Chapter 8 Her Secret Admirer

Alex Blackwood's POV:

I stared at the slowly closing door of the private dining room, Serena's silhouette still burning in my retinas. Each of her parting words had cut like a precise blade into my heart. The rage building inside me was unlike anything I'd felt before. I had to go after her, make her understand—

"Enough, Alex." Andrew suddenly blocked my path, his voice infuriatingly calm. "Let her go."

"Get out of my way!" The words came out as a growl.

Leo quickly stepped between us. "Come on, Alex, sit down. Have a drink. We can talk about this—"

"Talk?" I let out a harsh laugh. "There's nothing to talk about. Move, Andrew."

"No." Andrew's voice hardened. "You've done enough damage. Let her have some space."

"Since when did you become her protector?" I spat, my fists clenching at my sides. "What gives you the right?"

Simon approached cautiously. "Alex, he's just trying to help. We all are. You're not thinking clearly—"

"Oh, I'm thinking very clearly." My eyes never left Andrew's face. "My so-called best friend has been waiting for this moment, haven't you? Playing the concerned friend while plotting behind my back."

Andrew's expression shifted, something dark and unfamiliar crossing his features. "You want to know the truth, Alex? Fine." He loosened his tie with deliberate slowness. "I've loved her. Longer than you, and deeper than you ever could."

The admission hit me like a physical blow. Silence fell over the room, heavy and suffocating.

"What did you just say?" My voice came out barely above a whisper.

"You heard me." Andrew's voice grew softer, filled with an emotion I'd never heard from him before. "Since that first day at Yale Law when she walked into Professor Steven's class. I loved her then. I loved her while I watched her fall in love with you. I loved her through your engagement, your wedding—"

"Shut up!" I lunged forward, shoving past Leo's restraining arm. My fist connected with Andrew's jaw, sending him staggering back into the ornate dining table. The bottle of Bordeaux I'd specially ordered toppled, dark liquid spreading across the pristine white carpet like blood.

"Alex, stop!" Leo grabbed my arm. "This isn't going to solve anything!"

But Andrew was already back on his feet, wiping blood from his split lip. "No, let him come. He needs this." His eyes locked with mine. "Don't you, Alex? Need to prove you're still in control?"

Simon tried to step between us. "Both of you, calm down. Think about what you're doing—"

I shoved Simon aside and charged at Andrew. We crashed into the wall, sending a crystal vase shattering to the floor. My fist found his ribs, but he countered with a sharp jab to my solar plexus that left me gasping.

"I watched you destroy her!" Andrew growled, blocking another of my wild swings. "Year after year, treating her like a trophy, taking her for granted—"

"You don't know anything about our marriage!" I roared, tackling him onto the dining table. Fine china crashed to the floor as we grappled.

Leo and Simon rushed forward, trying to pull us apart. "For God's sake, stop this!" He shouted. "You're acting like animals!"

Andrew shot back, even as Simon tried to restrain him. "Do you need me to tell you about what you were doing on your wedding anniversary while Serena waited alone at that restaurant!"

The words froze me in place. I couldn't refute what he said because it was all true. But he was just an outsider. What right did he have to judge my marriage?

"You son of a bitch!" I broke free from Leo's grip, my hands finding Andrew's throat. "How dare you covet my woman!"

"Someone had to protect her," Andrew choked out, face reddening but eyes blazing with years of repressed anger. "And also, I investigated Emma. I knew Serena was innocent—"

"Shut the fuck up!" I squeezed harder, deaf to Leo and Simon's shouts. The world had narrowed to this moment, to silencing the truth I couldn't bear to hear.

"Alex, let him go!" Leo's voice seemed to come from far away. "You're going to kill him!"

"Do it," Andrew wheezed, still defiant even as he struggled for air. "Show everyone who you really are."

Simon was pulling at my arms. "This isn't you, Alex! Think about what you're doing!"

"The great Alex Blackwood," Andrew managed to gasp out. "So perfect on the outside, so rotten inside—"

Through the red haze of rage, I barely registered Leo grabbing a crystal wine glass. There was a flash of movement, a burst of pain, then darkness.

The restaurant manager burst in with security, but it was already over. My last conscious thought was of Serena's face – not from tonight, but from our wedding day, looking at me with such trust and love. Trust I'd betrayed. Love I'd destroyed.

---

The harsh fluorescent lights of the hospital greeted me when I opened my eyes. My head throbbed in time with my pulse, Andrew's words echoing relentlessly in my mind.

A nurse came in to check my vitals, her movements efficient and impersonal. "Mr. Blackwood, how are you feeling?"

I didn't answer. What could I say? That I'd lost everything? That my best friend had been in love with my wife for eight years? That every mistake, every betrayal, every wound in my marriage had been entirely my own doing?

Leo appeared in the doorway, his expression a mix of concern and disappointment. "The restaurant won't press charges. Andrew's handling the damages." He paused. "He's okay, by the way. Not that you asked."

I closed my eyes, seeing again the way Serena had walked out. There had been no hesitation in her stride, no backward glance. She'd meant what she said – we were over long before this moment.

"Get some rest," Leo said quietly, turning to leave. "When you're ready to talk, call me."

But what was left to say? I had no one to blame but myself.