26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

-Alison-

Things had been progressing too smoothly. There always seemed to be something waiting to disrupt our peace. When Jared inadvertently revealed to me that Astrid was pregnant, having forgotten that he hadn't disclosed that information, the atmosphere shifted. I instinctively pulled away from him, withdrawing my hair from his tender touch and glaring at him. His expression morphed into one of fear as he realized his mistake.

"I..." he began, his words faltering as he struggled to salvage the situation.

"She's pregnant!" I exclaimed, not needing confirmation. His uncertainty was enough, and I leapt to my feet, consumed by a fury unlike anything I had ever experienced before. I knew they had been trying for a baby, I knew it was his duty to impregnate her, but I hadn't anticipated how deeply painful the news would be.

"Alison—" he tried to interject, but I refused to listen.

As his hands reached out toward me, I pushed them away, storming to the other side of the room.

"I can't believe this!" I shouted.

"I was going to tell you," he protested.

"Oh, of course, because how would you conceal the sound of a toddler running down the hallway while I remained imprisoned here for years!" I snarled.

"It wasn't going to be years, and I have nothing to do with that child!" he yelled, rising to his feet as well.

"Oh, so it isn't yours?" I retorted.

He went quiet, but his silence spoke volumes. That was all the confirmation I needed. I shook my head in frustration, gripping my hair tightly as I began to pace.

"I can't believe this," I muttered.

"Alison..."

"When?" I snapped.

"Before you were taken," he confessed.

I stopped abruptly, staring at him, feeling a sense of betrayal wash over me. "So when you asked me to come with you—"

"No, it was right before you were taken, when I came to get you. She told me on the way out," he revealed.

"And you're absolutely certain?" I snarled.

"She showed me the test, but I'm sure she'd be willing to do a paternity test as well. Though she wouldn't risk it being someone else's," he explained.

"Why not?"

"Because it would be foolish!" he snapped back. "With my DNA, she gains power! She gains a damn heir."

"And you gave it to her!"

"You think I enjoyed any of it? I absolutely despise her! But you already knew I had to play along. Why is this so angering to you?" Jared argued.

"Why is it angering me?" I repeated, holding up the ring he had placed on my finger. "Maybe because you made me a promise."

"Not before I had already married her," he countered.

"You're correct. So how dare you enter my life again? How could you do this to me?" I yelled.

"I didn't mean to re-enter your life. I meant to destroy it!" he growled.

"Which you certainly did."

"No, I meant to completely ruin you, Alison," he confessed, leaving me staring at him in confusion.

"What?" I whispered, unable to comprehend his words.

"My plan was never to grant you freedom after the contract ended. I intended to reveal everything the moment the month was over. I would let you return, only to strip it all away from you."

I recoiled, unable to grasp the reality of what I was hearing. Jared had shown me a different side of himself, a softer side, and yet, while I thought we were growing closer, he confessed that he had always wanted to ruin me.

I took a step back, feeling a sense of fear creeping in as I realized I didn't truly know the man standing before me.

"You... lied to me?" I whispered, my voice barely audible.

"Don't act as if you didn't have it coming," he retorted.

"But I agreed. I signed my name on the contract, and you still... you still planned to destroy me?"

His fury seemed to subside slightly, replaced by a hint of sheepishness for his past intentions.

"I'm not just blind when it comes to my family, I'm blind when it comes to you. Why do I keep doing this?" I murmured to myself, running my hands through my hair in frustration. I felt as though the ground beneath me was crumbling. Did Jared even want me? Did I want him? What had I gotten myself into? My life was simple, or at least simpler than this.

"I keep trusting you," I whispered, my voice trembling with vulnerability. "I'm so foolish."

"Alison, things have changed," he responded, his tone softening with empathy. I sensed him drawing closer, but I instinctively retreated, seeking solace against the wall.

He seemed taken aback by the fear in my eyes, a flicker of remorse crossing his features.

"So you say, but how can I trust that?" I questioned.

"Do you honestly believe I would go through all this, subject myself to Astrid's torture, if it hadn't changed? I never betrayed your trust, except for those photos of your husband. I never pressed the red button," he reminded me.

"But perhaps you were biding your time. You had to confront my father. Targeting me could have heightened his security measures. And maybe you're only using me now to reach Vince, turning this into a vendetta between you two. Maybe I'm just a pawn. Oh God, and I've lost everything," I confessed, a wave of despair washing over me as I clawed at the collar encircling my neck.

"Remove this from me now!" I demanded, my voice raw with desperation.

"Alison, please, calm down. I'm telling you, things are different," he urged, moving closer, but I shrank away, recoiling from his touch.

"I can't trust that!" I cried out. "I can't trust you again."

His eyes flashed with frustration, a pang of hurt evident in his expression. "I never lied about my obsession with you. It just took me a while to understand its depth. Vince took you because he saw my shifting focus, and I never intended to harm you as I once planned."

"Do you expect me to believe that?"

"Yes, if only you'd take a moment to calm your mind, you'd see it makes perfect sense," he insisted, his voice pleading.

"But it also makes sense to use me as leverage against my father!" I argued.

"But then we wouldn't have killed your father," he retorted sharply. "A dead man can't pay a ransom!"

His words resonated, but fear still held me captive, refusing to let me trust him fully. To expose my vulnerability to him again felt like stepping into a lion's den, especially when secrecy and deceit still tainted our interactions.

"Alison, just come here," he ordered, unwilling to engage in a chase. But I shook my head defiantly. "ALISON!"

