Chapter 21 Deranged Ex
The figure on the porch was no longer a mysterious shadow. It was Joseph.
Sarah's ex-husband looked like a man who had been unraveling for days. He was a mess.
"It’s him," Sarah whispered. Her voice was thin, barely audible over the sound of her own blood rushing in her ears.
"Joseph. What is he doing here at this hour? He could have called to meet me anywhere during the day.”
Beside her, Alex’s entire demeanor shifted. The softness from the bath evaporated, replaced by a rigid, predatory stillness. His jaw set so hard that a muscle ticked in his cheek. He reached out and took the phone from her, his eyes scanning the image with cold focus.
"He looks like he’s lost his mind," Alex said. His voice was no longer the warm murmur of a lover; it was the low growl of a man ready for a fight. He handed the phone back to her and gripped her shoulders.
"Stay here. Don't come out of this room. I’ll go down and handle him."
"No," Sarah said, her heart leaping into her throat. She grabbed his arm, her fingers digging into his skin.
"Alex, look at yourself. You’re shirtless, you’re in my bedroom, and you’re angry. If you go down there, you’ll give him exactly what he wants. You’ll hurt him, and then he’ll have a police report to add to his legal threats."
"I don't care about legal threats, Sarah," Alex snapped. He moved toward the door, his movements fluid and dangerous.
"I care about him standing on your porch at midnight, bothering you. He needs to learn that he doesn't own this house anymore. He doesn't own you."
"I'm coming with you," Sarah insisted, quickly grabbing a silk robe and tying it tight around her waist. Her hands were shaking so much she had to double-knot the belt.
"I won't let you face him alone. If things go bad, I need to be there to stop it. He’s my past, Alex. I have to be the one to close the door on him."
Alex looked at her, his eyes burning with a mix of frustration and protective fury. He saw the resolve in her face and realized he couldn't stop her without physically restraining her. He nodded curtly.
"Fine. But stay behind me," he commanded.
They descended the stairs in a heavy, suffocating silence. As they reached the foyer, the pounding on the door started.
"Sarah! Open the door!" Joseph’s voice muffled through the glass, sounding strained and hysterical.
"I know you’re in there! I know what’s going on! I have proof, Sarah! Proof that you’re unfit! Proof that will take everything from you in the corporate world!"
Sarah reached for the handle, but Alex’s hand caught hers. He shook his head, his eyes warning her. But the pounding only grew louder. Joseph began to kick the bottom of the door.
"Open it, Sarah!"
Sarah took a deep breath, looked at Alex, and turned the deadbolt. The click sounded like a gunshot in the hall. She pulled the door open just a few inches, but Joseph shoved against it, forcing his way into the entryway.
"What is wrong with you, Joseph?" Sarah cried out, stepping back.
"It’s almost midnight! You’re trespassing! Leave right now or I’m calling the authorities!"
Joseph didn't look at her. He didn't even seem to hear her. His eyes were fixed on the space behind her. He stood there, gasping for air, his face pale and sweaty. Slowly, his gaze moved from Sarah to the man standing like a wall at her shoulder.
Alex didn't move an inch. He stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, his bare chest glistening slightly in the foyer light, his arms folded across his ribs. He looked every bit the possessive, dominant force he was. He didn't say a word; he simply breathed, his presence filling the room with an undeniable threat.
Joseph’s face went through a terrifying transformation. First came shock, then a twisted, ugly sneer.
Finally, a sickening grin of realization spread across his lips. He let out a sharp, barking laugh that made Sarah’s skin crawl.
"I knew it," Joseph wheezed, pointing a shaking finger at Alex.
"I knew there was a reason Mark’s little friend was always lurking around. I knew you weren't just being a 'hospitable' mother."
"Joseph, leave," Sarah said, her voice trembling with rage.
"You’re making a fool of yourself. Alex is here helping me with... with a security issue."
"A security issue?" Joseph laughed again, the sound echoing off the high ceilings.
"Is that what we're calling it now? He’s shirtless in your foyer at midnight, Sarah. You think I’m stupid? You think the rest of the world is stupid?"
"You have five seconds to get off this porch," Alex said. His voice was terrifyingly calm, a low vibration that seemed to shake the floorboards.
"Before I help you find the stairs. This is not your house and you have no business being here. Well unless you're trying to get picked up by the police.”
Joseph didn't flinch. If anything, he seemed emboldened by Alex’s anger. He reached into the inner pocket of his disheveled suit jacket.
"You think you’re so smart, don't you? Both of you," Joseph said, his voice dropping to a hiss. He looked at Sarah with pure, unadulterated spite.
"You thought you could hide this. You thought you could have your little 'unrepressed' fun while I sat in the dirt."
"What are you talking about?" Sarah asked, a cold knot of dread tightening in her stomach.
"I came here to confirm what I already knew," Joseph said. He pulled a glossy, 8x10 photograph from his pocket. He didn't hand it to her; he held it up between them, right in the light of the chandelier.
"I didn't come here to argue, Sarah. I came here to show you your future. Or rather, the end of it."
Sarah’s breath caught. She stepped closer, her eyes widening as she processed the image.
The photo was incredibly clear, taken with a high-powered lens. It showed the side of her house under the pale glow of the moon. In the frame, a man was halfway through her second-story bedroom window. His face was turned slightly toward the camera, It was undeniably Alex.
The timestamp at the bottom of the photo was from nights ago—the night he had first truly claimed her.
"This is from fifteen nights ago," Joseph whispered, his voice full of a dark, triumphant joy.
"A young man climbing into the bedroom of a 'responsible' CEO. A boy, entering the room of his best friend’s mother. How do you think Mark will feel when he sees this, Sarah? How do you think the board at Veridian Garden will feel about their soon-to-be partner being a predator of the youth?"
Alex stepped forward, his hand reaching for the photo, but Joseph snatched it back, stepping out onto the porch just far enough to be out of reach.
"Don't," Joseph warned, his eyes dancing with malice.
"I have dozens more. Backups, digital copies. You wanted a war, Sarah? You thought you'd just kick me away? Well, I’ve just brought the nuclear option."
"Mark..." Sarah whispered, the name a broken plea.
"Oh, yes," Joseph sneered, his grin widening.
"Let’s talk about Mark."
“Get out of this property now, Joseph,” Alex commanded. His voice was cold and he didn't look like he would repeat the command.