Alicia’s POV

Hearing the sound of a car pulling into the driveway, I slowly looked up from my book.

A strange sense of unease settled in my chest.

Alexander normally wouldn’t return this early.

I glanced toward the bedroom door and called softly,

"Maria, who’s here?"

"It’s me. I’m back."

Alexander’s voice came from outside before he appeared in the doorway.

He was dressed in a black V-neck knit sweater layered over a shirt, paired with tailored black suit pants. Even after what was supposed to be an exhausting day, he still looked composed.

I closed the book in my hands immediately.

"Why are you back so early?"

"The board meeting ended."

So it was true.

I sat up straighter. "The board really met today? Why didn’t you tell me? What happened?"

Concern must have shown on my face because Alexander suddenly smiled faintly as he walked over and sat at the edge of the bed.

"Are you worried about me?"

I didn’t answer.

Alexander looked at me quietly for a moment before finally saying,

"I’m no longer the CEO of Blackwood Dominion."

I froze slightly.

But what surprised me more wasn’t the news itself.

It was how calm he sounded saying it.

"Aren’t you disappointed?" I asked slowly. "Or upset?"

"No."

Alexander shook his head lightly.

"But there is something I’m worried about."

I looked at him in confusion. "What?"

His dark eyes remained fixed on me.

"If I’m no longer the CEO..." he said quietly, "will you still want me?"

For a moment, Alexander suddenly looked strangely vulnerable.

Like someone afraid of being abandoned.

The sight stirred something faintly inside me.

If this had happened in the past, I probably would have softened instantly.

I had once longed desperately for moments like this—for him to choose me, to need me.

But now...

Things were different.

Alexander had been the one who initiated the divorce.

And the person he truly loved had never been me.

It was Lilian.

No matter how gentle he acted now, I wasn’t naïve enough to believe everything had suddenly changed.

I had already decided that once the child was born, I would leave.

Whether he remained CEO or not had nothing to do with my decision.

Lowering my gaze, I said softly,

"This has nothing to do with your position."

Alexander’s expression softened slightly.

"I have nothing left now except you and the baby."

Before I could react, he suddenly leaned forward and wrapped his arms around me gently, resting his head against my stomach.

The cold and distant Alexander Blackwood...

Was carefully listening for the heartbeat of our child.

His expression softened in a way I had never seen before.

Once upon a time, this was exactly the kind of scene I had dreamed about countless times.

Back then, I would have given anything for a moment like this.

But now...

My heart remained still.

Like calm water without the slightest ripple.

Alexander didn’t love me.

And I no longer believed he ever would.

After a long silence, I finally spoke quietly.

"When the baby is born... you can visit him anytime you want."

Alexander’s body suddenly stiffened.

Slowly, he lifted his head and

looked up at me in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Alexander’s brows furrowed instantly. "After the baby is born, you still want a divorce?"

Before I could answer, his expression darkened further.

"You want my child calling someone else ’Dad’?" His voice turned colder. "Who? Aiden?"

"What does Aiden have to do with this?" I frowned immediately. "I can raise the baby on my own."

Alexander let out a short, humorless laugh.

"On your own?" His eyes locked onto mine sharply. "Do you want him growing up in a single-parent home the same way you did?"

The words struck directly at the deepest part of me.

My face turned pale instantly.

But Alexander didn’t stop.

"Or are you planning to find him a stepfather?" His gaze darkened further. "How much genuine love can a man possibly have for another person’s child?"

A suffocating pressure tightened around my chest.

Every word felt like a blade twisting into old wounds I rarely allowed myself to touch.

Trying to steady my breathing, I forced myself to speak.

"So that’s what this is really about?" I asked quietly. "You only don’t want the divorce because of the baby?"

I looked away.

"Fine. Once the child is older, you can take him."

Alexander’s expression changed instantly.

"You’d rather give up the child than stay with me?"

His voice grew heavier.

"Do you hate me that much?"

"Yes."

I lowered my eyes and nodded slowly.

"I hate you."

The room fell silent.

"And you don’t love me either," I continued softly. "So why force ourselves to stay together? Even if we divorce, we can still love the child properly."

"Alicia."

Alexander suddenly grabbed my wrist tightly.

"Alicia, listen to me carefully."

His voice was low and tense.

"I don’t hate you."

His grip tightened slightly.

"I love you."

My lashes trembled faintly.

"I don’t want a divorce."

I slowly looked up at him.

A faint trace of sarcasm flickered through my eyes.

"When exactly did you start loving me?"

Alexander froze.

"A long time ago."

"Then why did you want a divorce before?"

"I..."

For the first time in a long while, Alexander Blackwood looked speechless.

As if even he himself didn’t know how to explain it.

Seeing the hesitation in his eyes, the bitterness inside me deepened.

"Alexander," I said quietly, "stop trying to fool yourself."

His brows tightened immediately.

"What you feel for me isn’t love."

I gently pulled my hand away from his grasp.

"It’s guilt. Responsibility. Obligation."

"You don’t need to force yourself to stay because of the child."

My voice remained calm, but emotionally I already felt exhausted.

"After we separate, you can still visit him. You can still love him."

"That’s enough."

"I’m not fooling myself..."

Alexander suddenly let out a bitter laugh.

It was as though he had finally realized something painful.

"You don’t believe me?"

His eyes remained fixed on mine.

"That’s fine."

His voice softened slightly.

"I’ll prove it to you."

"Slowly."

Something in his gaze made my brows furrow slightly.

There was determination there.

Persistence.

Almost stubbornness.

But instead of feeling moved, confusion filled me instead.

What exactly did Alexander want?

Did he truly not want me to leave?

Or was this simply about the child?

After all...

A man as proud and controlling as Alexander Blackwood would never willingly allow his own bloodline to grow up outside his reach.

My expression darkened slightly, and I no longer wanted to continue arguing with him.

After a moment of silence, I changed the subject.

"Do whatever you want."

Then, almost absentmindedly, I asked,

"By the way... Grandma didn’t attend the board meeting today?"

If Grandma had been there, she definitely would have supported Alexander.

Alexander looked at me quietly for a few seconds before finally replying,

"No. I didn’t want to disturb her." His voice lowered slightly. "Her health hasn’t been very good lately."

A faint uneasiness settled in my chest.

But before I could dwell on it further, another thought crossed my mind.

"Did you already know what they were planning today?"

Alexander let out a faint scoff.

"Do you really think I’m naïve enough not to see through something like that?"....