Xavier's P.O.V.
A loud, persistent buzzing dragged me out of sleep, each ring slicing through the dull ache in my head. I groaned, fumbling for my phone on the nightstand, my vision still blurred from the remnants of last night's drinks.
I squinted at the screen. Dad.
Fantastic. Just fantastic.
"Good morning, Dad," I muttered, my voice raspy with sleep.
"Jesus Christ, Xavier Williams! You're still in bed?" His voice boomed through the speaker, each syllable sending a fresh wave of pain through my skull. Did he forget I was an adult?
"Dad, it's vacation. I'm not exactly on an office schedule here. Could you maybe lower your voice? For God's sake?" I rubbed my temple, already regretting answering.
"I can practically smell the alcohol through the phone," he grumbled, his voice thick with disapproval. "You never change, do you? Anyway, I called to let you know that I'm heading out of town to visit Joseph and his wife. Try not to turn the city upside down while I'm gone."
I sighed, rubbing my temple. "Yeah, yeah. Tell Uncle Joseph I said hi. And Mom too."
Uncle Josephâone of the few people in my father's circle I actually respected. A brilliant man, wise beyond his years, but with a fortune so massive it felt like a burden rather than a blessing. I remembered hearing whispers about his daughterâthe one who abandoned everything for some guy her father loathed. I never met her, but my father never missed a chance to bring up her "poor life choices."
"Good. Now get up, do something productive, and for God's sake, Xavier, try not to land yourself in any scandals. I don't want to wake up to your face plastered all over the news again."
I exhaled slowly, shaking my head. "Noted. Bye, Dad."
As I hung up, I groaned, flopping back against the pillows. My brain was still wrapped in a haze, but something was poking at the edges of my memory. A feeling. An absence.
Then it hit me.
The girl.
I sat up so fast my head protested. My eyes scanned the room. The bed was mostly untouched on her side, the sheets barely wrinkled. My chest tightened slightly. Had she left in the middle of the night? No note, no traceâjust gone. I told myself I didn't care, but the nagging feeling in my gut said otherwise.
I swung my legs over the bed and checked the suiteâliving area, bathroom, even the damn kitchen. Empty.
I exhaled sharply, rubbing the back of my neck. Not that it mattered. But something about her sudden disappearance left me unsettled, like unfinished business.
I shook it off. It was better this way. Or at least, that's what I tried to believe. Still, my gaze lingered on the empty space where she had been, a part of me wondering if she had left because she wanted toâ
Or because she was running from something.
But something told me this wouldn't be the last time our paths crossed.
I shook it off. It was better this way. Or at least, that's what I told myself. But a nagging feeling remainedâhad she left because she wanted to, or was she running from something? I searched the suite once more, as if expecting a note or some kind of explanation. Nothing. Just like that, she had vanished. A part of me was relievedâit meant no awkward goodbyes. Another part? Well, I wasn't ready to examine that just yet.
Susan's P.O.V.
I stood under the shower, letting the hot water scald my skin, trying to scrub away the lingering filth I felt inside. I felt disgustingânot just because of Adrian's betrayal but because I let myself fall so hard. I had ignored the signs. I had trusted him.
Why?
Why did I let myself believe in something that wasn't real?
My tears had dried long before I stepped out. I wrapped myself in a towel, my movements mechanical, my heart hollow. I couldn't stay here. Not in this place where every corner held a memory of him. I needed to go home.
Lisa had already arranged for our bags to be sent down. The only thing left was to leave without seeing him. The last thing I wanted was another encounter with the man from last night.
Lisa gave me an encouraging smile as we moved toward the elevator. I just nodded, gripping the handle of my bag so tightly my knuckles turned white. My heart pounded in my chest, a frantic rhythm that refused to slow down.
At the reception, we settled the bills. It should have been a simple processâsign here, hand over the key, walk away. But as I turned toward the exit, my breath hitched.
He was there.
The man from last night.
He moved through the lobby, his presence effortless yet commanding. My stomach twisted, my pulse hammering against my ribs. I felt lightheaded, the world tilting slightly as adrenaline surged through my veins. My body screamed at me to move, but my legs felt glued to the spot.
Lisa noticed the shift in my demeanor instantly. "Susan? What'sâ"
"Let's go. Now," I hissed under my breath, gripping her wrist like a lifeline.
She didn't ask questions. She saw the urgency in my eyes, the barely contained panic, and reacted without hesitation. We moved quickly, our footsteps rapid yet measured, trying not to attract attention. My heart pounded so hard I could hear it in my ears.
As we reached the revolving doors, I dared a glance back. His friend said something that made him chuckle, his head tilting slightlyâbut for a brief second, his eyes flicked toward us. My stomach dropped.
I didn't wait to see if he recognized me. Lisa and I burst through the doors and rushed to the nearest taxi, sliding inside just as my breathing turned ragged.
