[BL] A Marriage Ruled by Family, Saved by Desire-Chapter 57: The Goodbye I Wasn’t Ready For

~Alistair’s POV~

"Alex, please—"

"Pack them," he repeated, standing up and stumbling toward the wardrobe. He didn’t look at me. "We’re leaving this house tonight. I’m taking you to your parents’ house. I’m dropping you off."

My heart stopped. "You’re... you’re sending me away? Now that we know the truth?"

"I’m giving you what you wanted," he said without turning around. "You didn’t trust me, Alistair. For days you looked at me like I was some monster. Right now, I can’t even look at you without remembering that doubt."

He paused, his voice turning colder.

"You wanted to leave? Fine. Then leave."

"No, baby," I pleaded, taking a step closer. "I want to stay with you. You’re my husband."

Alex let out a harsh, humorless chuckle as he finally turned to face me.

"Did I just hear you call me baby?" he asked, his voice rough. "I can’t even remember the last time you called me that."

"Alex, please... let’s calm down and talk this through."

"No! I don’t want to calm down!" he snapped, his voice breaking as tears spilled down his face. "I was so happy this morning. When I saw you being clingy, acting sweet... I thought you had finally accepted me. I thought you trusted me."

He let out a shaky breath, his expression twisting with hurt.

"I didn’t know it was only because you found out Sarah’s pregnancy wasn’t mine. You only came back to me because the truth made it convenient. You only love me when things feel right."

His voice cracked.

"But when things got ugly... You didn’t stand beside me. You didn’t fight for me."

"Are you trying to blame me for everything?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"No," Alex said sharply. "I was wrong from the start, and I admitted that. But this whole situation made me realize who you really are."

"I love you, Alex... I love you, I just—"

"That’s enough," he cut in sharply. "Just pack your things. I’m taking you to your parents’ house tonight."

"You can’t do this to me," I said, my eyes locked on his.

"Yes, I can," Alex shot back, pain flashing in his eyes. "Because of this mess, you spent the night in a hotel with another man. You started going out with him, like you’d forgotten you had a husband. And I still don’t know what happened in that room when it was just the two of you."

"We did nothing! I was drunk and—"

"You were drunk with another man!" Alex yelled. "The moment things get difficult, you run to another man? Tell me, Alistair... did Andrew even know you were married?"

My hands dropped to my sides. My voice was a whisper. "He... he might have guessed."

"You didn’t tell him," Alex said, nodding slowly while a fresh tear rolled down his cheek. "Because you saw him as your backup... someone to fall back on if we didn’t work out between us."

"That’s not true!" I cried, the tears spilling over.

"Then tell me what the truth is!" Alex demanded.

When I couldn’t find the words, he looked away, his jaw tightening.

"I need space," he said quietly. "From this marriage... from this family."

"No, baby, you can’t do that to me," I said quickly, rushing toward him.

But Alex stopped me with a raised hand before I could reach him.

"For seven years, Alistair," he said, his voice tight with emotion, "I did everything for you. I spoiled you. I stayed loyal. I avoided anything that made you uncomfortable."

He let out a shaky breath.

"But you?" he continued bitterly. "The moment there was a misunderstanding, you turned your back on me."

His eyes dropped to the floor.

"I need time," he said quietly. "Time to find myself again."

"You can’t, baby. Please, let’s talk," I pleaded. "You can’t send me home... our anniversary is the day after tomorrow."

"You never cared about our anniversary!" Alex shouted.

"I’m sorry!" I rushed forward, and this time I didn’t let him push me away. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him tightly.

"Please, Alex, don’t push me away. Don’t send me away!" My voice broke as tears streamed down my face. I weakly hit his chest, my body shaking with sobs.

"I love you too much," I cried. "I was jealous because I thought you slept with her. That night at the hotel... I was completely broken."

I tightened my grip on him.

"Nothing happened between Andrew and me. Please... don’t send me away."

I looked up at him, searching his bloodshot eyes. I tried to kiss him, but he turned his head away at the last second.

"Tell me if you don’t love me anymore," I choked out. "But don’t say you need space when you know it will break me."

