The Twisted Obsession-Chapter 268: Loverbirds.

The impact sent Alex sprawling to the floor, releasing Lily. She collapsed, gasping for breath, tears streaming down her cheeks. Cage knelt beside her, his expression shifting from anger to concern. "Lily, are you okay?" His voice was soft, almost tender, and seeing her like this hurt him more than he wanted to admit.

Lily nodded weakly, trying to pull herself together. "I’m fine, Cage," she whispered, her voice trembling.

Cage’s eyes flickered with an emotion he couldn’t quite name. He shouldn’t be feeling this way about her. He was supposed to rejoice at seeing her like this, to feel vindicated for all the wrongs she had committed. But instead, it felt like his heart was being ripped apart. He wanted to comfort her, to protect her, and the intensity of these feelings scared him.

Alex staggered to his feet, laughter bubbling up from his chest. "Well, well, who would’ve thought the two of you would be lovebirds one day, huh?" he sneered, wiping the blood from his mouth.

Cage’s glare was murderous. "How dare you lay a finger on her?!" he roared, his fists clenching.

Alex scoffed, his expression mocking. "And what are you going to do about it, Cage?"

In a flash, Cage lunged at him, his fist connecting with Alex’s jaw. They crashed to the floor, a whirlwind of punches and snarls. Lily watched, horror-stricken, as the brothers fought, the room filling with the sounds of their brutal struggle.

Alex managed to break free, pulling a gun from his waistband. Lily’s gasp of fear cut through the chaos. "Hmm, can’t act tough now, can you?" Alex taunted, pressing the barrel against Cage’s forehead.

Cage froze, his eyes locked on the gun. "Don’t do this, Alex," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "You don’t want to go down this path."

Alex chuckled, his finger tightening on the trigger. "Oh, but I do, brother. This is exactly what I want."

Lily, her heart pounding in her chest, knew she had to act. She took a deep breath and screamed, "Alex, no!"

In that split second of distraction, Cage slapped the gun away. It skidded across the floor as the brothers clashed again. Alex gained the upper hand, pummeling Cage into the ground.

"Stop!" Lily’s scream pierced the air, freezing both men. They turned to see her standing, trembling, with the gun in her hands.

Alex stood up slowly, a dangerous smile playing on his lips. "Lily, give me the gun."

She shook her head, her hands shaking. "Stay back, Alex."

"Come on, Lily," Alex said, taking a step forward. "You don’t want to do this."

But fear and desperation clouded her judgment. As Alex moved closer, she squeezed the trigger. The shot rang out, echoing through the room. Alex staggered, a look of shock on his face, before collapsing to the floor.

Lily dropped the gun, her knees buckling beneath her. Cage rushed to her side, catching her before she fell. "Lily," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "It’s over. You’re safe now."

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. "I didn’t mean to—"

"I know," Cage said softly, pulling her into his arms. "You did what you had to do."

The weight of what had just happened crashed down on Lily, and she buried her face in Cage’s chest, sobbing uncontrollably. He held her close, his own emotions in turmoil. He had never expected to feel this way, to care so deeply for her. But now, with her in his arms, he couldn’t deny it any longer.

Cage looked down at Alex’s motionless body, a mix of anger and sorrow in his eyes. "He won’t hurt you anymore," he murmured, more to himself than to Lily.

For a long moment, they stayed like that, holding onto each other as the reality of their situation set in. Cage’s mind raced with thoughts of what to do next, how to protect Lily from the fallout of this night.

Finally, Lily pulled back, her face streaked with tears. "What are we going to do?" she asked, her voice small and scared.

Cage took a deep breath, his resolve hardening. "We’ll get through this, together," he promised. "I’ll take care of everything. You just need to trust me."

Lily nodded, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "I do, Cage. I trust you."

Trust. Such a heavy word.

"I’m afraid, Cage," Lily whispered, her voice breaking. "His father—he would kill me if he finds out what I have done—Cage, I can’t let you take the blame for me."

Cage’s heart ached as he looked into her terrified eyes. He was supposed to be the one who punished her, who reveled in her downfall, but seeing her like this, broken and scared, was tearing him apart. He had never felt this way before. Abby had been his world, his only love. But with Lily, it was different. It was deeper, more intense, and it scared him.

"Lily," he said softly, cupping her face in his hands. "I’m not going to let anyone hurt you. We’ll figure this out together."

She shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. "No, Cage. You don’t understand. His father is ruthless. If he finds out I shot Alex, he’ll come after me. He’ll come after us."

Cage’s jaw tightened. He knew the kind of his father was—a man who would stop at nothing to protect his interests, even if it meant destroying those who got in his way. But he couldn’t let Lily face this alone.

"I won’t let that happen," Cage said firmly. "We’ll go to the authorities. We’ll tell them what happened. It was self-defense, Lily. You had no choice."

Her eyes widened with fear. "No! We can’t go to the police. You know how powerful his family is. They control everything. They’ll twist it around, make it look like I murdered him in cold blood."

Cage struggled with his own emotions, torn between his loyalty to Abby’s memory and the overwhelming need to protect Lily. "We’ll figure something out," he repeated, though he wasn’t entirely sure what that would be.

"Cage, please," Lily pleaded, clutching his arm. "You have to let me go. I can’t stay here. It’s too dangerous. I’ll only bring trouble to you."

He couldn’t bear the thought of losing her. Not now, when he had just realized how much she meant to him. "I won’t let you go," he said, his voice raw with emotion. "I can’t."

Lily’s breath hitched. She saw the turmoil in his eyes, the battle between his desire to protect her and the love he had held for Abby. "Why, Cage? Why are you doing this?"

"Because," he started, his voice faltering. "Because I care about you, Lily. More than I should."

She sobbed against his chest, the weight of the night’s events crashing down on her. "I don’t deserve this," she whispered. "I don’t deserve you."

Cage’s grip tightened. "You deserve to be safe. You deserve to be happy. And I’m going to make sure you get that."

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