[BL] A Marriage Ruled by Family, Saved by Desire-Chapter 84: My Mother’s Cruel Game

~Alexander’s POV~

"It’s not funny!" I hissed, my face still burning.

He only laughed harder and took off toward the bedroom.

"Alis! Get back here!" I snapped, chasing after him.

"Alis."

I rushed into the bedroom just as he scrambled onto the bed, grabbing a pillow to shield himself. His laughter came out breathless, bright, and carefree, making it impossible for me to stay angry, even with the image of his mother’s knowing look still burned into my mind.

"Oh, Alex! Your face!" he wheezed, his eyes crinkling as he dodged my reach. "You looked like a schoolboy getting scolded by the principal. ’Yes, Mom... sorry, Mom!’"

"Shut up!" I groaned, finally catching his ankle and pulling him toward me. "She said her ears were ringing, Alis! Do you know how embarrassing that is? I wanted the ground to swallow me whole."

I pinned his wrists above his head, hovering over him as he continued to giggle, his chest rising and falling beneath mine.

The tension from the living room was still buzzing in my veins, but seeing him so relaxed and happy made the embarrassment worth it.

"Alright, enough," I said, trying to regain some authority despite the smile tugging at my lips. "It’s time. Stand up and get dressed, we need to leave now if we want to beat the traffic."

Alis didn’t move. Instead, he looked up at me with heavy, playful lids and reached out his arms like a child. "Carry me," he insisted, his voice a pampered purr.

I let out a huff, shaking my head. "Baby, stop. Stand up." I paused, squinting at him. "Wait, have you even showered yet?"

"I already showered while you were talking to my mom," Alis said, still sprawled across the silk sheets. "I’m just too lazy to get dressed. Last night wore me out, remember?"

I groaned, shaking my head. "Fine, you win."

I pulled him up to a sitting position, and he went limp against me, letting me lead the way. I spent the next ten minutes playing personal stylist, pulling his clothes on for him while he hummed a little tune, completely content to let me take care of everything.

Once he was finally dressed, I stepped back to look at him. He looked perfect, completely unaware of the storm we were about to walk into.

"Ready?" I asked, grabbing our bags.

"Ready," he said, finally standing on his two feet and interlacing his fingers with mine. "Let’s go give your mother something real to talk about."

"Ready," he said, getting to his feet and lacing his fingers through mine.

Alis had only packed a few things, so I carried his bag over my shoulder.

"Come on," I said, giving his hand a gentle tug. "Let’s go say goodbye to your mom."

As we stepped into the living room to say goodbye, Alis was beaming like a newlywed heading off on his honeymoon.

I couldn’t help but smile too, but deep down, I found myself hoping that look on his face wouldn’t disappear the moment we stepped into my parents’ house.

Once we were on the road, the tension from the house began to fade. Alis rested his hand on my thigh, his thumb tracing slow circles as he talked.

He talked about the past few days, saying that even though he loved his mother, nothing compared to being by my side.

"But you enjoy being with her... don’t you?" I asked quietly.

"It’s just not the same, Alex," he murmured, looking out the window before turning back to me with a grin. "I felt like a piece of me was missing."

The drive went by easily, mostly because Alis never ran out of things to say. He jumped from one topic to another, his new plans, the music on the radio, his excitement for the weekend, keeping everything light.

Before I knew it, the familiar gates of my parents’ estate were already opening.

I pulled into the driveway and killed the engine. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed Alis’s bag and we walked toward the front door together.

The moment we stepped into the foyer, the air shifted. I looked up and saw my mother descending the grand staircase, her presence as regal as ever. Her eyes locked onto ours, and suddenly, the entire house fell silent.

As we approached, I offered a tense greeting. She gave a curt nod in return.

Alis followed suit, his voice soft but clear. "Good morning, Mother."

She didn’t even blink. She looked straight past him, as if he wasn’t even there. I saw the light in Alis’s eyes fade, his shoulders dropping slightly under the weight of her silence.

"Mom," I said, my voice firmer than usual. "Alis is greeting you."

She paused, offering a thin, artificial smile. "Oh, forgive me. I didn’t hear him. Hello, Alis."

