Unwelcome Guests

Chapter Nine – Unwelcome Guests

Alina’s Pov

I had finally settled into the room Lucien had prepared for me. My body still ached, my head felt light, and every movement reminded me how fragile I really was. I sat on the edge of the soft bed, trying to collect my thoughts. The house was huge. Bigger than anything I had ever seen. It made me feel small. Invisible.

“Boss… I’ll soon be ready to resume work,” I whispered, my voice weak.

Lucien’s eyes softened for a moment, and he shook his head. “No. Right now, you focus on recovering, Alina. That’s your job. Everything else… we’ll talk later.”

I wanted to argue, to tell him I could handle it, that I wasn’t useless… but I knew he was right. My body was weak, and I couldn’t risk pushing myself.

He nodded to the maid, who had quietly placed a tray of food by the bed. Lucien got up. “I’ll bring this to the kitchen first. Eat slowly, okay?”

I nodded, and he left the room. For the first time in days, I thought I might finally have a moment of peace.

Then… the front door slammed.

My heart froze.

Footsteps echoed through the hall, firm and demanding. I instinctively shrank against the pillows, my body tense.

“Alina!” a harsh voice barked. My stomach dropped.

I knew that voice anywhere. It was him. My ex-husband.

“See! I said it. If you don’t meet them at the hospital, they will find you here!” the voice roared. “Uncle Lucien, what are you doing with my wife?”

I couldn’t breathe. My mouth went dry. My body shook. My weak legs felt like they would collapse beneath me.

Lucien returned instantly, his eyes narrowing. He stood between me and them without a word. His tall frame was steady, solid, unmovable.

“Wife?” he repeated, his voice low but cutting like a knife. “You never recognized her as your wife before. Why now?”

My ex’s face twisted with anger. “She is my wife! She doesn’t get to stay here without me knowing! How dare you keep her like this?”

I wanted to speak. I wanted to tell them I didn’t belong to him. But my voice failed me. I was too weak. I could only watch as Lucien’s gaze hardened.

The rest of the family stepped forward, murmuring, judging. “This isn’t right. He should not be sheltering her like this. She doesn’t belong here.”

Lucien’s chest rose and fell slowly. “She is my staff,” he said firmly. “And I have every right to protect her. No one, absolutely no one, can touch her while she is under my roof.”

I felt a lump rise in my throat. My heart thudded painfully in my chest. He was speaking for me, defending me, even as I could barely sit upright. The tears welled in my eyes, and I tried to blink them back.

“She must move out,” one of them said sharply.

Lucien’s voice rose, firm, unyielding. “This is my house. She stays here. That’s final. There is nothing you can do to change that.”

The family members muttered angrily among themselves, their eyes flicking between Lucien and me. My ex husband’s jaw was tight. He looked furious, humiliated.

Finally, after what felt like hours, they left, slamming the front door behind them. “We’ll come back for her,” my ex called over his shoulder, his voice venomous.

I sat there, shaking, tears streaming down my face. My body felt small, broken, and exposed. I wanted to hide, to disappear.

Lucien knelt beside the bed and gently placed a hand on my shoulder. “Alina,” he said softly, his voice like a warm shield around me, “don’t cry. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Not ever. Not him. Not anyone.”

I looked up at him, my voice barely a whisper. “I… I’m so scared.”

“I know,” he said. “It’s okay to be scared. That’s why I’m here. You don’t have to face this alone.”

He reached out, brushing a strand of wet hair from my face, his hand steady, comforting. I wanted to curl into him, to let someone hold me when I felt so fragile. My body was weak, my spirit trembling, but I trusted him. Somehow… I trusted him to keep me safe.

“I… thank you,” I said finally, my voice cracking. “For everything.”

Lucien’s eyes softened. “You don’t need to thank me. You just rest. That’s all you need to do right now.”

I leaned back on the pillows, exhausted and trembling, feeling the weight of the world pressing down on me. But for the first time, despite my fear, I felt a strange comfort in knowing I wasn’t alone.

Not now. Not ever.