"Or are you going to accept reality? That some prices are worth paying. That power requires sacrifice. That becoming more than you were means leaving behind the weakness that made you a victim."

Alex foot eased off the gas slightly, the car slowing as it approached.

And in that moment, something crystallized in Alex's mind with terrible clarity.

Lilith was right.

Without the system, he was nothing. Would always be nothing.

Just another man who got stepped on by people like Marcus and Sophia, too weak to fight back, too powerless to matter.

He'd built his entire new life on the foundation of power the system had given him. His confidence, his strength, his ability to protect the people he cared about... all of it came from Lilith.

Take that away, and what was left?

The same broken boy who'd let Marcus destroy him. The same pathetic fool who'd believed Sophia's lies. The same helpless victim who'd watched his world crumble without being able to stop it.

I can't go back to that.

The thought was desperate but certain.

I won't go back to that.

He'd tasted power. Felt what it was like to be strong, to be capable, to be someone who mattered instead of someone who got used.

And the idea of losing it... of returning to that powerless state, of being vulnerable again, of watching Marcus walk away unpunished while he had no ability to stop it... was unbearable.

More unbearable than guilt.

More unbearable than betrayal.

More unbearable than whatever was about to happen in that house.

Alex felt something inside him finally snap.

Like a tether that had been stretched too far finally giving way with a sharp, clean sound.

The weight of responsibility, the fear of losing everything, the supernatural amplification of his desires, the exhaustion of fighting battles he couldn't win, the knowledge that without this power he was nothing...

It all coalesced into something dark and hungry that drowned out his remaining conscience like water extinguishing a candle.

I deserve this power.

The thought rose from somewhere deep, primal and certain.

I've earned it. Paid for it. Bled for it. And I won't give it up.

His mind grasped for justification, something to make this bearable, and found it in the cold logic of necessity.

It's just a mission, he told himself, the words settling with surprising ease. One task. One night. Then it's done.

The thought was almost comforting in its simplicity.

This wasn't a relationship. Wasn't an affair. Wasn't some grand betrayal that would continue indefinitely.

It was a transaction. A necessary evil. A single compromise to preserve everything else.

One time, his mind insisted, clinging to the distinction like a lifeline.

Just this once, and then I can go back to being who I was. Stronger. Better equipped to protect everyone.

The rationalization wove itself into something almost noble.

He wasn't doing this because he wanted Linda. He was doing this because the alternative was unthinkable.

Without the system, I'm powerless. And powerless people can't protect anyone.

The logic was airtight. Seductive. Almost convincing.

Danny needs me strong. Nina needs me capable. The family needs someone who can stand against people like Marcus and Sophia.

Each justification stacked on top of the last, building a wall between action and consequence.

And Linda... Linda wants this. She chose this. I'm not forcing anything. I'm just... accepting what's already being offered.

The thought slid in smooth as silk, removing the last vestiges of coercion from the equation.

She'd invited him. Dressed for him. Wanted him desperately.

Who was he to deny her that? To reject her vulnerability and send her spiraling into shame and mortification?

This way, everyone gets something, his mind whispered. She gets what she's been craving. I keep the power I need. The family stays protected. And it's just once. Just tonight. Just this one necessary compromise.

The guilt was still there, buried beneath everything else, but it felt distant now. Manageable. Something he could carry rather than something that could stop him.

Because the alternative... losing everything, becoming nothing again, failing to avenge himself on Marcus, being powerless to protect anyone... was worse than any moral compromise.

The car turned into the driveway with smooth, decisive precision.

The engine went quiet.

Alex sat there for a moment, his breathing steady now, his pulse calm.

The chaos in his mind had settled into something cold, clear and focused.

He wasn't the same person who'd left his apartment an hour ago.

Something fundamental had shifted.

The door he'd been holding closed hadn't just opened... it had been kicked off its hinges.

"That's my boy," Lilith purred with unmistakable satisfaction. "Welcome home, darling."

Alex opened the car door.

The cool evening air hit him, crisp and real and utterly indifferent to the transformation that had just occurred.

He stood slowly, his movements controlled and purposeful, and closed the car door behind him with a dull thud.

Twenty feet to the door.

Ten steps, maybe.

He began walking.

Each step felt different now. Not hesitant. Not reluctant. Not even resigned.

Chosen.

Four steps. Five.

His mind was clearer than it had been in days. The weight of impossible choices lifted, replaced by the simplicity of survival.

He would do what was necessary.

Whatever was necessary.

Because the alternative was unacceptable.

Six steps. Seven.

He reached the front door.

His hand raised to the doorbell without hesitation.

No more voices arguing in his head. No more battles with himself.

Just the cold, simple clarity of a decision made and accepted.

He pressed the doorbell.

The chime rang inside the house.

Somewhere beyond that door, Linda was moving toward him, wearing that blue blouse, her eyes bright with hope and desire and desperate need.

But Alex's thoughts weren't on Linda anymore.

They were on Marcus. On power. On survival. On never being nothing again.

She was just the price.

And he'd already decided he could pay it.

The door handle turned.

The door opened.

And there she was.

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