The temptation of my brother-in-law-Chapter 149 - One Hundred and Forty-Nine

Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Nine

Malachi’s POV

I stopped at the jewelry store on my way home. The one I’d been eyeing for weeks, the one that carried the kind of rings that meant something. Forever. Commitment. Mine.

The ring I chose was simple but perfect. Platinum band with a single diamond that caught the light just right. Not too ostentatious. Alicia wasn’t the type who wanted flash. She wanted meaning.

And this ring meant everything.

I was done hiding. Done pretending. Travis knew. Soon everyone would know. And I was going to make this official. Ask her properly. Give her the life she deserved instead of stolen moments and secret meetings.

The ring sat in a velvet box in my pocket, warm against my chest as I drove to my private mansion. Our mansion now. The place where we could be ourselves without the weight of family expectations crushing us.

I spent two hours cooking. Made her favorite pasta, the one she’d mentioned liking months ago in passing. She probably didn’t even remember telling me, but I remembered everything about her. Every word. Every preference. Every small detail that made her who she was.

The table was set. Candles lit. Wine breathing. Everything perfect.

I checked my phone. Six thirty. She should be here soon. She’d said she’d come after work.

Six forty-five. Still nothing.

Seven. I called her. Straight to voicemail.

Maybe she was driving. Maybe her phone died. Reasonable explanations. Nothing to worry about.

Seven fifteen. Called again. Still voicemail.

I tried Sophie’s number. Same thing. Straight to voicemail.

Something cold settled in my stomach. This wasn’t like Alicia. She always answered. Always let me know if she was running late.

Seven thirty. I was pacing now. The food getting cold. The candles burning down. The ring box feeling heavier in my pocket.

I pulled out my phone to call Maurice when Travis’s name flashed on the screen.

I almost didn’t answer. Travis and I had nothing to say to each other anymore. But Alicia wasn’t answering and neither was Sophie, and something felt wrong.

"What?" I answered.

"Where the fuck is Alicia?" Travis’s voice was pure rage.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don’t play stupid. Where is she? What did you do?"

"I haven’t seen her since this morning. She was supposed to come to my place after work but she’s not answering her phone."

"Your place? Your fucking place?" Travis laughed but there was no humor in it. "She left me divorce papers. Divorce papers, Malachi. What did you tell her?"

Divorce papers. My heart jumped. That was good. That meant she was serious about leaving him, about being with me.

But why wasn’t she answering her phone?

"I told her the truth. That she belongs with me."

"You told her. You told her." Travis was barely coherent now. "She’s gone. All her things are gone. Sophie’s things are gone. They left and it’s your fault."

Gone. Left. The words didn’t make sense.

"What do you mean gone?"

"I mean she cleaned out her room and disappeared. Left a note saying she wanted a divorce and to leave her alone. Where is she?"

"I don’t know. She was supposed to be here hours ago."

"You’re lying."

"I’m not lying. She’s not here. I’ve been calling her and she’s not answering."

I hung up. Didn’t wait for Travis to say anything else. Got in my car and drove to the mansion faster than I should have.

The gates were open when I arrived. People were everywhere. Pa Wood in the foyer looking grim. Travis pacing. Servants whispering.

I went straight to Alicia’s room. The door was open. The closet was empty. Her desk cleared out. Even the photos she kept on her nightstand were gone.

She’d really left. Packed up everything and disappeared.

But she was supposed to come to me. We had plans. I had a ring. We were supposed to be starting our life together.

What happened?

I checked Sophie’s room. Same thing. Empty closet. Missing belongings. Like they’d never been there at all.

"Where is she?" Pa Wood’s voice behind me. I turned. He was standing in the doorway looking older than I’d ever seen him. "What did you do?"

"I didn’t do anything. She was supposed to meet me at my place. She never showed up."

"Your place? You have a private residence?"

"Yes."

"That you never told anyone about."

"It’s private for a reason."

Pa Wood studied me with those sharp eyes that saw too much. "She left divorce papers. What’s your involvement in this?"

Before I could answer, Travis appeared. His face was red, his hands clenched into fists. He looked like he wanted to kill me.

"You," he said. "This is all your fault."

"I didn’t make her leave."

"You seduced her. Poisoned her against me. Turned her into someone who’d abandon her marriage."

"I didn’t have to turn her into anything. You did that yourself when you spent years treating her like garbage."

Travis lunged at me. His hands found my throat, slamming me back against the wall with surprising strength for someone who’d spent years as a drunk.

"You took her from me!" He was screaming now. "She was mine and you took her!"

