The temptation of my brother-in-law-Chapter 189 - One Hundred and Eighty-Nine

Chapter One Hundred and Eighty-Nine

Alicia’s POV

I thought about Zhao. About the boy who’d tormented me as a child. The man who’d watched me at the charity ball. Who’d sent men to kidnap me.

Who’d sent that photo to Malachi with a threat to kill our child.

"Yes," I said finally. "I’m okay with it."

"That’s a dangerous path, Alicia. Once you start accepting violence as a solution—"

"I’m not accepting it as a solution to everything. Just to this. Just to someone who won’t stop until I’m dead or taken."

Marco didn’t look happy. But he nodded. "Your choice. But I’m doubling security anyway. Just in case."

"Thank you."

He left. Alessandro followed. Leaving me alone with Signora Moretti and Sophie.

"You love him," Signora Moretti said. Not a question. A statement.

"I don’t know."

"Yes, you do. You love him and it terrifies you. Because loving someone like him means accepting darkness you don’t want to accept."

She was right. That was exactly what terrified me.

"My mother loved my father," I said. "Gave up everything for him. And we spent our whole lives poor. Struggling. She worked as a maid in someone else’s house. Died giving birth because we couldn’t afford good medical care."

"Are you afraid you’ll end up the same way? Sacrificing everything for a man?"

"Yes."

"Then don’t. Don’t sacrifice everything. Keep parts of yourself that are just yours. Set boundaries. Demand respect." Signora Moretti reached across the table. Took my hand. "Your mother chose love. But she also chose to cut off her family. To run away from help. You don’t have to do that. You have us now. You have options."

"Do I? Or am I just trading one cage for another?"

"That depends on you. On what you choose. On whether you let fear make your decisions or whether you make them yourself."

I wanted to believe her. Wanted to believe I had choices. Control. Agency.

But everything felt so out of control. So overwhelming.

My phone buzzed. A text from Malachi’s number.

Zhao left Italy. I’m following. Will update when I have more information. Stay safe.

I showed Sophie and Signora Moretti.

"He’s going after him," Sophie said.

"Yes."

"Are you going to tell him to stop?"

I stared at the message. At the proof that Malachi was doing exactly what he’d promised. Protecting us. Eliminating the threat.

Through violence. Through murder.

And I was letting him. Was accepting it. Was maybe even grateful for it.

What did that make me?

I typed back.

Be careful.

The response came immediately.

Always. For you. For our baby.

Our baby. He kept saying it like that. Like the baby was already real. Already a person. Already his.

Maybe it was.

"What did you say?" Sophie asked.

"I told him to be careful."

"That’s all?"

"What else is there to say?"

Sophie smiled. "You could tell him the truth."

"What truth?"

"That you’re terrified he’ll get himself killed. That you care about him more than you want to admit. That part of you wants him to come back safe not just because you need his help but because you miss him."

My throat tightened. "I don’t—"

"Yes, you do. I see it on your face every time someone mentions him. You love him, Alicia. You just don’t want to."

"Loving him is complicated."

"Everything worth having is complicated."

I looked at my sister. At this seventeen-year-old who somehow understood things I was still struggling with.

"When did you get so smart?"

"I’ve always been smart. You just never listened."

She was right about that too.

My phone buzzed again. Another message from Malachi.

I meant what I said earlier. About giving you space. About respecting your choices. But I need you to know something.

I waited. The three dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.

Finally, the message came through.

I’ve never been good at expressing feelings. Never learned how. But you need to know that you and this baby are the most important things in my life. More important than the family. More important than the empire. More important than everything. And I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you both safe. Even if it means becoming more of a monster than I already am.

I stared at the message. At the raw honesty in it.

Sophie read over my shoulder. "What are you going to say?"

"I don’t know."

"Tell him how you feel."

"I don’t know how I feel."

"Yes, you do. You’re just scared to admit it."

She was right. I was scared. Terrified.

Because admitting how I felt meant accepting what that meant. Accepting him. Accepting the darkness. Accepting everything.

I typed slowly.

I’m scared of you. But I’m also scared of losing you. I don’t know how to reconcile those two things.

The response was immediate.

You don’t have to. Just let me prove I’m worth the fear. That’s all I’m asking.

"What did he say?" Sophie asked.

I showed her.

She smiled. "That’s actually kind of romantic. In a dark, twisted way."

"Everything about Malachi is dark and twisted."

"But you love him anyway."

"I don’t know if I’d call it love."

"What would you call it?"

I thought about it. About the way my heart raced when I saw him. The way I felt safe in his arms even though I knew he was dangerous. The way I missed him even though I’d run from him.

"Inevitable," I said finally.

"What?"

"Loving him feels inevitable. Like I was always going to end up here. Always going to be tied to him. No matter how far I ran."

Sophie squeezed my hand. "Then maybe stop running. Maybe see what happens if you stop fighting it."

"And if it destroys me?"

"Then we’ll put you back together. That’s what family does."

Signora Moretti nodded. "She’s right. Whatever you decide, whatever happens, you’re not alone anymore. You have us. You have options. You have support."

I looked at them. At my sister and my grandmother. At the family I hadn’t known existed.

Maybe they were right. Maybe I didn’t have to do this alone.

Maybe I could accept Malachi’s help. Maybe even accept him. Without losing myself in the process.

Maybe.

My phone rang. Malachi’s number.

I answered. "Hello?"

"Alicia." His voice was rough. Urgent. "I need you to listen to me very carefully."

My heart started pounding. "What’s wrong?"

"Zhao didn’t leave Italy because he was scared. He left because he’s planning something bigger. I just got intelligence from my people. He’s meeting with Emily. Tomorrow. In Paris."

"Emily? Why would he—"

"Because they both want the same thing. To destroy the Blackwoods. And you’re the perfect leverage to make that happen."