Chapter 160: BABIES

Alex's POV

My hands trembled, but not from fear-never from fear. It was the rage, the years of betrayal, the weight of everything this man had done to me, to my mother, to Scarlet.

I had given him a chance. I had dropped the dagger. I had walked away.

And yet, he still smirked at me like he had won. Like I was still that boy who would blindly follow his every command. Not anymore.

"Cover her eyes," I ordered, my voice low, controlled, but filled with an edge that left no room for argument.

My uncle hesitated.

"Now," I growled, not taking my eyes off the man in front of me.

He sighed but stepped forward, pulling Scarlet into his arms and pressing a hand over her eyes. She struggled, but he held firm.

"Alex!" she shouted, twisting against him. "Don't do this!"

I ignored her.

"You're really going to kill your own father?" he sneered, taking a slow step forward. "Over a woman? Over some weakling of a mother who couldn't even save herself?"

My vision turned red.

I saw my mother's face in my mind-the warmth of her smile, the sadness in her eyes when she thought I wasn't looking, the way she shielded me even in death.

I clenched my fists.

"You used me," I said, my voice dangerously calm. "You made me believe you. You made me ruin innocent lives. You made me hate her."

His smirk widened.

"And you did a damn good job at it, didn't you?"

Something in me snapped.

I moved before he could react, my fist slamming into his ribs. He coughed, staggering back, but I didn't stop. I grabbed him by the collar, yanking him forward before driving my knee into his stomach.

He gasped, doubling over, but I didn't let him fall. Not yet.

"You killed my mother," I hissed, gripping his throat. "You turned me into a monster. You made me hurt the only person I ever loved."

His hands clawed at mine, but I only tightened my grip.

For once, he wasn't the one in control, and wasn't the one pulling the strings.

His men tried to interfere, but my uncle's warriors were faster. The sound of clashing, of bodies hitting the ground, barely registered in my mind.

All I saw was him.

The man who had stolen my life before I even had a chance to live it.

"You want me to be your son?" I whispered, leaning closer. "Fine. Let me show you what your son can do."

I released him just to send a brutal punch across his face. His head snapped to the side, blood splattering from his mouth. He staggered, barely standing, but I wasn't done.

I kicked his leg out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground. He groaned, trying to push himself up, but I pressed my boot against his chest, pinning him down.

He looked up at me, blood trickling from his nose, and for the first time in my life, I saw something other than arrogance in his eyes.

Fear.

He knew I wasn't stopping this time.

"Alex, stop!" Scarlet's voice broke through the haze of my rage.

I barely turned my head. She had managed to break free from my uncle's grip, her eyes wild with panic as she ran toward me.

Her hands grabbed my arm, her touch grounding me in a way nothing else could.

"Please," she begged, her voice cracking. "Don't do this. You're not him."

My breath was heavy, uneven.

I looked at her, at the tears in her eyes, at the silent plea written all over her face. And then I looked at him. At the man who had taken everything from me. He wasn't worth it. He was already defeated.

I removed my foot from his chest, stepping back. But that didn't mean he was walking away.

"You don't deserve to die quickly," I spat, my voice cold. "You deserve to live knowing you've lost. Knowing the son you tried to control destroyed you instead."

His eyes darkened, his lips curling into a snarl.

"You think this is over?" he growled. "You think you've won?"

I kneeled beside him, gripping his arm before twisting it at an unnatural angle. The sickening crack echoed through the room. He screamed. I didn't flinch.

"You'll never hurt anyone again," I said, watching as he writhed in pain. "You'll rot in the prison you built for yourself."

My uncle stepped forward, his expression unreadable. "I'll make sure of that," he said. I stood outside the prison gates, watching as they dragged my father inside. His body was broken, his pride shattered, but his eyes still burned with defiance.

Good.

Let him rot in that cell, stripped of his power, his influence-everything he ever used to manipulate and destroy.

"You think this will change anything?" he spat, struggling against the guards. "You'll always be my son, Alex! You'll never escape what I made you!"

I didn't flinch. I didn't react.

I just stared at him, letting the silence stretch until it suffocated whatever arrogance he had left.

"I already did," I said finally.

His face twisted in rage, but I turned my back on him. I didn't need to hear anything else. I had wasted too many years chasing his approval, too many years following his orders.

I walked out of the prison, inhaling the crisp night air. For the first time in my life, I felt light. Like I could finally breathe.

My uncle was waiting for me by the car, arms crossed. His gaze flickered to me, searching, and for a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then he sighed. "It's over."

I nodded, running a hand through my hair. "Yeah."

"You did the right thing," he said. "Killing him would have been easy. Letting him live like this? That's true punishment."

I exhaled, the weight of it all pressing down on me. "I don't ever want to see him again."

"You won't have to." My uncle placed a firm hand on my shoulder. "He's finished, Alex. It's time to focus on the future now."

The future.

Scarlet.

The babies.

For so long, revenge had been my only goal. Now, I had something else-someone else-to live for.

"One more thing," my uncle said, pulling something from his pocket.

A small vial.

I stared at it, my heart hammering.

"The antidote," he said. "You can finally be free of the poison."

I hesitated for half a second before snatching it from him. I had lived with the slow death inside me for so long, I had almost accepted it. But now, knowing I could survive-knowing I could live for them-

I uncorked the vial and downed the liquid in one gulp.

A shiver ran down my spine, the warmth of the antidote spreading through me.

It was done.

"Thank you," I murmured, meeting my uncle's gaze.

He nodded. "Go to her. She needs you."

I didn't need to be told twice.

I rushed to the hospital, my heart pounding the entire drive. The moment I pushed open the door to Scarlet's room, my breath caught.

She was lying in bed, her skin pale, her hair spread across the pillow. But she was awake.

Her hand rested on her stomach, protective, careful.

Relief flooded through me so hard I had to grip the doorframe to steady myself. She was safe. The babies were safe.

"You're late," she muttered, her voice tired but teasing.

I exhaled a soft chuckle, stepping closer. "Didn't know I was on a schedule."

Her lips curled slightly, but her gaze flickered to my face, studying me. "You're okay?"

I sat on the edge of the bed, brushing my fingers over hers. "I got the antidote."

Something shifted in her expression. I saw the relief, the unspoken fear that had been haunting her.

"You're really okay?" she whispered.

I nodded. "And so are you. And the babies."

She swallowed, glancing down at her stomach. "I was scared."

"So was I."

I reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She stiffened slightly but didn't pull away.

I had made her suffer. I had given her so many reasons to hate me.

But I wouldn't let her suffer anymore.

"I promise you, Scarlet," I said softly, "I will never let anything happen to you again."

She stared at me, her expression unreadable, before sighing.

"You have a lot to make up for, Alex."

I nodded. "I know."

And I would spend the rest of my life proving it.