I continued to shake my head, sensing his growing impatience. He moved toward me again, prompting me to dart around the couch, with him in hot pursuit. I attempted to reach for the door, but his arm swiftly encircled my waist, thwarting my escape.

"No! Let me go!" I screamed, kicking and struggling against his hold, desperate to break free. But he skillfully subdued my movements, using his other arm to restrain mine.

"Stop!" he commanded forcefully. "Stop and fucking listen to me!"

"No! I'll never be foolish enough to listen to you again! Go be with your wife and the perfect little family you're going to have! You've already achieved what you wanted!" I retorted, my voice trembling with anger and betrayal.

Jared growled in frustration, then firmly planted my feet on the ground and pressed me against the door, effectively trapping me. His hands gripped my wrists, pinning them against the surface, mirroring the pressure against my cheek as his body loomed over me. Tremors of uncertainty coursed through me as I struggled to comprehend the man behind me. I had always seen glimpses of the boy I once loved, but the revelation of his manipulative intentions shattered my perception of him.

"You're right," he breathed into my ear, eliciting a whimper of fear from me. "I did achieve what I wanted. I admitted that. But you also pointed out that the obsession I craved from you so that you would turn to me for help only to have the door slammed in your face, didn't come from me. You created that obsession yourself. Nothing went according to plan."

I averted my gaze, focusing on the wooden surface in front of me, as he continued to speak, his warm breath grazing my skin. I despised the conflicting sensations within me, torn between fear and lingering desire for him.

"But I'm not saddened that it didn't go according to plan, because I've come to realize that I need you too," he confessed, his voice softening with sincerity. "I didn't want to admit it. I thought it would be as straightforward as everything else. I believed I could exact my revenge and be done with it. But the more time we spend together, the more I understand how similar we are. I comprehend your intentions and your pain. It doesn't mean I've forgiven you, but suddenly, I found someone like me. Finally, I felt less alone. And that's when it became clear to me that what I truly craved wasn't your destruction, or the destruction of your life. I simply yearned for your presence and that twisted love of yours, because it gave me something I had never experienced before in my life. There's no one more devoted to me than you, Alison, and it doesn't matter if I want your love or not. I need it, because everyone else left or betrayed me."

I continued to breathe shakily, feeling the rush of adrenaline coursing through me as I absorbed his words. But his confession didn't bring solace. Instead, it stirred unease within me. It sounded less like someone I could trust and more like someone who felt trapped with me, and that was a dangerous revelation.

"D-Do you think your words change anything?" I whispered, stealing a glance at him and noting his confusion. "You speak as if you're addicted to something you'd rather be without for the rest of your life. That's not something I can rely on, because what if you truly want me gone one day?"

"I don't. I don't want you gone, because every time you touch me or even just come to me, speak to me, something within me finally feels satisfied. Like a monster that is constantly raging, unless you're near," he confessed.

"That's exactly what I described," I retorted, my voice barely above a whisper.

"No, it's not. It's not at all the same. What you described is a constant rage, even with your presence. It's disgust and hatred toward your actions. But I've made peace with what I need. I no longer fight my desires. I've fully accepted them, and by doing so, I don't wish to just one day remove you to be free. I need you as much as you need me, because for some reason, we give each other something that we can't find anywhere else. So you either make peace with this too, or the rest of our life together is going to be very complicated. I wasn't lying when I said if you promise yourself to me, then there's no way out. I won't let you go. So if I have to take you with me, once all of this is over, kicking and screaming, I will. You are my obsession too, Alison, and I don't care about Astrid being pregnant. That child might have my DNA, but I am not a father to it, and I never will be. You are all I care about. Not an empire, not my horrible wife, and not this kid. And I don't think you can blame me for my past intentions. Not after everything you did to me," he snapped in a low hiss.

"I never knew what you were truly subjected to!"

"Do you think that justifies your actions? You made me a target for the monsters out there. Is it so strange that I wanted to ruin your life in the way you ruined mine? I wanted to kill myself. I had it all planned out, ready to die, when someone else found me. So no, it doesn't make you any better, just because you didn't know, or because you were being hurt in your own home either. It might make it make sense, but it doesn't change anything," he pointed out, his tone edged with bitterness. As I slowly calmed, I knew he was correct. I had felt incredibly guilty when he told me what Mason had done to him, knowing I was the reason anyone had dared to be so bold and cruel. Yet still, I couldn't suppress the sobs that escaped me, knowing how close it came to the man I loved ruining me and laughing about it.

I allowed the tears to flow freely, unable to halt their course, yet Jared remained undeterred. Drawing nearer, he nestled his face against my neck, breathing deeply before releasing a low groan.

"You smell like yourself again," he murmured, trailing his nose along my skin, then pressing gentle kisses upon my damp cheek, tasting the tears, absorbing my anguish and apprehension.

"Do you not realize how much it would have hurt me?" I whispered, my voice trembling.

"What?" he queried.

"Knowing it was you who chose to push me down?" I ventured. "I still loved you, but you would have destroyed me."

"Did I destroy you?" he asked.

"Yes, you—" I began.

"No, those were your father's decisions bringing you into this. If you weren't important to me, you would have been killed. That wasn't my doing," he asserted. "I'll take responsibility for your abduction. I know that's because of me, but I'm relieved you're alive and here. I want you here. I wouldn't have gone to such lengths if I didn't crave your presence."

I remained trembling, uncertain of what to think or say. Yet Jared had always taken pleasure in my vulnerable state. He began to soothe me, pressing kisses upon my neck, caressing my skin, coaxing me back into his warm embrace, despite being the source of my fears.