[BL] A Marriage Ruled by Family, Saved by Desire-Chapter 71: You Called Him a Mistake

~Alistair’s POV~

He didn’t pull away. Instead, he grabbed my hair, tilting my head back as his mouth crashed onto mine. He claimed my lips again, our tongues tangling in a messy, desperate kiss that claimed me all over again.

After that, we didn’t leave our room for the rest of the day. We lost ourselves in each other again, and for the first time, even with his mother around, I felt a deep, genuine happiness.

It wasn’t just because Alex was standing up to her... it was because we were finally being us.

Usually, whenever she’s around, it feels like we have to lower our voices, hold back, or even hide our intimacy, like it’s something we should be ashamed of.

But we’re married.

This is our life.

Alex spent the whole day taking care of me, insisting I stay in bed so I wouldn’t have to deal with his mother’s sharp tongue. We had the maid bring our meals upstairs, turning our room into our own little space, away from everything.

When his mother eventually called him out to discuss the party, the dress code, the important guests, and all the business talk, Alex went, not because he wanted to, but just to keep the peace and to show that I wasn’t the one stopping him.

When he came back, the room felt alive again. I’m usually the talkative one, the one who fills the silence with stories and keeps things lively, while Alex prefers his quiet space.

But that afternoon, it was different.

He was the one talking, telling me little stories, teasing me by tossing pillows, and tapping me playfully just to see me smile.

I hadn’t laughed like that in a long time. It felt easy... like we had gone back to our honeymoon phase, just the two of us, hidden away from the world.

The bubble burst the next morning at breakfast.

We sat at the table, and I could feel her eyes on us. She watched in silence as Alex took care of me, cutting my food, picking things for me before I could even reach for them, giving me his full attention like she wasn’t even there.

It didn’t take long before she couldn’t keep quiet anymore.

She turned to me, her expression cold and sharp.

"If you’re going to insist on coming with Alex," she said, "you should understand one thing. You are not to tell anyone at the party that you’re married to my son. These are a different set of people, and I won’t have the family name discussed that way."

I felt the familiar sting of her rejection, but before I could even process it, Alex’s fork hit the plate with a heavy clang.

"I’m taking my husband with me," Alex said, his voice low and firm, laced with quiet danger. "And I will introduce him to everyone, your friends, my cousins, every business associate there. I’m not hiding him."

His mother’s expression tightened, her face beginning to redden. "Alex, that’s not going to happen—"

"Then we’re not going," Alex cut in sharply.

I reached out, touching Alex’s hand to calm him. "It’s okay, baby," I whispered, trying to play the peacemaker. "I can just... not say anything. It’s fine."

"You see?" his mother sneered, her voice dripping with venom. "He isn’t even worried about it. It’s just you being difficult, Alex."

"No, Mom," Alex growled, standing up and pulling me with him. "No way am I hiding my husband. If your friends can’t accept who your son is, then I don’t need to be around them. I’m proud of him. I love him deeply. Why should I treat my marriage like a shame?"

She let out a harsh, cold laugh. "Then tell me, Alex, how is this not a shame? I’m sure if you hadn’t met him, you wouldn’t be this way... I raised you well, and then he came into your life to ruin everything."

I had heard her insults before, but I had never seen her this bitter. Still, she wasn’t done.

She slowly turned her gaze to me, her eyes locking onto mine with a cold, burning hatred that made my skin crawl.

"Alistair," she said, her voice dropping into a quiet, dangerous whisper, "you are a mistake in my son’s life."

The moment the words left her lips, something inside me broke.

The strength drained from my body. My shoulders sagged, and my hand slipped from Alex’s without me even noticing.

This time, I wasn’t acting. I wasn’t pretending.

The pain was real, sharp and deep, cutting straight through my chest.

Before I could stop it, tears blurred my vision, spilling down my face without control.

I was still trying to hold myself together when Alex reacted, louder than I ever could have. To my shock, I saw tears gather in his eyes too, not of weakness, but of pure fury and heartbreak... for me.

