Fallen 39 Summary
Alaric confronts his brother Nolan with a deadly serious warning to stop provoking him, revealing the tense and volatile nature of their relationship. Meadow, caught in the middle, grows frustrated and upset, especially since Alaric had been absent the previous night despite inviting her over. When Alaric coldly orders Meadow to leave during the confrontation, she storms out, limping and angry, accusing him of hypocrisy for imprisoning her only family member and making it his problem.
Alaric, despite his anger and desire to keep Meadow away from his family conflicts, worries about her injury and tells her not to leave the compound. Meadow responds sarcastically, highlighting the strain in their relationship caused by the ongoing turmoil. After she leaves, Alaric violently shakes Nolan against the wall, warning him not to meddle or speak of “her,” a mysterious figure that clearly haunts Alaric.
Nolan taunts Alaric about his fears—particularly that Meadow might discover the truth about him—and points out that Alaric’s protective behavior stems from genuine care for her. Alaric denies Nolan’s accusations but is visibly affected by them. Checking the security cameras, Alaric watches Meadow in the garden, reaffirming his possessiveness and determination not to let her go.
The brothers’ conversation turns to past mistakes, with Nolan reminding Alaric of a ruined relationship and his own guilty conscience that has kept Alaric from forgiving or forgetting. Nolan warns that Meadow cannot be kept in the dark forever about their dangerous world, but Alaric insists she will only know what he deems necessary. Nolan then casually mentions informing their mother of an upcoming visit from Alaric and Meadow, something Alaric clearly wants to avoid but reluctantly accepts.
CHAPTER 0039
Alaric’s Point of View:
+15 BONUS
“Say one more word, and I swear to God, you’ll never breathe through your nose again,” I warned, my voice low but deadly serious.
Having my brother here was never a good sign. He had this annoying habit of talking too much, always managing to stir up trouble whether he meant to or not. And right now, that was the last thing I needed.
Nolan let out a grunt, clearly wincing from some pain I was certain he was feeling. “Hit a nerve, huh?” he muttered, his tone smug despite his discomfort.
Before I could respond, I sensed Meadow’s gaze drilling into my back. I could almost feel her frustration building. “Alaric—” she started, her voice hesitant.
“Leave us, Meadow,” I interrupted, my tone calm but firm, my eyes locked with Nolan’s mocking ones. No matter how much guilt Nolan carried about the past, he never failed to enjoy pushing my buttons.
“But I—”
“Now.” The single word left no room for argument.
The atmosphere thickened instantly. Meadow hadn’t said anything about it yet, but I could tell she was already upset that I hadn’t stayed in the room last night—especially since I was the one who invited her over in the first place.
And now, I was brushing her off so coldly.
But I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t let her be here for this confrontation. She’d already overheard more than enough, and I needed her gone before my brother said something she wasn’t meant to hear.
Or worse—something she wasn’t supposed to know.
I didn’t turn to check if she left. Instead, I stood there, waiting, listening.
A scoff broke the silence, sharp and bitter. The sound of a stool scraping loudly against the floor followed, then soft footsteps moving away.
“I’m going for a walk,” she snapped.
That stopped me cold. I released Nolan’s collar and turned just in time to see Meadow storm out of the kitchen, her steps uneven, a slight limp in her gait.
“Meadow,” I called after her, concern creeping into my voice. “Your leg—”
She whipped around, eyes blazing with anger, those beautiful hazel irises flashing fire as she glared at me. “Why don’t you worry about your family business, and I’ll handle mine? My leg, I mean. Not your family business—since you locked my only family member up in the loony bin and made it your problem.”
She was basically calling me a hypocrite.
I opened my mouth to say something, anything to ease the tension, but no words came. There was nothing I could say to fix this.
—
I knew she wanted to stay, but I couldn’t ask her to.
“Don’t leave the compound,” I said quietly, my jaw tightening with the effort to stay composed.
Meadow smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She made a mock bow, sarcasm dripping from her tone. “Whatever you say, master.”
