[BL] A Marriage Ruled by Family, Saved by Desire-Chapter 73: One Night Before Everything Ends

~Alistair’s POV~

The weight of everything pressed down on me, so heavy it felt like I couldn’t breathe.

"Don’t go back to that house," my mother added, her tone final. "We are finding a lawyer, and you are getting that divorce."

The cold tiles pressed against my skin as I sobbed. My mother stood there, watching me, her eyes glistening with tears, but her expression remained firm.

"You’ll feel better once you cry it out, Alis," she said softly. "It’s better to hurt now than to keep losing pieces of yourself every day in a house where his own mother doesn’t want you."

Right then, my phone began to vibrate in my pocket. I reached down from the floor, pulled it out, and checked the screen.

It was Alex.

I stared at the screen as his name flashed. I wanted to pick up the call, to hear his voice, but I couldn’t move. If I picked up, he would hear the wreckage in my tone. He would know something was horribly wrong. The first ring ended, then the second, then the third. Silence followed, quickly broken by the chime of a text message.

Alex: Baby, are you all right? I’ve been calling. Please let me know you’re okay. I miss you already.

I didn’t reply. I just watched the screen dim, feeling like a ghost in my own life. I retreated to my bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed.

Alex is a good man... the best man I’ve ever known. He is loving, protective, and kind.

His mother is the only poison in our lives.

But that poison runs deep.

How am I supposed to tell him about the divorce? How will he react when he realizes the person he’s trying to protect me from has finally pushed me away?

I cried until my eyes were swollen and my throat ached.

When the maid came to tell me dinner was ready, I couldn’t even look at her.

"I’m not hungry," I said. "I just need to sleep."

Later that night, the silence in my room was broken by the persistent vibration of my phone.

Alex was calling again.

I watched the screen light up the dark room, his name a painful reminder of everything I was about to lose. I couldn’t pick up. Every message he sent, full of worry and love, went unanswered. I just couldn’t find the words to lie to him anymore.

Then, a soft knock came at my bedroom door.

"Alis? Are you awake?"

It was my mother.

I wiped my eyes and went to open the door. She stepped inside, the hallway light falling softly across her face.

"Alex has been calling my line," she said, her voice carrying both concern and firmness. "He’s worried, Alis. He said you’re not picking up and you haven’t replied to any of his messages."

I lowered my gaze, staring at the floor as guilt tightened in my chest.

At that moment, my mother’s phone rang again.

She glanced at the screen, then turned it toward me.

"See? He’s calling again."

Before handing me the phone, she looked at me seriously and said, "Alis, listen to me," she said, her voice low and calm.

"If you stay like this, you won’t be able to fight for yourself. You think I’m being cruel, but I want the best for you. This is the only way to make Alex stand up. If he truly wants you, he will settle things with his mother and come to me properly to ask for your hand. No more secrets. No more hiding. And no more crying, I’m not letting you go back to that house unless it’s done right."

I took the phone from her, and she added, "Act like everything is okay," mouthing the words before stepping out of the room.

I picked up the call, and Alex’s voice came through immediately.

"Alis? Baby?" he sounded frantic the moment I put the phone to my ear. "I’ve been trying to reach you all day. What happened? Why weren’t you picking up? I was about to drive over there."

I swallowed hard, trying to steady my breathing so the tremor in my chest wouldn’t reach my voice.

"I... I’m sorry, baby," I said softly. "I had a terrible headache. I needed to rest, so I put my phone on silent. I didn’t mean to scare you."

"A headache?" I could hear the pacing in his footsteps over the line. "Is it because of what happened? Do you want me to come over there? I can be there in twenty minutes, Alis. Just say the word."

"No, no," I said quickly, panicked at the thought of him seeing my swollen eyes. "Don’t come over. I just need to sleep it off. If I rest now, I’ll be fine by morning."

There was a long pause. "Your voice sounds... different. Heavy. Are you sure you’re okay, baby? You can tell me anything."

"I’m fine, Alex. Truly," I lied, the words tasting like lead. "It’s just the exhaustion catching up to me. I just need a long night of sleep."

He sighed, the sound heavy with a longing that made my chest ache.

"Okay... I’ll let you rest," he said softly. "I don’t want to make your headache worse."

"Thank you, baby" I muttered.

"I love you so much, sweetheart," he added, his voice dropping into that soft, intimate tone he only ever used for me.

"I love you more," I replied.

And the truth of it almost broke me as I ended the call.

Finally, it was Monday.

The day Alex was supposed to come and pick me up had arrived, and my mother’s ultimatum felt like an iron cage closing in around me.

I knew that if I didn’t find a way out... I wouldn’t be able to go back to my husband’s house.

So I went downstairs for breakfast, acting as if I had finally accepted her decision.

After we finished eating, I sat her down, keeping my voice calm and steady.

"Mom... I’ve been thinking," I began, watching her closely for any sign of suspicion. "You were right."

She didn’t say anything, just looked at me.

"If I don’t leave now, Alex might never truly deal with his mother," I continued. "I called my lawyer... and he said divorce isn’t something that happens overnight."

"So I thought I should go back today. I’ll talk things through with him... and pack my things properly. I need to explain everything to him, so he understands what he needs to fix with his mother."

My mother set her coffee cup down with a sharp clack. She looked at me, her gaze sharp and understanding.

"Alistair, I am your mother. I know you better than anyone," she said. "I can see exactly what you’re trying to do."

My breath caught.

"You think if I let you go back to that house, you’ll come back here?" she murmured, shaking her head. "No. If you leave, you’re not coming back."

Her voice softened slightly, but her words didn’t. "You’re afraid of being away from him, I understand that. But this... this is for your own good."

"Mom—"

"No," she interrupted, her tone final. "You are not going anywhere. Alex is not coming to pick you up. If he shows up at this door, I will tell him myself that it’s over. My son deserves peace... not a life where he has to hide in his own marriage."

Panic rose in my chest, and I broke, the calm I had been holding onto slipping away.

"Please, Mom," I begged. "I understand the divorce... but I can’t just end it like this without talking to him."

My voice trembled.

"Alex hasn’t done anything wrong. He hasn’t hurt me. This isn’t between him and me; it’s his mother. Please... just let me go and talk to him. I promise I’ll come back. If not today, then tomorrow morning."

"Never," she snapped. "I know how you are. If you go, you’ll stay. You’ll endure her poison just to be near Alex, and I won’t watch you wither away again."

I took a deep breath, trying a different approach.

"Okay," I said, my voice still shaking. "If you won’t let me go to the house... then let me meet him somewhere nearby."

I swallowed.

"We can get a hotel room... or even just sit in a restaurant. Just for a few hours, so we can talk properly."

My eyes searched hers.

"He deserves that much, Mom. You said he’s like a son to you too. Think about how he’s going to feel if I just disappear."

My voice softened into a plea.

"Please... just let me talk to him. Just once."

My mother studied my face for a long moment. She saw the desperation, the hurt I couldn’t hide, and her expression softened just slightly.

"Fine," she said at last. "You can meet him somewhere nearby."

Her gaze hardened again.

"But you will be back here before dark. And if you try to run back to that house, Alis... you won’t like what I’ll do next."

"I promise, Mom. I promise," I said, relief washing over me.

I walked back to my room, my hands trembling as I grabbed my phone.

I didn’t even know if I was going to keep my promise and come back.

I couldn’t hurt my husband... but what if his mother never changed? What if this never got better?

My chest tightened.

I didn’t have the answers.

I quickly booked a hotel room and sent Alex the address, asking him to meet me there.

I just needed to get out of this house.

Even if it was just for a night... I needed to be with my husband.

God... I missed him already.