CHAPTER 15%
The next morning, I thought maybe Alexander had finally gotten the message. His car wasn’t parked across the street anymore, and the inn balcony was empty.”
But I was wrong.
Marcus and I were in the vineyard, checking on the new grape vines, when I heard footsteps behind us. Heavy, unsteady footsteps that made my heart sink.
“Lauren.”
I turned around to find Alexander standing there, but he looked terrible. His eyes were bloodshot and sunken, like he hadn’t slept in days. His white shirt was still stained with blood from the tattoo, now dried and brown. He swayed slightly on his feet
“Alexander, what are you doing here?” I asked, alarmed by how awful he looked.
“I need to talk to you,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Just you. Alone.”
Marcus stepped closer to me protectively. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I wasn’t talking to you,” Alexander snapped, but even his anger seemed weak and unfocused.
“Alexander, you look sick,” I said, genuinely worried despite everything. “When was the last time you slept? Or ate?”
He ignored my questions. “I’ve been thinking all night. About what you said. About us.”
“There is no us,” I said gently. “We talked about this yesterday.“W
“No, you talked,” Alexander said, taking a shaky step forward. “You told me how you felt, but you didn’t let me explain.“}
“Explain what?” I asked, though I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear it.
Alexander ran his hand through his hair, leaving it even more disheveled. “Explain why I made those choices. Why I… why I hurt you.” Marcus crossed his arms. “This should be interesting.”
“You want to know the truth?” Alexander’s voice cracked. “I was scared. Terrified. Of you.”
I blinked in surprise. “Scared? Of me?”
“You were so… pure. So good. So much better than me.” Alexander’s words came out in a rush, like he’d been holding them in for years. “I knew I didn’t deserve you. I knew that someday you’d wake up and realize you married the wrong man.”
“So you decided to prove it?” I asked, my voice rising. “You decided to make sure I’d leave you?”
“Victoria was… easy,” Alexander continued, not really listening. “She didn’t expect anything from me. She didn’t look at me like I hung the moon. She didn’t make me want to be better.”
“And I did?” The question slipped out before I could stop it.
Alexander’s eyes met mine, and for a moment, they were clear and honest. “Every day. Every single day you made me want to be the man you thought I was. But I couldn’t… I didn’t know how.”
Marcus made a sound of disgust. “So instead of trying, you cheated on her for six years.“}]
“It wasn’t supposed to be six years!” Alexander shouted, then immediately winced and pressed his hand to his head. “It was supposed to be one night. One mistake. But then she got pregnant, and I couldn’t just… I couldn’t just throw her out.”
“But you could throw me out,” I said quietly.M
“I never threw you out. You left.“W
“Because you gave me no choice!” My voice echoed across the vineyard. “You brought another woman into our home, Alexander. You let her wear my clothes, sleep in my bed, eat at my table. You let her push me into a pool when I was pregnant!”
“She said it was an accident-”
“And you believed her over me!” I was crying now, angry tears that had been building up for years. “Your own wife!”
Alexander stared at me, and I could see the moment it finally hit him. Really hit him. What he had done. What he had lost.”
“Lauren, 1-”
“No,” I said, wiping my eyes. “I’m done listening to your excuses. You had six years to figure this out. Six years to choose me. You didn’t.” “I choose you now,” he said desperately. “I’m here now. I’m choosing you.”
“Too late, Marcus said firmly. “She’s with me now.”
Alexander’s face twisted with rage. “You think you know her better than I do? I’ve known her for ten years!”
“And yet you never really saw her,” Marcus replied calmly. “You never appreciated what you had.”
JE
“She’s not yours!” Alexander screamed, his voice breaking. “She’s mine! She married me! She promised to love me forever!“}
“That was before you broke every promise you made to her,” I said.M
Alexander looked between Marcus and me, his breathing heavy and irregular. His skin was pale and clammy with sweat.
“I can change,” he said desperately. “I can be better. I can be the husband you needed.“W
“What we had was convenient,” I cut him off. “For you. I was the perfect wife who didn’t ask questions, who didn’t complain when you came home late, who pretended not to notice the lipstick on your collar.”
“I don’t need a husband,” I said. “I want a partner. And Marcus is that for me.”
A new life?” he said suddenly, focusing on me with wild eyes. “What new-”
8:27 PM
But he didn’t get to finish his sentence.}
His face went white as paper.
He blinked slowly, like he was trying to focus. “I can’t… I don’t…”
His knees buckled first. Then his whole body swayed like a tree in a strong wind.
The words died in his throat. He swayed dangerously, his hand going to his chest where the fresh tattoo was hidden beneath his shirt.
“Alexander?” I took a step toward him, suddenly concerned.
His eyes rolled back and knees buckled.
.
Frustrated and furious, sleep–deprived for two days, and weakened from blood loss after getting the tattoo, Alexander didn’t get to finish his sentence.
His vision spun. The world turned dark, and he collapsed.