Alex remained silent, his eyes a haunting shade of red. I tried again, pressing my lips to his, and this time, he finally surrendered, kissing me back with a sudden, desperate hunger. Taking the chance, I slid my hand inside his trousers, gripping his cock firmly.

Alex gasped softly against my lips, his breath catching. He pulled back slightly, just enough to look into my eyes.

"I know what you’re trying to do," he said in a low, rough whisper. "And you should know this, it won’t change anything."

His gaze hardened.

"Even if we have sex tonight, I’m still taking you to your parents’ house." He paused, his voice quieter but firm. "So you can stop now... if you’re only doing this to change my mind."

I nodded, tears blurring my vision. "I’ll do it anyway. I just want this moment with you."

"Good," Alex said, his voice cold and distant. "Since you want it... Take it however you like. But I’m not touching you. Do whatever you want."

With trembling hands, I began unbuttoning his shirt, slowly stripping away the layers until we were both bare. Then I sank to my knees, taking him into my mouth, trying to please him the way I knew he liked.

But Alex remained completely still.

He stood there like a statue, silent and unmoving. Not a single sound escaped him, no moan, no breath of satisfaction.

Even when we both reached our limit and he released into my mouth, he didn’t make a sound.

I stood up first and quietly cleaned myself. Alex did the same, his face completely unreadable. Without saying a word, he walked back to the suitcase and continued packing.

I wiped my eyes and began folding my clothes, trying to keep my sobs quiet. The weight of what was about to happen pressed heavily on my chest.

If Alex really took me back to my parents’ house tonight, my mother would blame me for everything. She would keep telling me that it was my fault the marriage fell apart.

Maybe she wouldn’t be completely wrong.

I wasn’t made of stone. I was human. I felt hurt, jealous, and betrayed. But maybe... maybe I had taken things too far. I had doubted Alex and believed the worst about him.

And now, he was sending me away. I was paralyzed, watching the life we had built together unravel in the span of a single hour.

We packed our bags in heavy silence. When we finished, a maid came to carry our luggage to the car.

As we walked toward the entrance, Alex’s mother stepped in front of us. She was trembling, trying desperately to apologize to both of us.

But Alex didn’t stop. He didn’t even slow down.

The betrayal had cut too deep. He walked past her without a word, leaving her standing there in the hallway as he headed out into the night.

I had no choice but to follow him.

Once we settled into the back seat and the driver started the engine, the distance between us felt miles wide. Alex kept his eyes fixed on the window, his expression hard under the passing streetlights.

I sat beside him with my hands clenched in my lap, silently hoping he would tell the driver to turn around.

But Alex said nothing.

He had never been an angry man, yet this cold, silent version of him was far more frightening.

The car finally stopped in front of my parents’ house. The familiar gates stood before me, but instead of comfort, they felt like the entrance to a prison.

Alex leaned forward and quietly asked the driver to step out for a moment. When the door closed and we were left alone, he turned to look at me.

My hands were trembling so badly that I couldn’t hide it.

"On our anniversary, I’ll send you the address," he said quietly, his voice lacking its usual warmth. "I’ll try to check on you twice a week. Let’s use this time... to work on ourselves."

I nodded numbly. "Okay."

He gestured toward the door. "Go on. Step outside."

As my hand touched the door handle, I finally broke. The tears I had been holding back spilled over, hot and uncontrollable.

"I don’t want to go!" I sobbed, the words rushing out between broken breaths. "I was wrong, Alex. I’m a terrible husband. I should have been the one standing by you... the one believing you when no one else did."

My voice trembled as the guilt poured out.

"It’s my fault... everything is my fault."

I found myself taking the blame for everything, even the parts that weren’t mine, just so I wouldn’t have to leave his side.

Alex reached out, his fingers hovering near my face before he slowly pulled his hand back.

"You did nothing wrong, Alis," he said quietly, a trace of pain flickering in his eyes. "Maybe I would have done worse if I were in your place. But I need this. I need time to sort things out in my head. So for now... go."

I nodded, though the ache in my chest made it hard to breathe.

I opened the door and stepped out...