CHAPTER 48: LEAVE ME ALONE!

After Alpha Maxwell finished his shower and was dressed up, he was getting ready to go downstairs. He grabbed his black leather jacket and left the room.

He descended the staircase and stepped into the living room. The door opened and his sister Becca arrived with Deborah, who was holding a baby in her arms.

The moment Deborah saw Alpha Maxwell, happiness radiated on her face. She rushed to his side, tears of elation streaming down her face.

Becca quickly took her nephew into her arms to give the couple privacy.

Deborah shrieked in delight, hugging Alpha Maxwell tightly. "Hubby! You are alive! Thanks to the moon goddess, she protected you! I know you will come back to me one day!"

Alpha Maxwell groaned inwardly. He was supposed to leave the house and go to Naomi’s house but with Deborah’s sudden arrival it looks like he can no longer leave.

"How are you? Where have you been hubby?" Deborah asked, puzzled why he was not replying to her. She sought his eyes. She noticed that he was not happy to see her again.

"I’m fine," he said, avoiding her gaze. "Is he our son? Can I hold him?" he asked, glancing at the baby his sister was holding in her arms.

The happiness on Deborah’s face evaporated into thin air because of his cold reception of her. He was never like this before. Now she could feel something about him had changed. His coldness was like a thick wall separating them.

Deborah took her son from Becca and put him in Alpha Maxwell’s arms. "Meet your son, baby Zed. He looks a lot like you. Your mini-me," she proudly said, her eyes glistened with tears.

Alpha Maxwell’s eyes brightened up the moment he looked into his son’s eyes. There was no doubt the baby was his because his heart and soul acknowledged him.

"A week after your disappearance, I felt ill and dizzy. I was suffering from extreme stress when you suddenly disappeared without a trace. I went to the hospital for a check-up thinking I had a serious illness. But the doctor told me good news: I’m pregnant with our son. Our little guy was my strength after you left. He is the reason I survived emptiness and loneliness of losing you. You have no idea how sad and devastated I am. I thought you had already died," she said, bursting into tears as huge relief washed over her.

"Stop worrying about me. Stop crying for me. I’m back now safe and sound," Alpha Maxwell said, holding his son close to his heart.

Baby Zed’s tiny hands reached for his father’s chin, touching his beard while making adorable baby sounds.

Alpha Maxwell grinned. "Hello my son, I’m your father. We finally met. I’m so glad and happy to meet you and hold you in my arms," he said lovingly, kissing his son’s chubby cheeks.

Deborah wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at him sadly. Her presence means nothing to him. He looked like he was not happy to see her again. He has never missed her at all. His coldness cut her heart like a knife.

She lets him bond with their son uninterrupted. Later, she will ask him why his treatment of her was cold as ice. She wants to confront him now, but it won’t be the right time for that. She just bit her lower lip, controlling her rising temper.

She continued watching father and son bond together without her.

Baby Zed’s cute smile melts Alpha Maxwell’s heart completely. He can’t get enough of his son’s cuteness. He suddenly misses his other son, baby Jacob.

"I will bring him to my room," he told Deborah.

Deborah responded, "I will come with you."

"OK." He nodded his head, giving her permission to follow him to his room. He could no longer wait to tell her the truth. It’s now or never.

The couple went to the second floor.

Tensed silence enveloped them.

After they reach Alpha Maxwell’s bedroom, baby Zed starts crying.

"Give him to me, I’ll breastfeed him," Deborah said, lowering herself onto the bed.

Alpha Maxwell went to the window and looked outside while Deborah breastfed their son.

Deborah gazed at his back, puzzled by his aloof attitude towards her. Her anxiety shot through the roof.

His prolonged silence squeezed her heart painfully. He didn’t hug her or kiss her. She missed his warmth and affection.

C-could it be that he already had someone new in his heart? The signs are obvious.

After half an hour, baby Zed fell asleep in Deborah’s arms. She gently put his sleeping form in the center of the bed and arranged the pillows around him to keep him safe. Done, she went to the window and wrapped her arms around Alpha Maxwell’s waist lovingly, resting her head on his back.

