she can dismantle my life. I did it for my pride, and I did it to show your mother that she doesn’t own . But that doesn’t change the fact that you put us in this position."
Alex flinched as if I’d struck him. He sank onto the edge of the bed, his hands clutched between his knees. "What do I have to do? I’ll do anything. I’ll spend the rest of my life making this up to you. Just tell I haven’t lost you."
"You’re on thin ice, Alex. So thin you can hear it cracking," I said, walking closer until I was standing right in front of him. I looked down at him, my expression unyielding. "You want my forgiveness? Then you’d better hope that the ’plan’ we discussed works perfectly. Because if there is even one more lie, one more secret, I won’t just walk out of this house. I’ll erase you from my life so fast you’ll think these last seven years were a dream."
Alex’s eyes stayed on the floor, his voice shaking as he finally spoke. "Are you saying... You haven’t trusted at all through this?"
I let out a cold, sharp chuckle. "It’s not about trust anymore, Alex."
"Then what is it about?" He snapped, finally looking up, his eyes bloodshot.
"It’s about you going behind my—"
"Every ti!" Alex cut off, his voice rising in a rare burst of frustration. "Every single argunt we’ve had, even before this ss, you threaten to leave . I have spent every day of these seven years trying to be perfect for you, Alis. I prioritize your comfort over everything. I only went to Singapore because I wanted my mother to finally leave you alone! I wanted her off your back so you could actually enjoy your life!"
"I didn’t ask you for that!" I shouted back, my pulse thundering. "And even if you wanted to handle her, why wouldn’t you tell ? Why lie?"
"Because if I had told you, would you have let go?" Alex challenged, standing up to match my height. "Tell , Alis! Would you have ever allowed to go, knowing it wasn’t for business, but for a birthday celebration? Would you?"
I went silent. The truth was a bitter pill; I wouldn’t have let him go. But my silence only lasted a second before my anger flared again. "If it’s confird you slept with her, Alex, I’ll hand you divorce papers. I’ve had enough of you and enough of your mother."
The word divorce seed to snap sothing inside him. "Stop it!" Alex roared, his voice echoing off the walls. "Stop saying you’ll divorce ! Stop throwing our life away every ti you’re angry!"
"I recoiled for a split second, stunned by his outburst, before my own fury boiled over. "How dare you shout at ? Have you found your voice now? Great! Fine! Your mother already has a wife waiting for you, one who might be carrying your child. Go have a ’better’ life with her. She won’t threaten to leave. She’ll be the ’good woman’ your mother wants!"
The tears I had been holding back finally broke. "I accept it! I’m a bad husband! I’m difficult, I’m stubborn, and I’m cold! But I have never done anything wrong behind your back. I have never made you feel the way you’re making feel right now!" I was sobbing, the pain of the last few days pouring out. "And you have the nerve to shout at when you’re the one who destroyed our peace?"
I turned to bolt for the door, unable to look at him anymore, but Alex was faster. He lunged forward, his arms wrapping around my waist from behind in a crushing grip.
"I’m sorry! Alis, please, I’m so sorry!" he cried, burying his face in my back.
"Leave alone!" I scread, struggling against him, trying to pry his fingers off. "You shouted at ! You called a bad husband! If I’m so terrible, then let go!"
"No! I didn’t an it! I’m a fool, Alis, please!" He didn’t let go. Instead, he leaned his weight against and guided us toward the bed. We stumbled together, crashing onto the mattress in a tangle of limbs and tension.
He pinned gently, his heavy body hovering over mine as he wept openly onto my chest. "I’m sorry, baby. I’m so, so sorry. I was frustrated and scared, and I took it out on the only person who matters. You’re not a bad husband. You’re my everything. Please don’t leave . I’ll be better. I’ll do anything."
His apologies and the warmth of his tears on my skin slowly began to thaw the icy tension between us. I stopped struggling, lying still as I drew in heavy breaths. Gently, he reached up, brushing my hair back from my forehead, his touch lingering with tender care.
We stared at each other in the dim light, the air thick with spent rage and reignited longing. The anger was still there, but the need was stronger. Slowly, the space between us disappeared until our lips t in a kiss that tasted of salt, desperation, and the fierce, ssy love that refused to burn out.
We gripped each other, hands fumbling for purchase as the kiss deepened into sothing primal. Alex climbed on top of , his weight a grounding pressure I had been starving for. Our bodies moved in a frantic rhythm, cocks grinding against each other through our clothes as our tongues clashed.
I let out a low, pained groan against his lips, and Alex imdiately pulled back. He hovered over , his breathing ragged, and tenderly brushed my hair away from my eyes.
"I’m sorry, baby. I’m so, so sorry," he whispered, pressing his forehead against mine. "I love you—only you. You’re the one I want, always. More than anything in this world... you know that, don’t you?"
I nodded slowly, my throat tight. "I know."
He searched my face, his eyes searching for a reassurance I wasn’t quite ready to give in full. "Do you still love , Alis?"
I pouted, my hands moving to his waist to keep him anchored to . "I’m hurting right now, Alex. I hate the idea of sharing my husband. I hate that we’re even in this position."
"So you don’t love anymore?" he asked, his voice cracking with a sudden, sharp fear.
"I still do," I admitted, my voice a small, honest thing between us. "But right now, I am angry. I’m furious with you. And I’m going to stay angry until you make every single thing right again."
Alex nodded solemnly, leaning down to brush a gentle kiss against my forehead. "I understand, baby. I’ll make sure the truth cos out. I would never, ever cheat on you. You’re everything I could ever want."
I looked up at him and rolled my eyes, though the heat in my chest was finally beginning to settle. He reached out, gently wiping the last of the tears from my cheeks. His gaze darkened then, and he leaned in close, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear.
"I didn’t want to bring this up now, but you need to know..." he murmured, his voice dropping into a low, gravelly rasp. "I’m horny. I’m fucking hard for you right now, Alis."
The friction of his body against mine was tempting, and a part of wanted to give in, but I held my ground. "That’s your punishnt," I whispered, my voice firm. "You aren’t touching until this is settled."
"Okay, baby," he sighed, yielding to . He lowered his head and tucked it into the crook of my neck, wrapping his arms around as we simply lay there, held together by a fragile peace.
As the silence settled, a sharp question crossed my mind. "Alex?"
"Yeah?"
"On the night of that party... who was the last person you actually saw before you blacked out?"
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