Chapter 68 - sixty eight
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Malachi’s POV
During dinner, I watched her smile. Really smile. The kind that reached her eyes and made them light up. She was talking about something Sophie had said at school, her hands moving as she spoke, completely unguarded.
This was the Alicia I wanted to see every day. Not the careful, controlled woman who wore masks for the Blackwood family. Not the tired, resigned woman who dealt with Travis’s abuse. But this one. The real one underneath all the armor.
I was happy that Alicia was happy. It was such a simple thing, but it felt monumental. Like I’d accomplished something that actually mattered instead of the endless business dealings and power plays that filled my days.
Then Jennifer arrived and ruined everything.
I noticed the change immediately. The way Alicia’s smile fell. The way her shoulders tensed. The way her eyes went from bright to guarded in the span of a heartbeat.
She put on a performance for Jennifer. Smiled and agreed to things I could tell she didn’t want to do. Played the part of the successful, happy woman. But I saw through it. Saw the girl underneath who was terrified.
When Jennifer finally left, the light had gone out of Alicia’s eyes completely. She stared at her barely touched pasta like it had personally offended her.
I offered to go with her to the reunion. Thought maybe she was sad because she couldn’t take Travis for obvious reasons. The man was a drunk who could barely function. Taking him anywhere public was a liability.
"I’ll go with you," I said, studying her every expression.
She looked at me, eyes widened. "What?"