The temptation of my brother-in-law-Chapter 68 - sixty eight

Chapter Sixty-Eight

Malachi’s POV

During dinner, I watched her smile. Really smile. The kind that reached her eyes and made them light up. She was talking about something Sophie had said at school, her hands moving as she spoke, completely unguarded.

This was the Alicia I wanted to see every day. Not the careful, controlled woman who wore masks for the Blackwood family. Not the tired, resigned woman who dealt with Travis’s abuse. But this one. The real one underneath all the armor.

I was happy that Alicia was happy. It was such a simple thing, but it felt monumental. Like I’d accomplished something that actually mattered instead of the endless business dealings and power plays that filled my days.

Then Jennifer arrived and ruined everything.

I noticed the change immediately. The way Alicia’s smile fell. The way her shoulders tensed. The way her eyes went from bright to guarded in the span of a heartbeat.

She put on a performance for Jennifer. Smiled and agreed to things I could tell she didn’t want to do. Played the part of the successful, happy woman. But I saw through it. Saw the girl underneath who was terrified.

When Jennifer finally left, the light had gone out of Alicia’s eyes completely. She stared at her barely touched pasta like it had personally offended her. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

I offered to go with her to the reunion. Thought maybe she was sad because she couldn’t take Travis for obvious reasons. The man was a drunk who could barely function. Taking him anywhere public was a liability.

"I’ll go with you," I said, studying her every expression.

She looked at me, eyes widened. "What?"

"To the reunion. I’ll be your partner."

"You don’t have to do that." She said. Almost immediately.

"I want to."

"Why?"

"Because you don’t want to go alone. Because whoever that woman was, she made you uncomfortable. Because I can see you already regretting saying yes."

But even after I offered, she didn’t brighten. Just agreed to leave like she was going through the motions.

"I’m done eating," she said.

She’d barely even touched the plated pasta.

I looked at her. Studying. She looked uncomfortable here.

"Yeah. Let’s go."

After paying for the food, we stepped outside.

"You don’t have to go if you don’t want to," I said.

"I already said I would."

"So? Say you changed your mind. Send a text. Say something came up."

"I can’t do that."

"Why not?"

"I just can’t," I said quietly.

I reached out to hold her hand, rubbing her knuckles to provide comfort.

"Then we’ll go together. And if anyone makes you uncomfortable, we leave. Deal?"

"Deal," she whispered.

During the drive home, she kept her gaze fixed outside the window. Not looking at anything in particular. Just staring into the darkness like she was trying to disappear into it.

I watched her profile. The set of her jaw. The way her hands were clasped too tightly in her lap. The barely controlled tension radiating off her.

Something was wrong. More wrong than just dreading a high school reunion.

I couldn’t take it anymore. Couldn’t sit here and watch her suffer in silence.

"Maurice," I said. "Stop the car."

"Sir?"

"Stop the car. Now. And get out."

Maurice pulled over immediately. He’d worked for me long enough to know not to question my orders. He got out without a word, closing the door quietly behind him.

We were on a quiet street. Trees lining both sides. No other cars around. Just us in the dim interior light.

I turned to face Alicia. "What’s wrong?"

She didn’t answer. Didn’t even look at me. Just kept staring out that window like if she looked hard enough, she could escape.

"Alicia. Talk to me."

Her shoulders started shaking. Small tremors at first, then bigger. Her breathing became uneven.

Then I saw it. A tear sliding down her cheek. Then another.

She was crying.

My chest tightened. In all the time I’d known her, through everything, I’d never seen her cry. She was always so strong. So composed. So determined not to show weakness.

But now she was breaking. Right here in front of me.

She turned suddenly and reached for me. Her arms went around my waist, her face pressed against my chest. Holding on like I was the only solid thing in a world that was falling apart.

My tense body calmed the moment she touched me. Like some switch had flipped. Like this was what I’d been built for. To hold her. To protect her. To keep her safe from whatever demons were chasing her.

I wrapped my arms around her and held her tighter. One hand on her back, the other cradling her head against my chest.

"You’re okay," I murmured into her hair. "You’re going to be okay."

She sobbed harder. Her whole body shaking with the force of it. Years of pain and fear and loneliness pouring out all at once.

I’d never seen her like this before. Never seen her defenses completely stripped away. It made something fierce and protective rise up in me. Made me want to hunt down everyone who’d ever hurt her and make them pay.

I could feel her warm tears soaking through my shirt. Could feel her sobs vibrating against my chest. She was probably covering me in snot and tears and mascara and I didn’t care. Didn’t care about anything except making her feel safe.

I only cared about her. About this woman who’d somehow become the center of my entire world.

"Do you want to go home?" I asked quietly.

She shook her head against my chest. "No."

The word came out broken. Desperate. Like going back to that mansion was the last thing she could handle right now.

"Okay. Then we won’t go home." I adjusted my grip on her, pulling her even closer. "We can stay like this as long as you need. Until you’re ready. I’m not going anywhere."

She didn’t respond. Just held on tighter. Her fingers gripping my shirt like I might disappear if she let go.

So we stayed like that. In the back of the car on a quiet street with Maurice standing somewhere outside giving us privacy. Her crying into my chest while I held her and whispered things that probably didn’t make sense but felt necessary to say anyway.

Time stopped meaning anything. Could have been minutes or hours. I didn’t know and didn’t care.

All that mattered was her. Her breathing. Her heartbeat. Her presence in my arms.

Slowly, gradually, her sobs quieted. Her breathing evened out. Her grip on my shirt loosened slightly.

I thought she’d pull away then. Compose herself and put her armor back on. Push me away and pretend this moment of vulnerability never happened.

But she didn’t. She just stayed there, her head on my chest, breathing in sync with me.

"Can we just stay here a little longer?" she asked.

"As long as you want."

She put her head back on my chest. I went back to holding her. To running my fingers through her silver hair. To breathing in her scent and committing this moment to memory.

Eventually, we both drifted off. Her still in my arms, me with my back against the car door, both of us exhausted from the emotional weight of the night.

I woke up when the first light of dawn started creeping through the windows. Alicia was still asleep against me, her breathing deep and even. Peaceful in a way I rarely saw her.

I didn’t want to wake her. Didn’t want this moment to end. But the world was waking up around us and we couldn’t hide forever.

"Alicia," I said softly, running my hand over her hair. "We should go."

She stirred, then tensed as she realized where she was. What had happened. She pulled back slowly, not meeting my eyes.

"I’m sorry," she said. "For troubling you. For breaking down like that. I don’t usually—"

"Don’t apologize."

"But I—"

"I said don’t. You have nothing to be sorry for."

She finally looked at me. Her eyes were still puffy but clearer now. Stronger. Like crying had purged something toxic from her system.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

I just nodded. Called Maurice back to the car. He appeared within seconds like he’d been waiting nearby the whole time. Professional enough not to comment on our disheveled appearance or the fact that we’d clearly spent the night in the back seat.

The drive back to the mansion was quiet. But different from the drive away. Less heavy. Like something had shifted between us. Some wall had come down that couldn’t be rebuilt.

When we pulled up to the house, I saw Travis’s car in the driveway. Great. He was home.

We walked in together. Found Travis in the living room, a bottle in his hand even though it was barely seven in the morning. He looked up when we entered, his eyes immediately going cold.

"Well, well," he slurred. "Look who finally decided to come home." His eyes focused on Alicia. "Where the hell did you spend the night?"