[BL] A Marriage Ruled by Family, Saved by Desire-Chapter 28: The Secrets We Keep

~Alistair’s POV~

I went upstairs to our bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed, my hands folded tightly in my lap. I sat there in the silence, waiting for his footsteps on the stairs, ready to get the answers to every question burning in my mind.

A few minutes later, the bedroom handle turned.

Alex stepped inside, followed by a staff member carrying his luggage. The moment our eyes met, the resolve I had built up wavered. I couldn’t stay seated. I stood up, my legs feeling heavy as I walked toward him.

The staff member set the bags down, bowed quietly, and retreated, closing the door behind him.

The moment the door clicked shut behind him, Alex didn’t hesitate. He crossed the space between us in two quick strides and pulled me into a fierce embrace.

"Babe?" he said, his voice rough, breaking on the word. He eased back just enough to look at me, his hand coming up, thumb trembling as it brushed my cheek. His eyes searched mine, full of relief and something close to fear.

"Baby," he murmured, like a promise, "I’m home."

I forced a little, smile. "Welcome home, baby," I said, my voice sounding foreign to my own ears. "How was the trip?"

He sighed, the exhaustion clear in the sag of his shoulders. "It was stressful. I’m just glad it’s over already."

"That’s good," I murmured. "Being stressed for days can wear anyone down."

"I missed you so much," he murmured, his hands settling firmly at my waist as he leaned in to kiss me.

I turned my face just enough to avoid his lips and forced a small smile. "You should shower first, Alex," I said lightly. "You’ve been traveling all day."

He froze, his brow furrowing. "No, baby... I missed you. At least kiss me. Don’t you miss me?"

"I miss you, babe," I said, but the words felt hollow because I was holding so much back.

He pulled back completely then, his eyes searching mine with a sudden, sharp intensity. "Why are you pulling away? You aren’t acting like yourself, Alis. I know you. We’ve been apart since Friday and it’s Monday now, you don’t look half as happy to see me as I am to see you."

"I’m sorry," I said quietly, looking down at my feet. "I’m sorry."

"I don’t need an apology," Alex said quietly, his voice sinking lower. He stepped into my space, close enough that I had no choice but to meet his eyes. "I just need to know what’s wrong. Did I do something? Did I hurt you?"

I bit my lip, weighing my words. I didn’t want to sound insecure or suspicious. I forced a small, careless laugh that didn’t quite reach my eyes. "I just missed you, okay? That’s all. That’s why I’m acting like this."

Alex stared at me for a long beat, his expression hardening. "Don’t do that," he said softly. "Don’t lie to me, Alis. I know you too well. What’s wrong?"

The wall I had built finally crumbled. I looked him straight in the eyes, my voice trembling. "Why did you hang up on me last night, Alex? And who was that knocking on your door?"

Alex’s hands stayed on my waist, but I felt his fingers stiffen.

"Alis..." he started, taking a heavy breath. "I didn’t want our first conversation back to be about this."

"But it has to be," I countered, my voice growing steadier now that the secret was out. "You left me in the dark. I called and called, and it went straight to voicemail. I didn’t sleep, Alex. I sat here thinking about every possible reason why you’d just... cut me off."

Alex let out a long, ragged sigh and finally let go of my waist, running his hands through his hair. He paced in a small circle before stopping in front of me again.

"It was my mother," he said, his voice dropping to a weary whisper. "She showed up at my room unannounced. She didn’t just knock, Alis, she was making a scene in the hallway because I’d skipped the dinner she arranged with Sarah. I hung up because I didn’t want you to hear her. I didn’t want you to hear the things she was saying or the way she was trying to use Sarah to get to me."

"Your mother?" I repeated, my voice rising with a sharp edge of disbelief. "You never mentioned you were traveling with your mom. You only talked about Sarah. Alex, what exactly are you hiding from me?"

He stepped closer again, taking my hands in his and holding them firmly. "I tried to tell you, but the truth is, once I got to Singapore, I didn’t say much. I didn’t want you overthinking things. My mother was there, and Sarah too. I know how your mind works, Alis... but you have to trust me."

"Trust you?" I pulled my hands away and paced between us, restless. "Alex, I’ve known you for almost seven years... Suddenly, you’re someone I don’t even recognize. You want me to trust you, but I don’t even know what happened over there."

"Hey... hey, look at me," Alex said, stepping quickly into my path to block me. "Trust me. It was all about work, and that’s exactly why I came back early. I could have stayed there if I wanted to lie, but I didn’t. I thought about you. I came back the moment I was done. Please, babe... try to understand." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

I looked at him, my lips pressed into a thin line. I stayed silent, letting the heavy air of the room settle between us. The excuses felt like a shield, but the exhaustion on his face was real.

Alex began to beg. He apologized over and over, his eyes searching mine for any sign of forgiveness. He looked desperate, like a man who had traveled across the world just to keep his life from falling apart.

Finally, after a long silence, I let out a jagged breath. "Fine," I said quietly. I looked him dead in the eye, my voice turning stern. "Just know this: if I find out there is even one thing you’re still hiding from me, I won’t take it easy on you. I mean it, Alex."

Alex didn’t hesitate. He swept me into a fierce embrace, pressing his face into the curve of my neck. "Baby... there’s nothing else. I swear it. You’re my everything, and you know it. There’s no way I’d ever want to hurt you."

He held me there, murmuring sweet things into my ear and promising that he was mine and only mine. He kept talking, his voice low and steady, assuring me over and over until the tension finally bled out of my shoulders and I allowed myself to lean into him.

"Shower with me?" he whispered against my neck. I knew it wasn’t just about washing up. Heat radiated off him, his grip on my hips fierce and possessive. He needed me, needed to erase every mile that had stretched between us.

The shower was a blur of steam and intense, frantic energy. The water was hot, but the friction of his skin against mine was hotter. It felt like we had been apart for years rather than just a few days. He took me right there against the tile, his movements heavy and possessive, as if he were trying to sink into my very soul. Every touch was a demand, every groan a confession of how much he’d starved for me while he was away.

By the time we finally crawled into bed, we were both exhausted. Alex pulled me flush against his chest, and within minutes, his breathing turned deep and even.

But I couldn’t rest.

In the middle of the night, I eased out from under his heavy arm, moving as silently as a shadow. I reach for his phone on the nightstand, and I slip toward the window, needing to see for myself, just to be sure he wasn’t hiding anything, to steal a fragment of peace.

I swiped the screen, but my heart stopped. A keypad appeared, demanding a passcode I didn’t recognize.

Strange. In the seven years we’d been together, Alex had never changed his password. My birthday, our anniversary, his favorite number, I tried every combination that had ever unlocked his life to me, but the screen only shook ’incorrect’ time after time.

I looked back at him sleeping peacefully on the bed, a chill running down my spine. Why now? Why change it the moment he came back from Singapore?

I set the phone back down exactly where I found it and climbed back into bed. I lay there for hours, staring at the ceiling until I finally drifted into a fitful sleep.

The sun was just starting to spill through the curtains when a sharp, insistent ringing cut through the quiet. I stirred, eyes half-lidded, and watched as Alex reached for the phone. The moment he saw the screen, his expression went icy.

It was his mother. I expected him to pick up, to step out of the room to talk. Instead, he just silenced the ringer and set the phone face-down on the mattress, letting it vibrate until it faded into silence.

In the past, he always picked up, no matter how much they fought.

"Why aren’t you picking up?" I asked, my voice raspy from sleep. "It’s your mother."

Alex didn’t look at me. He just pulled the duvet higher. "I have no reason to," he replied shortly.