~Alistair's POV~
Alex didn't let me finish. He surged off the bed and dropped to his knees on the floor beside me. I sat up, startled, watching him look up at me from the ground. "On behalf of my mother and myself, I apologize," he said, his voice thick with desperation. "Please, Alis... don't think of leaving me. My mother may not love you, but I love you. I love you so much."
I moved to the edge of the bed and reached down, pulling him closer. Alex wrapped his arms around my waist, burying his face in my lap as he kept apologizing.
"I know you love me, Alex," I whispered, stroking his hair. "But this is getting to be too much. I'm in so much pain."
"Baby, I promise I will protect you," Alex vowed, looking up at me with raw determination. "I will be a better husband. I won't let her hurt you ever again."
I pulled him into a tight hug, my tears falling into his hair. Alex had never hurt me, he was my safe place, my peace.
But even as I held him, a quiet fear lingered.