She felt him tensed under her tender hug. "Hubby, you didn’t miss me? Why do I feel like you have changed a lot? You are no longer the same person I used to know. You’re like a stranger to me now. What happened to you during your disappearance? Can you please tell me about it? I want to know everything."

"You are right. I’m no longer the same person you used to know," he replied softly, still gazing at the sky.

Deborah winced in pain, so she was right. This person who came back is a stranger.

He turned around and directed her to the chair. "Let’s have a serious talk. There are so many things I want to tell you..."

Deborah lowered herself into a chair, fighting back tears. She took a deep breath and met his gaze. "I’m ready to hear the story behind your disappearance. Please tell me everything," she calmly said, bracing for the storm to come.

Alpha Maxwell took a deep breath and said, "I was kidnapped."

Mouth wide open, she stared at him in shock and disbelief. "Whaat? Are you kidding me?"

"Yeah, that’s true. I’m a kidnap victim," he admitted, wearing a serious expression on his face.

"But I’m glad you are back with us now, safe and sound. That’s all that really matters to me and your family," Deborah stated in relief.

"That’s not all, Deb," he said.

Deborah’s eyes widened. "The last time you called me by my name, we weren’t in a relationship yet. W-what is the meaning of this?" she asked, her mouth quivering nervously. She refused to address the elephant in the room. Did he find another woman to love?

Alpha Maxwell breathes deeply. He doesn’t want to prolong this unpleasant situation any further so it’s better to tell her the truth. "While I’m in captivity, I live in a windowless room with another kidnap victim, a woman. The kidnappers ordered us to fall in love with each other, procreate and produce a baby. To make the story short, we fell in love with each other. I got her pregnant and we had a baby together during our captivity."

Deborah gasped as shock and pain overwhelmed her senses. The betrayal hurt so deep she felt like her heart was being shredded into a million pieces. "Noooo! Please tell me this is not true! Take it back!"

Alpha Maxwell sighed heavily.

"Take it back! I don’t believe you! Please tell me you are lying!" Deborah screamed in anguish, devastated by his betrayal. Tears flooded her face.

"I’m so sorry, Deb, for hurting you," Alpha Maxwell sincerely apologized. "We can’t be together anymore. Our wedding plans are over. I want to marry that woman and make things right for her," he said softly.

Enraged, she raised her tear-stricken face and glared at him. "But what about me? We also had a son together. I came into your life first before that woman came. Our families both agreed to the wedding. We will resume our wedding preparations whether you like it or not. I will be your one and only wife!" she insisted vehemently. Her anger was like lava exploding into his face.

"What? Are you crazy? Do you still want to be my wife even if you know that I don’t love you anymore? You still want to enter into a loveless marriage with me?" he asked, annoyed.

"Yes! I will fight for my son’s rights. I must insist you marry me so that your son will grow up in a complete and loving family. You have betrayed me. It’s your fault. I am still loyal to you even if there is no guarantee that you will come back alive. But now that you are back, I can’t lose you anymore. I must do everything in my power to keep you mine forever. Do you understand?" she said, her eyes blazing with fury. She’s never been so angry in her life until now.

Alpha Maxwell groaned in dismay. "Say what you want to say, but I’m really sorry. I can’t marry you anymore. My feelings for you are gone. I can’t force myself to love you again. I don’t want to deceive you, which is why I will give you back your freedom. Please take it back and find another man who deserves your heart. You may go home now, but please leave our son behind. I will raise him alone," he said calmly.

"No! I won’t leave. From now on your son and I will stay here in your bedroom so we can be together, the three of us. Get used to our presence here in your room starting today!" Deborah declared fiercely.

"Get out of my room, Deb!" he ordered. His voice thundered around the room, waking up his son.

Startled by the noise, Baby Zed began crying. Deborah picked up her son and cradled him in her arms, tears falling down her face.

"I will not leave your room and I will never leave this house! Your son and I belong here!" Deborah fired back at him. "You have to kill me and our son first before you can kick me out of your room! We are family, we should stay together!" she insisted, knowing that if she left his room, he might find a way to escape and go to his mistress, and she might never see him again. No! She won’t allow such things to happen. Over her dead body!

Alpha Maxwell groaned in annoyance, raking his hand through his hair in frustration.