I looked away, heart pounding in a way I hated. That should not have stirred anything in me—she was upset, for God’s sake. But I couldn’t help it. I wanted to hear her call me that again.
“Mead…” I started, then stopped abruptly when I realized she was no longer there.
She was gone.
The instant the front door clicked shut, I grabbed Nolan’s collar again, slamming him harder against the wall.
He didn’t even resist.
“Christ, you’re gonna give me a concussion, man,” he groaned.
“Just a concussion?” I growled. “I’m hoping you lose your memory along with it.”
He only smirked. “She seems pissed, Ric. You sure you don’t want to go after her? Or is this something she does often, and you just win her back with money?”
My eyes narrowed dangerously as I pressed my forearm against his throat.
“Don’t you dare talk about her,” I warned, voice low and threatening. “No speculating, no questions, and stay the hell out of my business. And whatever you do, don’t mention ‘her.’”
The last ‘her’ I referred to wasn’t Meadow. He knew exactly who I meant.
Nolan’s hands rose, not to fight but to show he couldn’t breathe. I loosened my grip just a bit.
“Wasn’t trying to start anything, Ric, I swear,” he gasped, though that damn smirk was back—the one I hated because it hid his guilt.
“You and I both know this isn’t about your wife,” he said, tilting his head against the wall. “You’re scared.”
My jaw twitched involuntarily.
“Scared that one day she’ll see you for who you really are,” Nolan whispered, voice dropping lower. “Or worse… scared she’ll feel it. That she’ll get close enough to figure out what happened to you.”
He scoffed. “That’s why you never told us, isn’t it? Because you care about Meadow, no matter where she came from.”
My stomach twisted painfully. A vein throbbed in my temple, pulsing with a confusion I couldn’t quite place.
I refused to admit Nolan was right, even though deep down I knew he was.
Suddenly, I stepped back, and Nolan exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “I know she’s not a gold digger. I thought she was at first, but then I watched her. She touched you, and you reacted.”
“You’re not a fucking psychologist, Nolan.”
“True, I’m not. But that was easy to read.”
I pulled out my phone, opening the security app to check the compound’s camera feed. “Keep talking, and you’ll end up in the hospital with a broken nose and neck.”
On the screen, Meadow stood in the garden, admiring a bed of roses and tulips I’d had planted less than six months ago after discovering she loved them.
From the moment she touched me, I knew she was mine. It was only a matter of time. Now that she was here, I wasn’t about to do anything to push her away.
I wouldn’t even let her leave.
“Never thought the day would come when you’d meet someone like her,” Nolan muttered.
I slipped my phone back into my pocket and fixed my brother with a hard glare. “Why? Because you ruined the last one?”
Something flickered in Nolan’s eyes before he looked away. “Well, obviously, I’ll never be forgiven for that.”
My nostrils flared. “You’ve made it your mission to remind me every time it looks like I forgot. But that’s because you don’t want me to forget, do you?”
Nolan scoffed but didn’t deny it.
He didn’t want me to forgive or forget. For over ten years, he’d made sure I never did.
That was the price of Nolan Ashford’s guilty conscience.
He didn’t believe he deserved forgiveness.
“Whatever, man. I have no problem with your wife. I just hope you know you can’t keep her hidden from all this forever. I see that’s what you’re trying to do.”
He grabbed another apple from the fruit basket—seriously, what was his obsession with apples? He was close to finishing the entire basket.
“She’ll only know what I think she needs to,” I said after a long silence.
He chuckled, clapping once. “Great. Then I’ll tell Mutti to expect you and your wife this weekend.”
That was the one thing I was avoiding.
But I didn’t tell Nolan that. He didn’t need to know.
I locked eyes with him, and he raised a pierced brow in response.
“We’ll be there,” I muttered at last.
Not that I had a choice.
—
CHAPTER 0040
+15 BONUS
CHAPTER 0040
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
Summary & Review: Fallen