"What has he ever done to you?" Alex cried, his voice breaking as he stepped in front of me. "What is wrong with you, Mother? My husband is a peaceful person. He has never done anything to you, yet you keep trying to tear us apart."

His chest rose sharply, his voice trembling with anger.

"How can you call him a mistake just because he loves your son? That’s not right... It’s wrong."

He gestured sharply, his voice shaking with years of anger finally spilling out. "Think about it! Alis’s mother has never given me a hard time. She treats me with respect. But look at how you treat her son! What if she treated me this way? How would you feel?"

She didn’t flinch. If anything, her expression only grew colder.

"If Alis’s mother had raised him properly, he wouldn’t have turned out like this," she said, her voice cutting. "He wouldn’t have come into your life to ruin you. I am the way I am because I raised you right. Alis is the way he is because his mother failed to do the same."

Hearing her insult my mother, the woman who taught me how to love and be kind, was the final straw. I couldn’t take another second of her poison. I turned away, stumbling toward the stairs, my vision blurred by tears.

Behind me, I heard Alex let out a shattered, booming shout. "STOP, MOM!"

I paused on the first step, hearing the finality in his tone.

"You are my mother, and I have tried to appreciate you," Alex said, his voice dropping into a cold, deadly calm. "But enough is enough. Go and pack your things. Leave my house."

The silence that followed was heavy.

"From this moment on, you are not welcome in this home unless you are invited," he continued, each word firm and unshakable. "Leave, Mom. By the time I come back downstairs, I don’t want to see you here. Thank you for everything... but you’ve done more than enough."

I didn’t wait to see her reaction. I ran up the stairs, the sound of my own racing heart echoing in the quiet hallway until the slamming of our bedroom door cut the world off. I collapsed onto the bed, burying my face in the pillows as the weight of her words crushed the breath out of me.

Alex ran in after me. I heard the door click shut, but I couldn’t bring myself to face him. He didn’t hesitate; he climbed onto the bed and hugged me from behind, pulling me into the heat of his chest. "I’m sorry, baby. I’m so, so sorry," he murmured, a dozen apologies spilling from his lips in a single minute.

But my mind was already drifting back to the beginning, playing back our history like a distorted movie. I started to wonder if she was right. I was the one who had approached him first.

I reached back, holding Alex’s hands where they were locked around my waist. "Do you remember the first time I met you?" I asked, my voice trembling. "I was the one who talked to you first."

"I’m glad you did, baby," Alex murmured against my neck.

I let out a weak, watery chuckle. "I made the move on you first, Alex."

"And I started waiting for you after class every single day just to drop you off," he countered softly.

"I was the first to say I wanted to come to your house to visit," I added, the memories feeling like a dull ache.

"You said that because you knew I wanted to ask, but I was too shy to do it myself," Alex said, his grip tightening.

Tears spilled down my face again. "I was the one who touched your thigh first, Alex. It was me."

"And I was the one who kissed you first," Alex answered firmly, his voice cracking with emotion. "Alis, stop it. You’ve been my partner for seven years. I know exactly what you’re thinking right now."

He gently turned me to face him, his hands steady but urgent. His eyes were red as he searched mine.

"You didn’t trap me," he continued softly. "I saw you first. I just didn’t know how to come to you. I was slow... shy... but I’m grateful you found me."

His thumb brushed away my tears.

"Don’t listen to her," he murmured. "Don’t let her words get inside your head or tear us apart again. Look at me, Alis... think about me."

He cupped my face, his thumbs wiping away my tears. "Think about everything I’ve ever done. All I have ever wanted is to love you and give you the world."

I looked at him, the word tasting like ash in my mouth. "Have you thought... maybe if we div—"

Alex didn’t let me finish. He surged off the bed and dropped to his knees on the floor beside me. I sat up, startled, watching him look up at me from the ground. "On behalf of my mother and myself, I apologize," he said, his voice thick with desperation. "Please, Alis... don’t think of leaving me. My mother may not love you, but I love you. I love you so much."

I moved to the edge of the bed...