[BL] A Marriage Ruled by Family, Saved by Desire-Chapter 78: Someone Else Had Your Time

~Alexander’s POV~

"I haven’t given Andrew’s mom her birthday gift yet," Alis said. "I promised her, so I need to go get it and take it to her. I want to apologize for missing her birthday."

I stared at him through the screen, my chest tightening. The thought of him out there, going around with someone else, someone who wasn’t me, made something twist painfully inside me. Here I was, trying to make my mother accept him... and he was already out there, meeting someone else’s mother.

Finally, I said, "I’ll have the driver bring it to you tomorrow."

"Alright, babe. I’ll call you again later," Alis said, a small smile finally tugging at his lips.

"I’ll be waiting," I replied, forcing a smile of my own.

"I love you so much, Alex."

"I love you more."

The call ended, and the screen went black. The silence crept back into the room, cold and suffocating. I let out a dry, uneven laugh, staring up at the ceiling.

"When is this going to end?" I asked the empty room.

I repeated his words to myself: Going to present a gift to Andrew’s mother.

I sat up, and I looked at the wedding band on my finger.

"You can’t fail, Alex," I told myself. "You can’t let this marriage fall apart. You have to get your husband back before it’s too late."

The next morning, I moved with a cold, focused energy. I instructed our driver to take Alis’s car to his mother’s house immediately and told him to call me the second he arrived. I called Alis right after, keeping the conversation brief but warm, just to hear his voice before the day’s battles began.

Once the call ended, I headed downstairs.

I found my father in the living room and went to sit with him. I watched him for a while as he read the newspaper, but I couldn’t just sit there.

I didn’t waste any time.

I spoke respectfully and asked my dad, "What did you and Mom talk about last night? What did she say? Did she agree to anything? Has she changed her mind?"

My father replied, "Alex, don’t worry too much about her right now," he said, sighing as he leaned back. "Just give her time. The more attention you give her, the more stubborn she’ll become. If she still hasn’t accepted Alistair by the end of the month, don’t worry. I’ll go with you to Alistair’s mother’s house myself. I’ll give her my word that nothing will ever hurt her son again... and then you and Alistair can go back abroad together."

"Thank you, Dad. I really appreciate your support," I said. "But what about the future? There will be times we have to come back, for family visits or celebrations. Alistair will still have to face her. It’s better if she accepts him willingly now... otherwise, his mother will never allow us to be together. She’ll force a divorce."

My father sighed deeply, the weight of the situation showing in the lines of his face. "I will try my best, Alex. Don’t worry. She’ll give in eventually."

Just then, my mother walked into the living room. The air in the room instantly turned frigid. Not wanting another confrontation, I stood up without a word and retreated to my room to wait for the driver’s call. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

I tried to distract myself with work on my laptop, but my mind kept drifting.

By the time it was noon, the driver finally called.

"Why did it take so long?" I snapped, my nerves already on edge. "Why are you just calling?"

"I’m sorry, sir," the driver said quickly. "I first took the car to Mr. Alistair’s mother’s house, but he wasn’t there. I called him to inform him I had arrived, and he told me he wasn’t home. He asked me to bring the car to where he was at that moment."

My heart skipped a beat. "Where is he?"

"He was at a friend’s place, sir," the driver replied. "That’s where I dropped the car."

"Alright," I muttered before ending the call.

My stomach twisted. A friend’s place?

I immediately dialed Alistair’s number, but it went straight to voicemail. I called again. Nothing.

I sent a string of messages, my anxiety rising with every passing minute.

All afternoon and into the evening, he couldn’t reach Alistair. There was nothing but a haunting silence from his end.

By dinnertime, I couldn’t even look at the food. I sat at the table in a daze, my thoughts spiraling into a thousand different scenarios, none of them good.

What was he doing alone with his friend? Were they just talking... or was he really out there "spending time" with someone else while our marriage hung by a thread?

I paced my room well into the early hours, my phone clutched in my hand like a lifeline.

Then, late into the night, the screen finally lit up.

Alistair

I swiped to answer before the first ring could even finish. My heart was pounding against my ribs, a mix of sheer relief and a simmering, anxious frustration.

"Babe? God... what happened?" I rushed out, my voice trembling. "I’ve been trying to reach you since this morning. Your phone kept going straight to voicemail. I sent so many messages... I didn’t know where you were or if you were okay. I’ve been out of my mind worrying about you."

"I’m so, so sorry, Alex," Alistair said, his voice tired but soft. "After the driver brought the car, I got inside to check a few things. When I was done, I went back in without realizing I’d left my phone in the car. I didn’t notice until hours later."

I let out a long, shaky breath, running a hand through my hair. "A friend’s house? The driver said you were at a friend’s place."

"I went to Andrew’s parents’ house," he explained. "I told you I had to deliver that gift. His mother... she wouldn’t let me leave. She kept talking, saying how much she missed having me around, how much she liked seeing me."

He paused briefly.

"After I gave her the gift, we just kept talking. I didn’t even realize how late it had gotten until I finally checked the time and saw it was already dark. I just got back to my mother’s place now."

I sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. I wanted to tell him how much it hurt to be left in the dark while I was here fighting a war for us. I wanted to ask why he had to stay so long with Andrew’s family while our own marriage was bleeding out. The jealousy and the worry were clawing at my throat, but I forced myself to swallow them down. I didn’t want to sound unreasonable. I didn’t want to start a fight that might push him further toward those divorce papers.

"I... I understand," I said, though my voice lacked conviction.

"I’m going to take a shower now," Alistair said. "I’m exhausted. I’ll call you once I’m done, okay?"

"You want to shower?" I let out a soft chuckle.

Alistair smiled faintly through the line. "Yes, babe. It’s been a long day."

I had a thousand things I wanted to say, but I didn’t know how to say any of them without sounding jealous... or worse, insecure.

"Okay," I said quietly, staring at the floor. "After you shower, call me. I’ll be waiting."

I hung up and dropped the phone onto the mattress. I stared at the dark screen, feeling more alone than ever. He was over there, being embraced by Andrew’s mother, while my own mother was trying to tear us apart. I needed him back. I needed to remind him that I was the one who belonged by his side, not some friend he didn’t really know too well.

I spent the next hour scrolling aimlessly through my phone, my thumb twitching every time the screen dimmed. I kept checking the time, waiting for his call.

Thirty minutes passed.

Then forty.

Still nothing.

Eventually, my patience snapped. I couldn’t wait any longer. I dialed his number, but instead of a ringtone, a cold, automated voice informed me that the line was busy. He was on another call.

My stomach tightened. Who was he talking to at this hour?

Ten minutes passed. Then fifteen.

I kept redialing, over and over, until it finally started ringing.

On the fourth ring, he picked up.

"Baby? You’re still awake?" I asked, trying to keep the edge out of my voice. "I saw you were on the phone. Who were you—"

"Babe," Alistair cut in, his voice low and worn out. "Can we talk in the morning? Please... I’m really exhausted. I just want to sleep right now."

The words I had prepared for the questions, all died in my throat. I felt a sharp sting of rejection, but I kept my voice soft.

"Okay, baby," I whispered, closing my eyes tight. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," he murmured.

"I love you so much, Alis," I said, leaning into the phone as if I could reach him through the signal.

"I love you more," he replied.

Just like that, the call ended.

The soft beep echoed in my ear. I stayed there in the dark, the phone still pressed to my ear, wondering who had kept him on the line for so long... that he didn’t have five minutes for his husband.