[BL] A Marriage Ruled by Family, Saved by Desire-Chapter 24: Seven Years, One Lie Still Us

~Alistair’s POV~

"Who is she, Alex?" I asked, my voice cracking. "Who is the woman your mother was talking about?"

"Babe, he reached up and wiped a stray tear from my cheek with his thumb, his gaze softening into something deeply pained. He looked like a man who had been caught trying to protect someone from a fire, only to realize he’d let them get burned anyway.

My breath faltered, unease curling low in my stomach. Sarah. "Why is she meeting you at the airport?" I pressed. "Why didn’t you tell me about her?"

Alex pulled me closer, wrapping his arms around my waist and tucking my head under his chin. He took a deep breath, his chest expanding against mine. "She’s the daughter of one of my mother’s biggest investors. My mother’s ’crisis’ in Singapore? It’s a business merger, and she’s using Sarah as the bait to get me to agree to it. She told me Sarah would be on the flight before I could even say no."

I pulled back, looking him in the eye, my voice trembling with a mix of hurt and anger. "So you were just going to go? You were going to spend a weekend with a woman your mother picked out for you and not tell me?"

"I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry about a woman who means absolutely nothing to me," Alex insisted, his grip tightening as if he were afraid I’d bolt. "To me, she’s just a business associate I have to tolerate for seventy-two hours. But to you... I knew you’d see exactly what my mother wants you to see. I wanted to spare you that insecurity, Alis."

"Spare me?" I let out a jagged, hollow laugh. "Alex, finding out this way is ten times worse. It makes it feel like you’re hiding her. It makes it feel like I’m the secret you’re keeping while you go off to play ’perfect son’ with her."

"You are never a secret," Alex growled, his voice dropping into that protective, possessive tone that usually made me melt. He grabbed my hand and pressed it firmly against his heart. "You are my husband. You are the only person who has ever owned me. My mother can bring a thousand Sarahs to that airport, and none of them will ever get a second of my interest."

He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against mine, his breath warm on my skin. "I was going to tell you in the morning, right before I left, so we wouldn’t spend our last night together fighting. I messed up, Alis. I’m sorry."

I stared into his eyes, searching for the man I knew, while Alex continued to whisper frantic apologies. "I’m sorry... please, babe, forgive me," he pleaded. "Hurting you was never my intention. It was the last thing I ever wanted."

I took a long, shaky breath and looked away.

"It’s okay, baby," I said softly, my voice stripped of its usual warmth. "We should go back to sleep." I eased myself out of his lap. "Go ahead and lie down. I need to use the bathroom."

"Babe?" Alex called out, his voice laced with uncertainty.

"It’s fine. I understand everything," I replied, though the words felt like ash in my mouth.

I went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face, but it did nothing to ease the sting in my chest. When I stepped back out, I didn’t return to the bed. Instead, I walked straight to the bedroom door and pulled it open.

I was pained, deeply, hollowly pained. I understood his logic, but I couldn’t ignore the truth: he had lied to me. Worse, he had lied perfectly. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Alex wasn’t someone who kept secrets. He never had. He had always told me everything, laid himself open without hesitation. Seeing how easily he had tucked this one away let a dark thought take root in my mind. Maybe he doesn’t love me the way he used to. Maybe the spark is fading, and I’m the only one still holding on.

I walked out of the room, tears finally spilling free, burning tracks down my face. Behind me, the bedsheets rustled, followed by the sound of bare feet pounding against the floor. He called my name again and again, his voice echoing down the hallway, but I didn’t stop until I reached the bottom of the stairs.

That was where he caught me. He surged forward, arms wrapping around my waist as he pulled me back against his chest, holding me tightly from behind.

"Alis, please—stop. I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry," he murmured into the nape of my neck, his voice breaking with raw, desperate sincerity.

I turned in his arms, tears blurring my vision as I looked at him, feeling impossibly small. "Alex..." My voice trembled. "Don’t you love me anymore?"

Alex recoiled as if struck, his eyes widening in genuine shock. "No—no, babe. Never think that," he said quickly. "I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to hurt you. I was trying to protect us."

"But you already hurt me," I murmured, a sob tearing free. "I never imagined my husband would hide things from me. It isn’t fair, Alex. You’re going to leave me here while you spend days with a woman your mother chose for you..."

My voice broke. "And what about me? Where do I fit in that world?"

"No, baby, no," Alex insisted, his hands trembling as they cupped my face. "You are my husband. You are the only one. She’s just a business partner, a name on a contract. She means nothing. You are everything to me."

Exhaustion finally took hold. I sank onto the sofa, burying my face in my hands as the weight of the night crashed down on me. Alex didn’t hesitate; he dropped to his knees between my legs, looking up at me with eyes full of remorse.

"I know I messed up," he murmured hoarsely. "I know I broke your trust, and I hate myself for it. Please, Alis, please forgive me. Don’t let this night pass with you angry at me."

I looked at him, searching his face for a shadow, a flicker of deceit, any sign that he was pulling away. But all I saw was the man who had been loyal to me for seven years, the man kneeling at my feet now, terrified of losing me. My anger slowly ebbed, replaced by a lingering, dull ache, yet the love remained, deeper than the hurt.

"I don’t want you to go," I said quietly, my fingers clutching his shoulders.

"I have to go for the business, but I promise you..." He leaned down, capturing my lips in a kiss that was both a plea and a vow. "I am going to spend every waking minute on that trip making sure my mother, and Sarah, know exactly who is waiting for me back home."

I looked down at him, my fingers trembling as they brushed through his hair. "You won’t keep secrets from me again, will you?" I asked quietly, needing to hear the promise out loud.

Alex nodded fervently, his eyes locked on mine. "Never again, baby. I promise."

"And you love only me... with your whole heart?"

"Yes, baby," he breathed, his voice steady and sincere. "I love only you. Nobody else could ever come close."

I felt the tension in my chest loosen just a little. "How much, Alex? How much do you love me?"

"I love you more than I can put into words," he said, a slight, relieved smile starting to tug at his lips.

"Do you love me this big?" I asked, pulling my hands away from my face to demonstrate, stretching my arms out as wide as they could go.

Alex let out a soft, genuine chuckle and nodded. "Bigger than that, Alis. Even bigger than that."

I finally let a smile break through my tears. I leaned forward, pulling him into a deep, lingering kiss that tasted of salt and forgiveness. "I love you so much, Alex."

"I love you more," he murmured against my lips.

I pulled back just an inch, my expression turning serious again as I set my condition. "Alright. But if Sarah tries to get close to you... if she tries anything, what are you going to say?"

Alex didn’t hesitate. "I’ll let her know immediately that I already have an adorable, beautiful husband who loves me more than life itself, and that I love him just as much. I’ll make sure she knows there isn’t a single inch of space in my heart for anyone else."

I felt the last of my doubts evaporate. "Alright, babe. I believe you."

"Do you really forgive me now?" Alex asked, his eyes searching mine one last time.

I nodded slowly, the ache in my heart replaced by a familiar warmth.

"Well," Alex said, his gaze turning dark and playful as he stood up, pulling me with him. "If you really forgive me, then let’s go back upstairs so you can show me exactly how much."

He suddenly reached out and tickled my sides, making me yelp and squirm in his arms. "Let’s go use those toys, baby!" he teased, his voice dropping into a seductive growl.

I laughed, the heaviness of the night finally lifting, and broke away from his grip. I bolted for the stairs, my heart racing for an entirely different reason now.

"You have to catch me first!"