Alexander's POV
I couldn't believe my ears. I stood there, rooted to the spot, staring at Isabella in utter disbelief. The woman I had loved for months, the woman I had planned to spend my life with, was standing before me confessing that she had considered... getting rid of our child. My child. Without telling me. Without my consent. The shock was an iron grip tightening around my chest, squeezing the air from my lungs.
"You... You were going to...?" I stammered, unable to complete the thought as it tore through me like shards of glass.
Isabella stood across the room, her arms crossed defensively over her stomach. She wasn't meeting my eyes. Her head was lowered, her hair cascading like a curtain between us, and that only fueled my anger more. I couldn't read her, couldn't see the remorse I desperately wanted to find on her face.
"Answer me!" I roared, my voice echoing off the walls. "Were you actually planning to get rid of my child without even telling me?"
Her head snapped up at my words, her eyes wide, full of something that almost resembled guilt. Almost.
"I was going to tell you," she whispered, but her voice was trembling. "I just didn't know how. I didn't know if you'd even care."
That hit me like a punch to the gut. Didn't know if I'd care? What kind of man did she think I was?
"Don't care?" I spat, the fury rising inside me like a wildfire. "This is my child, Isabella. My heir. Do you really think I wouldn't care about my own flesh and blood? About a part of me growing inside you?"
Her lip quivered, and she shifted uncomfortably under my glare. "It's not that simple, Alexander. You don't understand."
"Then help me understand," I snapped, stepping closer, my voice growing dangerously low. "Help me understand why you thought it was okay to make a decision like that without me. Why did you think you could just... erase our child from existence like it was nothing."
"It wasn't nothing!" she cried, finally meeting my gaze with a fierceness I hadn't expected. Her eyes flashed, and for a second, I saw the woman I had fallen in love with, the woman who wasn't afraid to stand up for herself, no matter how much I intimidated others. "Do you really think I wanted this? Do you think this is easy for me?"
My fists clenched at my sides as I tried to rein in my anger. The adrenaline coursing through my veins made it hard to think straight, but I had to hear her out. I had to understand why she thought this was her only option.
"Then tell me," I said, quieter this time. "Why, Isabella? Why would you even consider something like this?"
She bit her bottom lip, looking down again, and I could tell she was battling with herself fighting to find the words. It felt like hours passed as I waited for her answer, the tension in the room thick enough to choke on.
"I wasn't doing this because I didn't want the baby," she said finally, her voice small. "I was doing it because... because I didn't think I could handle it. I didn't think I could handle us."
Her words confused me, but they also sent a sharp pain through my chest. Us? This wasn't just about the baby? I took a step back, trying to piece together what she was really saying.
"You don't think you can handle us?" I repeated slowly, not sure I understood.
She nodded, a tear slipping down her cheek. "Everything has been so... intense, Alexander. You, this relationship, everything. And now this baby? I just... I was terrified. I don't know if I'm strong enough for all of this."
Her voice cracked on the last word, and I saw a vulnerability in her that she'd never shown me before. I realised, with a jolt, that underneath the fierce woman I had fallen for was someone scared, someone just as confused and overwhelmed by all of this as I was.
But that didn't change what she had almost done.
"You should've told me," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I could have helped you. We could have figured this out together."
"I know that now," she said, her eyes pleading. "But at the time, I just felt like I was drowning. Like there was no way out."
I exhaled sharply, the anger slowly dissipating as her words sunk in. I still couldn't fully understand her reasoning, but I knew one thing for certain: I wasn't going to let her go through this alone.
"You're not alone in this," I said, taking her by the shoulders and making her look at me. "This is our child, Isabella. We are in this together, whether you're scared or not. And I am not going to let you make a decision like this without me."
She nodded, tears streaming freely down her face now. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."
I pulled her into my arms, holding her tightly as she sobbed against my chest. My heart ached for her, for the fear and confusion she must have been feeling all this time. I kissed the top of her head, feeling her tremble in my embrace.
"We're going to figure this out," I murmured into her hair. "I love you. And I already love our child."
She pulled back slightly, looking up at me through tear-filled eyes. "You... Do you really love me? Even after all of this?"
I cupped her face in my hands, wiping away her tears with my thumb. "Of course I do. I loved you before I knew about the baby, and I'll keep loving you after. But this child... it's a part of us. A part of our future. And I want that future with you."
Her eyes softened, and for the first time since this conversation started, I saw hope flicker in her gaze.
"I want that too," she whispered, her voice full of emotion.
I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what I was about to say next. It was something I hadn't planned, but in this moment, it felt right. It felt like the only thing that made sense.
"Then let's get married," I said, my voice steady.
Her eyes widened, shock freezing her in place. "What?"
"Let's get married," I repeated, my heart pounding in my chest. "I want you, Isabella. I want you to be my wife. I want us to be a family. You, me, and our child."
For a moment, she just stared at me, her mouth opening and closing as if she couldn't quite process what I had just said. Then, slowly, a smile spread across her face—a real, genuine smile that made my heart skip a beat.
"Are you serious?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I've never been more serious about anything in my life," I said, pulling her close again.
And in that moment, as she buried her face in my chest, I knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, we would face them together.