Chapter 231/Never Say My Name Again!

Chapter 231: 231/Never Say My Name Again!

Chapter 231

Stephanie’s POV

A suffocating, agonizing silence stretched over the line a silence punctured only by the sharp rustle of Keira’s breath, fanning the flames of rage in my chest. My knuckles turned chalk-white as I squeezed the phone so hard the glass practically groaned under my grip. I stood there, waiting for her to step back, to take back the cheap, vile accusation she had just driven straight into my side.

Instead, her voice returned flat, dry, and entirely devoid of remorse:

"I’m not attacking you, Stephanie..." She said, her words dropping like ice. "...I’m simply holding up a mirror so you can face the truth you keep running from. What’s happening to you isn’t normal, and your excuses are getting stranger and lower by the day."

Blood rushed to my ears, hot and deafening. My whole body shuddered as betrayal and humiliation choked me:

"A mirror?!" I gasped out, my voice cracking wildly. "You’re questioning my honor and weaponizing my suffering, Keira! Instead of standing by me while I fight a nightmare that’s threatening to tear my life apart, you accuse me of being obsessed with men?! You accuse me of actually desiring the bastard who is blackmailing me?!"

Keira shot back, her tone steady, infuriatingly composed:

"Because you keep picking the easiest way to fall and calling it a sacrifice! You want to keep two men in one bed in the name of love, and now you want to walk into a third man’s bed in the name of protection! Can’t you see how disgusting this looks from the outside?!"

My eyes widened in absolute shock. The words landed like a sharp, freezing slap across my face. A hot tear of pure rage spilled over my lashes, tracking down my cheek as a ragged, final breath escaped my lips:

"Thank you, Keira..." I whispered, my voice trembling with irreversible finality. "...Thank you for showing me what I’m truly worth to you at my absolute weakest moment."

"Stephanie, don’t spin this into...."

"Don’t you ever say my name again!" I screamed, a broken sob ripping from my throat.

I slammed the end-call button and hurled the phone onto the mattress as if it were a burning coal searing through my skin.

My knees buckled. I collapsed onto the floor beside the bed, burying my face into my knees as silent, poisonous sobs racked my frame. Her words echoed through my skull like a relentless executioner: *"You suddenly want every single man all at once."*

I jammed the heels of my hands against my temples, trying to drown out the vile chant. *Was I really just a manipulative, loose woman hiding behind tragic excuses in the eyes of my best friend? Could she not see the living hell chewing away at my insides? Couldn’t she comprehend that I was selling myself piece by piece just to protect my babies and my marriage from Vincetti’s claws?!*

A set of soft, familiar footsteps echoed down the hallway outside. The door handle clicked, slowly turning downward.

I snapped my head up. Swiping the moisture off my cheeks in one frantic motion, I forced my chest to steady, desperately trying to catch my breath before the door swung fully open.

Alexander stepped into the room. His tall, imposing frame filled the entryway, his ruggedly handsome features framed by dark hair messy with exhaustion.

His white dress shirt was unbuttoned at the collar but the moment his eyes landed on me, they flared with instant, searing intensity.

He froze dead in his tracks.

His eyes swept over me taking in my curled-up posture on the edge of the bed, the ghostly pallor of my skin, and my raw, bloodshot eyes. In a split second, his sharp features softened into deep, overwhelming panic, and he closed the distance between us in heavy, frantic strides.

"Stephanie?" His deep voice resonated through the room, laced with fear.

He dropped to his knees right in front of me. Gathering my trembling, ice-cold hands into his large, warm palms, he searched my face:

"My love... what is it? Why are you sitting on the floor like this? Have you been crying?"

I swallowed the bitter lump lodging itself in my throat. Looking into his brilliant blue eyes, my heart fractured into a thousand pieces. I forced a faint, fragile curve onto my lips, though my voice sounded raspy and worn thin:

"It’s nothing, Alexander..." I managed out, squeezing his fingers softly. "...I just... felt a sudden wave of fatigue."

His dark brows pulled together in immediate doubt. Raising his hand, his calloused thumb gently swept across my cheek, wiping away the faint dampness near my jaw with a tenderness that tore straight through my soul.

"Just fatigue?" He murmured, his voice dropping into a firm, low register. "Your face is as pale as death, Stephanie, and your hands are like ice... Tell me the truth. Did something happen? Is the pregnancy draining you?"

I tilted my head into his warm palm, closing my eyes for a single second to draw strength from his touch. Inside, I was thrashing against the crushing weight of the secret I was keeping from him.

"It’s... it’s just the pregnancy hormones, my love," I whispered, my voice breaking slightly. "Just a wave of overwhelming emotions... Please don’t worry about me."

Alexander let out a long, heavy breath of relief. He rose from the floor and sat beside me on the mattress, pulling me firmly yet gently against his broad chest. He pressed a warm, lingering kiss against my hair, his lips brushing my ear as he murmured:

"You terrified me, Stephanie..." He tightened his hold around my shoulders. "...Nothing matters if you aren’t okay. Just rest in my arms now. No harm will ever touch you while I’m by your side."

I buried my face deeper into the crisp fabric of his shirt, inhaling his familiar, comforting scent. My fingers clenched tightly around his lapels as a cold, terrifying dread consumed my mind... *How was I going to shield him from this hell? How was I going to play this dark, twisted game with Vincetti without losing this safety forever?*

A soft, polite knock sounded at the bedroom door, breaking the heavy stillness settled over us.

Alexander slowly pulled back, turning his head toward the door while keeping a warm, protective arm wrapped firmly around my waist. I quickly swiped my hand across my cheek, attempting to brush away any remaining traces of my distress.

The door creaked open slightly. One of the maids stood at the threshold, her head respectfully bowed as she spoke in a low voice:

"Excuse me, Mr. Alexander... Dinner is served. Mr. Cedric is waiting for you both downstairs."

Alexander gave a calm nod, his voice regaining its usual composed authority:

"Alright. We’ll be down in a moment."

The maid bowed slightly, pulling the door shut and retreating down the hall in silent footsteps.

Alexander turned back to me, his fingers gently lifting my chin until our eyes met once more. He studied my face, a tender, reassuring smile gracing his lips as if trying to drive away the dark shadows wrapping around my heart:

"Come on, my love..." He murmured softly, brushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear. "...You need to eat something, for your own sake and for our twins. Right?"