Chapter 94

The heavy, grinding clang of the Blackmoon’s massive iron gate—almost like a fortress entrance—rings in my ears as it slowly swings open. The sound echoes through the quiet night, sharp and metallic, until I finally pull the car to a stop in front of the mansion.
Before I can even step out of the car, Vi bursts through the mansion doors, her voice carrying across the distance. “Oh my Goddess, Allie! I couldn’t believe it when Jacob told me you were at the gate. But he doesn’t need my permission to let you in, you’re always welcome here—”  
Her words cut off abruptly as I limp out of the car, and she lets out a string of curses under her breath. Az is already out, his backpack slung over one shoulder and mine in his hand. He moves quickly to my side, slipping an arm around my injured ribs. I wince at the pressure, he loosens his grip but doesn’t let me go.  
“What the hell happened?” Vi demands, her eyes wide as she takes in the sight of me. She rushes over, positioning herself on my other side, and slams the driver’s door shut behind us.
I flinch at her tone as my face turns red with shame. “Uh, thanks, Vi. Thanks for letting us in.”
Vi’s brown eyes sweep over my face, lingering on the bruises and cuts before settling on mine with a look of pity. She gives a short, solemn nod and helps me shuffle into the mansion. The first living room is where we find Ethan, and the moment he sees me, his face twists in horror.  
“What happened?” he shouts, his voice cracking as he rushes toward me.  
I instinctively flinch and step back, memories of Logan’s attack flooding my mind. Before I can even lower myself onto the massive sofa, Az is already growling, his frame positioning himself protectively in front of me like an angry guard dog.  
“Ian!” Vi snaps, her voice sharp as she scolds him to back off, still supporting my weight as I struggle to stand.  
I can’t bring myself to meet Ethan’s dark eyes. Shame and a flicker of fear keep my gaze glued to the floor.  
“What happened to you, Little Dove?” Ethan’s voice is barely above a whisper now, trembling with distress. I feel his gaze roam over my body as if he is assessing each wound.
“Like you care!” Az snarls, his voice dripping with rage.  
“Az, please, stop,” I murmur softly, reaching out with my uninjured hand to rest it on his shoulder.  
“We left here because of him!” Az shouts, his body trembling with anger as he glares up at Ethan. “You suffered, Mom! You cried because of him for weeks! He didn’t even come to see *us*, I mean, you. Not once! He just made everything worse when we were finally a family again! Maybe if we hadn’t—”  
“Az, please, stop!” My voice comes out hoarse and strained because of my probably injured vocal cords. Logan squeezed my neck too hard. “Ethan isn’t to blame for any of this. Please, don’t say that.”   
Az falls silent, but his jaw stays clenched, his eyes still burning up with fury. He tosses my backpack onto the sofa next to me and stays planted firmly between Ethan and me, his frame radiating defiance.
“Allie, why don’t you sit down?” Vi asks from beside me. “You will feel better.”
With her help, I sit up on the beige sofa, trying hard not to writhe in pain. I glance over at Ethan, and he looks like he’s been shot in the chest. It was quick, but I could see how pale he was. 
“Thanks, Vi,” I say just before I hear someone running towards us. 
“Aaaaz!” Lily shouts happily from the hallway until she reaches my son; when they meet, they hug so tightly that they both fall to the floor. 
They are so happy with each other that they roll on the floor, Lily and Az cheering with happiness, talking about how much they’ve missed each other. I try to smile, but it hurts to move the muscles of my face. 
“You’re finally here!” Lily says happily without looking my way. “Thank you, Aunt Allie, thank you, thank you, thank you!” They roll on the floor again. 
“Alicent!” I hear Ethan’s mom say, and I wince. Are they going to ask me to leave? 
Oh God, where am I going to go with my son?
I don’t meet her gaze. I keep looking at the beautiful rug. When she gets closer, I spot Ethan’s father’s shoes next to her, not so distant from me.
For a moment, everyone is silent except for a growl or two here and there. “Lily, why don’t you take Az to see Theo? Maggie will stay with you for now while we talk,” Ethan’s father says. His words are phrased as a question, but his tone is firm and authoritative, leaving no doubt that he expects to be obeyed.
Az stands up abruptly, letting go of Lily. “I’m not going anywhere!” He hurries over to me again.
I look at him with a smile that hurts too much to force. “It’s okay, buddy. You can go.”
“I’ll take care of her, Az,” Vi says from beside me, her voice sounding like she wants to cry as she strokes my head.
“Nothing will happen to her. Ever again.” Ethan’s voice echoes throughout the various living rooms, leaving no room for objection.
With Ethan’s command, Az obeys and leaves with Lily hand in hand. “Mom, call me if you need anything... Please,” he says before disappearing from sight only after a nod from me.
Emma settles beside me, her touch featherlight as she rests a hand over mine. My fingers twitch, but I don’t pull away just yet. When I glance up, she’s holding a glass of water in her other hand. She presses it gently into my palm.
“Here, dear. Drink some water.”
I stare at the delicate patterns etched into the glass, my throat tightening. Emma smiles, encouraging, but my hands tremble as I lift it. The first sip burns and pain sears through my face. I wince, lowering it in defeat.
“Uh, thanks,” I mumble, my gaze darting anywhere but her face.
Emma’s voice is cautious, careful. “Alicent… what happened?”
My stomach knots. Three pairs of eyes bore into me, waiting, weighing. 
My skin prickles under the weight of their concern. My voice comes out small, tight. “Can I stay with Az for a few days?” I ask instead of answering her.