Her greeting was brief, a mere formality before she turned away. We hurried upstairs to escape the heavy atmosphere, but the real storm wasn’t waiting for us in the foyer.

When I pushed open the door to my bedroom, both Alis and I froze. A woman I had never seen before was lounging on my bed, dressed in a micro-mini gown, casually scrolling through her phone.

"Who the hell are you?" I demanded.

She looked up, a slow smirk spreading across her face. "You must be Alex."

Before another word could be exchanged, Alis spun around and walked out. I didn’t let him get far; I caught him in the hallway, his face pale with humiliation. "Not again," he murmured. "This is happening again."

"Stay here," I said, my blood beginning to boil. I stormed downstairs, my voice echoing through the house. "Mom! Mom!"

She was in the living room, calmly adjusting a vase of flowers. She didn’t even look up as I approached. "Who is that woman in my room?" I barked.

"Oh, Alex," she said with feigned innocence. "I forgot to mention. That’s Helen. The house is quite full with guests for the dinner, so I let her use your room."

She paused, her gaze steady.

"Is there a problem?"

The sheer audacity of it snapped something inside me. "Is there a problem? Mom, you know that is our room! You knew I was bringing my husband home today! Out of all the rooms in this mansion, you put a stranger in mine? We have guest rooms! We have maid quarters! Why isn’t she in your room if space is so tight? This is calculated, and it is wrong!"

"Don’t you dare raise your voice at me!" my mother shouted, finally dropping the act. "You are being incredibly disrespectful!" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"I am giving you two minutes," I said, my voice dropping to a dangerous, low vibration. "Tell the maid to move her, or go up there yourself and tell her to leave. If she isn’t out in two minutes, I will throw her out myself."

"Alex!" she shrieked.

"Move her now!" I roared back. "Either she leaves that room, or we leave this house right now!"

My mother straightened, her expression turning cold as stone.

"Then leave, Alex," she said calmly. "Go ahead. But don’t forget, you still have one month."

Her eyes locked onto mine.

"And when that time is up, I will make sure you and Alis get a divorce. I will not accept him."

She paused, her voice firm.

"So if you walk out now... just know nothing will change. That marriage will still end."

My shoulders slumped. The fire in my gut turned to ash. She had me. She knew I was still desperate for her approval, desperate for her to accept the man I loved. I couldn’t risk it. Without another word, I turned and headed back upstairs, my expression hard.

When I reached my room, Helen was still there, looking smug. I didn’t say a word. I walked over, grabbed her suitcase from the floor, and tossed it into the hallway.

"Out," I said, my voice trembling with suppressed rage.

"Excuse me? Your mother said—"

"I don’t care what my mother said," I growled, stepping toward her. "This is my room. This is my marriage. If you aren’t out of that door in five seconds, I am going to physically remove you. Choose wisely."

Seeing the look in my eyes, her smugness vanished. she scrambled off the bed, snatched up her phone, and scurried out into the hall.

I turned to find Alis standing a few feet away, his arms wrapped around himself like he was trying to hold himself together. The sight of him so small under my mother’s cruelty made my chest ache.

I walked over to him.

"Alis... I’m so sorry," I whispered, my voice thick with regret. "I am so incredibly sorry you have to deal with this."

Alis let out a long, weary sigh, the sound of someone who had reached the limit of their endurance. He didn’t look at me at first, his gaze fixed on the empty hallway.

I reached out, silently asking for his hand. After a moment of hesitation, he placed his palm in mine. I squeezed it tight, as if trying to transfer my own strength into him, and led him back into our room.

I slammed the door shut and turned the lock with a definitive click. I leaned my forehead against his, closing my eyes and trying to catch my breath. Before he could say a word, I started explaining, my voice trembling.

"My father... he had to leave for an urgent business meeting," I stammered. "He won’t be back until the dinner tonight. That’s why she felt she could do this. She knew he wasn’t here to stop her. I’m so sorry, babe."

I looked down at my hands; they were shaking uncontrollably, a physical manifestation of the rage and helplessness I felt. I tried to ball them into fists to make it stop, but the tremors wouldn’t quit.

Alis reached out, his cool fingers closing gently around my trembling hands. He looked up at me, his expression softening into quiet, weary calm.

"It’s okay, Alex,"