The temptation of my brother-in-law-Chapter 172 - One Hundred and Seventy-Two

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy-Two

Alicia’s POV

Cassie wouldn’t stop pacing.

"I just don’t think you should go back," she said for the third time that morning. "Not in your condition."

"I’m fine. The doctor said I just needed rest and proper nutrition. I’ve had both."

"You fainted, Alicia. You were in the hospital."

"And now I’m not. I’m better. I can work."

She stopped pacing and looked at me directly. "The work is too much. You’re on your feet all day. Cleaning, cooking, running up and down stairs. It’s not safe for the baby."

"The work isn’t too much. And I need the money."

"I can handle the money. David and I both can. You don’t have to—"

"No." I said it firmly. "I’m not taking money from you. Either of you. You’ve already done enough."

"Alicia—"

"I mean it, Cassie. I need to do this myself. I need to prove I can take care of this baby on my own. Without depending on anyone."

She sat down across from me. Her eyes were worried. "You don’t have to prove anything to anyone."

"I have to prove it to myself."

She didn’t argue after that. Just made me promise to be careful. To rest when I needed to. To call if anything felt wrong.

I promised.

Sophie had barely spoken to me since yesterday. She’d hover nearby, bringing me water or food, but the guilt was still written all over her face. I’d tried to tell her it was okay, that I forgave her, but she couldn’t seem to forgive herself.

I left for work early the next morning. Took the bus back to the estate. Watched the countryside roll past and tried to prepare myself for whatever was waiting.

The mansion looked the same as always when I arrived. Beautiful. Imposing. Silent.

But when I walked through the front door, I heard yelling.

Francesca stood in the main hall, surrounded by three other housemaids. Her face was red. Her voice sharp.

"I don’t pay you to be lazy," she was saying. "Look at this place. Dust everywhere. The floors haven’t been properly cleaned in days."

One of the maids tried to explain. "We’ve been doing our best, Signora, but with Alicia gone—"

"I don’t want excuses. I want results."

I set down my bag and walked toward them. My footsteps echoed on the marble floor.

Francesca’s head snapped toward me. Her eyes went wide. Then narrow.

"You," she said.

"I’m sorry I was gone. I was sick—"

She crossed the distance between us in three strides. Her hand came up and connected with my face before I could react.

The slap echoed through the hall.

Pain exploded across my cheek. The world tilted. My vision blurred.

"You don’t take days off without permission," Francesca said. Her voice was ice. "You don’t abandon your responsibilities and leave this mansion in disorder."

I tried to speak. Tried to explain. But my head was spinning. The edges of my vision went dark.

Not again. Please not again.

"Signora, she was in the hospital—" One of the maids tried to defend me.

"I don’t care where she was. She works for this family. She answers to us."

My legs wouldn’t hold me. I felt myself falling.

Strong arms caught me before I hit the floor.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Alessandro’s voice. Angry. I’d never heard him angry before.

"She abandoned her post—"

"She was in the hospital. I knew about it. I gave her permission to take time off."

"You didn’t tell me—"

"I don’t answer to you, Francesca. This is my household to manage. And you just assaulted one of my employees."

I heard them arguing. Heard Francesca’s voice getting higher. Alessandro’s getting colder.

But I couldn’t focus on the words. Everything was blurry. Distant.

"I’m taking her to the hospital," Alessandro said. "And when I get back, we’re going to have a conversation about boundaries."

He lifted me easily. Carried me through the hall. I tried to tell him I was fine, but the words wouldn’t come.

The drive to the hospital passed in fragments. Alessandro’s worried face. His hand on my shoulder, steadying me. His voice on the phone, speaking rapid Italian to someone.

The hospital was the same one I’d been in yesterday. Different doctor this time. A woman. She checked my vitals. Asked me questions.

"When did you eat last?"

"This morning."

"And before the fainting? Has this happened before?"

"Yesterday."

She frowned. Ordered more tests. Drew blood. Checked my blood pressure.

Alessandro stood by the door. Watching. Worried.

The doctor came back with results. Spoke to Alessandro in Italian first. His face changed. Went from worried to shocked to something I couldn’t read.

Then she turned to me. "You’re pregnant."

"I know."

"You knew?" Alessandro asked. His voice was tight.

"Yes."

The doctor continued. "About eight weeks. Everything looks normal, but you need to be more careful. The fainting is from stress and malnutrition. You need rest. Proper meals. Less physical work."

"I can’t—"

"You have to. For the baby’s health and your own."

She left to get discharge papers.

Alessandro sat down in the chair beside my bed. He didn’t look at me.

"You’re pregnant," he said. Not a question. A statement.

"Yes."

"And you didn’t think to mention this when I hired you?"

"Would you have hired me if I had?"

He was quiet for a long moment. "No. Probably not."

"That’s why I didn’t say anything."

"You shouldn’t be working. Not in your condition. Not doing the kind of work I hired you for."

My chest tightened. "Please don’t fire me. I need this job. I need the money."

"Alicia—"

"I have nowhere else to go. No other options. If you fire me, I don’t know what I’ll do."

He ran his hand through his hair. Looked exhausted. "I’m not going to fire you."

Relief flooded through me. "Thank you—"

"But I’m reducing your workload. No more heavy cleaning. No more running up and down stairs all day. You’ll handle light duties only. Meal prep. Light organizing. Things that won’t put stress on your body."

"I can handle the full workload—"

"No. You can’t. You’ve fainted twice in two days. That’s not sustainable."

I wanted to argue. Wanted to insist I could do it. But he was right. My body was betraying me. I couldn’t keep pushing like this.

"Okay," I said quietly. "Thank you." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"And I’m reporting Francesca to my mother. What she did was unacceptable. She had no right to touch you."

"She was angry—"

"I don’t care. She doesn’t get to assault people because she’s angry." His voice was hard. Final. "This won’t happen again."

The doctor returned with papers. Discharge instructions. Recommendations for prenatal care.

Alessandro took them all. Read through everything carefully.

"I’ll make sure you get to your appointments," he said. "And I’ll adjust the schedule so you have time to rest."

"You don’t have to do that."

"Yes, I do. You work for me. That makes you my responsibility."

We drove back to the estate in silence. When we arrived, Francesca was gone. The other maids looked at me with a mixture of sympathy and curiosity.

Alessandro walked me to my room. Made sure I had water. Food.

"Rest for the remainder of today," he said. "Tomorrow we’ll start the new schedule."

"What about your sister?"

"Let me worry about my sister."

He left, closing the door gently behind him.

I sat on the bed and touched my cheek. It still stung from the slap. I could feel it swelling slightly.

My phone buzzed. A text from Cassie.

How’s work?

I didn’t know how to answer. Didn’t know how to explain what had just happened.

It’s fine, I typed back. Just taking it easy.

Another lie. Another secret.

But what else could I do?