I could have broken his grip easily. Could have put him on the ground. But Pa Wood was watching and I needed to know what happened more than I needed to fight my brother.

"Let go of me, Travis."

"Not until you tell me where she is."

"I don’t know where she is. She was supposed to come to my place and she didn’t show up. That’s all I know."

"Liar!"

"He’s not lying." Pa Wood’s voice was cold. "Let him go, Travis."

Travis released me reluctantly. Stepped back but didn’t go far.

Pa Wood looked between us. "Someone explain to me what’s happening. Now."

I straightened my collar. Kept my voice calm even though panic was clawing at my insides. "Alicia and I have been seeing each other. I told her I wanted to be with her. Properly. No more hiding. She was supposed to come to my place tonight so we could talk about next steps."

"Next steps," Pa Wood repeated. "You mean divorce."

"Yes."

"And she agreed to this?"

"She didn’t say no."

"That’s not the same as yes."

Travis laughed bitterly. "Of course she said yes. Look at him. Look at what he is. How could she resist?"

"What’s that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"It means you’ve always gotten everything you wanted. Always been the favorite. Always been the one everyone chose. Why would Alicia be any different?"

"This isn’t about competition, Travis. This is about her being happy. Which she wasn’t with you."

"You don’t know what she was. You don’t know anything about our marriage."

"I know enough. I know you hit her. I know you made her afraid. I know she deserves better than what you gave her."

The room went silent. Pa Wood’s expression darkened.

"You hit her?" he asked Travis.

"I was drunk. I made mistakes. I’m getting better."

"That’s not an answer."

"Yes. I hit her. Multiple times. But I’m in therapy now. I’m fixing it."

Pa Wood closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them, he looked at me. "And you knew about this?"

"Yes."

"For how long?"

"Months."

"And you said nothing."

"It wasn’t my place to say. It was hers."

"It absolutely was your place. If you knew a member of this family was being abused, you had an obligation to speak up."

"I did speak up. To Travis. Directly. Told him if he touched her again I’d destroy him."

"Clearly that wasn’t enough." Pa Wood’s voice was steel. "She’s gone. Taken Sophie with her. Disappeared completely. And none of us know where she is or if she’s safe."

The panic that had been simmering erupted into full terror. Alicia was gone. Really gone. And I had no idea where.

What if something happened? What if whoever had been threatening her had gotten to her? What if she was hurt somewhere and I couldn’t help her?

"I’ll find her," I said.

"How? She’s not answering her phone. She clearly doesn’t want to be found."

"I’ll find her anyway."

I pulled out my phone. Called Maurice. "I need you to track Alicia’s phone. And Sophie’s. Immediately."

"What’s wrong?"

"They’re missing. I need to know where they are. Now."

"On it. Give me twenty minutes."

I hung up. Looked at Pa Wood. "I’m going to find her. And when I do, I’m going to make sure she’s safe. Then I’m going to marry her."

"You can’t marry her. She’s already married."

"Not for long. Travis will sign those divorce papers. Won’t you, Travis?"

Travis looked between us. For a second I thought he’d refuse. Then his shoulders slumped. "If that’s what she wants."

"It is."

"Then fine. I’ll sign them."

Pa Wood shook his head. "This family is falling apart."

"This family has been falling apart for years. We just stopped pretending." I headed for the door. "I’ll call when I find her."

"Malachi." Pa Wood’s voice stopped me. "If she left, maybe she had a reason. Maybe you should consider that she doesn’t want to be found."

"She wants to be found. She just doesn’t know it yet."

I left before he could argue. Got in my car and drove while Maurice worked on tracking the phones.

Twenty-three minutes later he called back. "Got a location. Alicia’s phone is at an address in the city. Residential building. Want me to send it to you?"

"Yes."

The address came through. I recognized it immediately. Cassie’s apartment. Alicia’s best friend.

Of course. She’d gone somewhere safe. Somewhere away from the Blackwoods. Away from all of us.

Away from me.

I drove there anyway. Parked outside. Stared up at the building.

The ring was still in my pocket. The dinner was still waiting at my place. Everything I’d planned was falling apart because something had happened between this morning and tonight.

Something that made Alicia run.

I needed to know what. Needed to fix it. Needed to make her understand that whatever it was, we could work through it together.

But as I sat there staring at Cassie’s building, I realized something.

Alicia wasn’t answering her phone. She’d packed up everything. She’d left divorce papers and disappeared.

She was done. With Travis. With the family. Maybe with me too.

And I had no idea why.