"Drive," Lisa instructed the driver, her voice steady even though I could feel her pulse racing through the hand she had on my arm.
As soon as we were safely inside and moving, I let out a shaky breath, my hands trembling against my lap.
Lisa turned to me, her eyes filled with concern. "Are you okay?"
I shook my head. "Not yet," I admitted, pressing my lips together. "But I hope I will be."
Two hours later, we were on a flight. Initially, we had planned to go back to my hometown. But now, we were heading to New York.
To find the truth.
Lisa thought the photo could have been Photoshopped. I wasn't so sure, I needed answers. I couldn't move forward without them. My heart was pounding in my chest, a constant reminder that everything I had believed in was crumbling beneath me.
After landing, Lisa went to our shared flat while I took a separate taxiâto the home I had shared with Adrian. My stomach twisted into knots as I stepped out of the car. The night air was crisp, but it did nothing to cool the heat of my emotions bubbling just under the surface.
Everything looked the same. The building, the lobby, even the kids playing outside. Yet everything felt different. The air felt heavier, the lights dimmer, like the place itself had become tainted with betrayal.
I hesitated in front of the door, my heart hammering against my ribs. A strange scent lingered in the airâfloral, unfamiliar, cloying. My stomach clenched. The scent was foreign, yet it reeked of something I instinctively knew I wouldn't want to find. My fingers trembled as I reached for the doorknob. A part of me already knew what was waiting beyond this door. I just wasn't ready to see it.
My hands shook violently as I unlocked the door. The first thing that hit me was the messâbeer bottles, crumpled snack bags, a disheveled blanket thrown carelessly onto the floor. It looked like a reckless celebration. My heart sank like a stone in my chest.
A sickening feeling settled in my gut, a dreadful certainty clawing at my insides. My body screamed at me to turn around, to leave before I shattered completely. But my mind pushed me forward, my feet dragging me toward the bedroom like I was caught in a nightmare I couldn't wake up from.
I opened the door.
The world stopped.
Adrian was in bed. Naked. With her.
Not just any woman.
Sia Rudey. His high school crush.
The breath was ripped from my lungs. My knees buckled, and before I could stop myself, I collapsed onto the cold floor. A loud crash rang through the room as a vase shattered beside me, the fragments mirroring the pieces of my broken heart.
Adrian's eyes snapped open. He bolted upright, his face drained of color, his hands fumbling for the sheets.
"Susanâwait, it's not what it looks like!" Adrian's voice wavered with desperation, but the words felt hollow, meaningless, even to him. My ears rang, drowning out his pathetic attempt at damage control.
A bitter, humorless laugh escaped me. "Not what it looks like?" My voice trembled, barely above a whisper, yet laced with enough devastation to crack the very air between us. "You actually have the audacity to say that to my face? Again?"
Sia sat up abruptly, pulling the sheets around herself, her expression a mix of shock and unease. "Susan... I didn't know you'd be back this soon," she said quietly, glancing between us with uncertainty. There was no malice in her tone, no triumphâjust the realization of how terrible this looked.
I swallowed hard, my mind racing. "Sia, just... don't say anything," is what Adrian told her, while my piercing gaze was on him.
But the damage was already done.
The dam inside me shattered. Rage. Grief. Betrayal. They consumed me whole, searing through my veins like fire. My vision blurred, my breath came in sharp gasps, but I refused to crumble in front of them.
Tears welled in my eyes, but I furiously wiped them away. "Explain?" My voice was raw, a fractured whisper. Then, a bitter chuckle rose from my throat. "You think there's an explanation for this?" I took a shaky step back, my hands clenched so tightly my nails bit into my skin. "You were never sorry, Adrian. You were just sorry you got caught."
His eyes darted between me and Sia, his face paling. "Susan, please, listen to me. IâI didn't mean for this to happen." He stepped forward, desperation clouding his features. "I messed up, but you have to know that I never stopped loving you." His lips parted again, but no words followed. He looked at me, eyes wide with something that almost resembled guiltâalmost. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, his jaw tightening, but still, he said nothing. For a brief moment, I saw the regret flicker across his face, the realization that he had destroyed everything. But it was too late. The damage was done, and we both knew it.
I took one last look at him, at the man I had given everything to. "You didn't just betray me, Adrian. You destroyed the version of me that believed in you." My voice was steady, but inside, I felt like I was crumbling. I straightened, my heart hardening against the ache clawing at my ribs. "We're done, Adrian."
His eyes widened in panic. "Susan, pleaseâ"
I didn't hear the rest. I turned on my heel, grabbed my car keys from the table, and stormed out, slamming the door so hard it rattled the walls.
The cold air outside hit me like a slap, but it was nothing compared to the hollow, aching void in my chest.
I wasn't sure where I was going. I just knew I had to get away.
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Hope I didn't upset you all. With this chapter, please give me some response through your comments please.
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