The words taste like shame. The last time I spoke to Ethan and Vi’s parents, they made it painfully clear I wasn’t welcome here. The memory scalds.
Emma’s fingers gently squeeze mine, warm and grounding, but I snatch my hand back like I’ve been burned.
“I’m sorry, Alicent.” Her hands retreat, hurt flickering in her eyes when I dare to look at them. Vi wordlessly takes the glass from my grip, setting it aside.
“That’s okay,” I whisper, though it’s not. 
None of this is okay. 
I was already sensing that that would be her answer.
Emma takes a steadying breath. “Before you tell us what happened,” she begins to say with an authoritative tone, “I need to say again. I’m sorry. For everything that I said last time. I was wrong. I was cruel. And I regret it more than I can say. Please, Alicent. Forgive me.”
My head snaps up.
She looks at me with guilt in her eyes, like she means it. Like she’s hurting, too. Her white dress—elegant, embroidered with soft yellow details—fits her like it was exclusively made for her, which I wouldn’t be very surprised if it really was. A delicate gold necklace glints in the light as she leans forward, reaching for my hand once more.
Facing me, Ethan’s father kneels in front of me, his gaze searching mine. “I’d like to apologize, too, sweetheart. We were wrong. The way we treated you was cruel. If you have any room in your heart to forgive us, we will be forever very grateful. Please, let’s start over.”
My breath stutters in my chest.
I glance at Vi, desperate for some kind of anchor. A tear glides down her cheek, and her red lips curved into a small, hopeful smile. My heart hammers. I turn back to Emma and Arthur, their eyes pleading, waiting.
“I… I don’t know what to say.”
“Say we can start over,” Emma murmurs, her voice thick with emotion. “Please.”
My throat tightens as my eyes linger on my lap. “You made it clear I was only here because of Az,” I rasp. “You didn’t want me here. Every time you saw me with Ethan...”
“That will never happen again,” Arthur cuts in, his tone steady, gently lifting my face to look at him. “We promise you that, Alicent.”
My eyes fill with tears, and my vision blurs. “You… you promise?”
They exchange a glance, their hands clasping between them as if sealing an unspoken vow. Then Arthur nods. “Yes, Allie. We promise. From now on, we will treat you as a family. As you should’ve always been treated.”
I don’t know if I’m more surprised that he calls me Allie or that he tells me he will treat me like family.
My breath catches. “But… why?” I ask, confused. “Is it because I am like this?”
“No, Allie.” Arthur shakes his head. “We made a mistake, and we’re extremely sorry. We thought we were doing the right thing for both of you, you and our son. But we didn’t know... Anyway, now that you’re here again, please, let’s start over.” He exhales, grounding himself. “You are not just welcome here in Blackmoon, you must live here. Let this be your permanent home.”
Tears well up in my eyes. I risk looking at Ethan’s shoes, but I don’t look up. “Are you sure?” I choke out.
“Yes, Allie,” Emma assures me, her voice as gentle as her touch.
“You don’t have to treat me like—like family. I really don’t understand why you would do that—”
“We insist,” Arthur says with authority, a little more serious than before. His smile softens the edge, though. “No arguments.”
Arthur stands up, smoothing his suit before settling beside his wife. 
“Allie…” Vi, who’s been silent all this time sitting down on my other side, finally speaks. “What happened? Why are you like... this?”
I don’t need a mirror to know how bad I look. My eye is surely turning purple, a cut splitting the skin high on my cheekbone where Logan struck me. She can’t see my bruised ribs that are screaming with every shallow breath or the burn in my left knee, but she must have noticed it when I dragged myself here with her help.
Not to mention the back and side of my head that are throbbing from where Logan threw me against the kitchen cabinets. 
My left arm is limp in my lap, and I don’t even know how I managed to get here with only one arm and one leg. I must’ve been running on adrenaline just to make it here because now that my heartbeat is slowing down, I realize the danger I put my son in as I drove us here.
Emma sits up straighter, her posture stiffening as she extends an arm toward Ethan, palm open, but she still faces me, like a silent but clear signal for him to back off. “Allie, you can’t talk to us. What happened?” 
I can’t even lie. My face is red and blotchy, and my eyes are swollen. One of my cheeks is swollen as well. 
Shame. 
I feel just shame for them seeing me like this.
I try to smile at her, but by the sadness in her eyes, I can tell she knows it’s completely forced. 
“I’m fi—” I clear my throat and wince. “fine,” I say, sniffing.
Emma looks back at her husband, and then they both stare at me with concerned expressions. 
“Something happened, Allie. Your face. Did you get hit?” Vi asks by my side.
I turn to her. “I’m okay.” 
“I’ve had enough!” I hear Ethan’s deep voice say furiously as he takes an angry step forward towards me. “*Who did this to you*?”
I flinch and hug myself with my good arm. His parents and his sister stay silent.
“Was it the people who are after you?”
I tighten my grip on myself and slightly shake my head, my eyes fixed on the floor, tracing the patterns of the rug to avoid meeting his gaze.
Ethan takes another angry step closer to me.
“Who. Did. This. To. You?” Ethan demands, his voice sharper and more impatient than I ever imagined it could be. “Was it your—” I hear him draw in a sharp, forced breath before he continues speaking. “Was it your ex-husband who did this to you?” 
My silence speaks for itself because I can’t bring myself to lie to Ethan. My throat tightens. The weight of his gaze presses down on me, waiting. I don’t need to say a word. He already knows. Yet, I try to assure him, “I’m fine, Ethan. It’s just... Logan hurt me too much this time.”
“*This* time?”