Chapter 13: Leaving First Will Make It Hurt Less.

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• Xavier's Obsession    Chapter 44: She Saw The Message.

  Xavier.I pick up my phone and text Carla.Xavier: Not coming in today. Push anything important. If something needs my attention, just text.She replies in under a minute.Carla: Alright, boss.I toss the phone on the kitchen counter and exhale.Audrey is still in the bathroom, the sound of running water soft in the background. I can picture her standing in front of the mirror, brushing her teeth, trying to make sense of everything. Or maybe trying not to.I head to the fridge.Breakfast is nothing fancy. Just toast, eggs, a bit of avocado. I brew coffee while the pan sizzles behind me. I don’t try to impress. I just want it to feel normal. Easy.But even as I set the table, I keep replaying the conversation from earlier. My voice. Her silence. The way her shoulders dropped—just a little, but I noticed.I should’ve asked her first.I thought about it, actually. Right before I called Tristan to tell him she wasn’t coming in anymore. I knew she’d argue. Knew she’d insist she needed the

• Xavier's Obsession    Chapter 43: I Have Morning Breath.

  Audrey. I wake up to light. Soft, quiet morning light spilling through cream curtains and warming my skin. The bed is warm too—sheets cocooned around me, faint scent of bergamot clinging to the pillows. I smile. He carried me. I don’t remember getting into bed. Which means he must’ve lifted me from the couch sometime last night and brought me here. I should feel embarrassed. But all I feel is… safe. Still lying down, I turn to the other side. And there he is. Xavier. Asleep. I don’t move. His face is relaxed, the lines of worry smoothed out in his sleep as he breathes softly and steadily. His lashes are thick, resting against his cheekbones as his hair covers part of his face. His lips are soft and full and so red and right now, they are parted slightly in a gentle pout. He looks unfairly beautiful in a way that makes stare at him. I know I shouldn’t. But I do. The way the sunlight cuts across his jaw reminds me of the very first time I saw him. That night at

• Xavier's Obsession    Chapter 42: I'm Not Leaving This Woman.

  Xavier. Lunch—if we’re still calling it that—is long over. I only keep using the word because Audrey did. But the sun’s already sinking behind the skyline, painting the city in a bright gold color. It’s well past 6 p.m. already, and the only thing that’s stopped me from pushing the conversation is her deflection. “It’s bad table manners to talk while eating,” she’d said, eyes lowered, tone too light to be real. I’d just raised a brow at her. Since when did we give a damn about table manners? But I didn’t press. Not yet. I had made lunch, quick but efficient: saffron risotto with scallops, topped with a drizzle of lemon butter and microgreens. Something that tastes like it took hours but really just needed patience. The kind of dish you pair with a glass of chilled Chardonnay and pretend everything is fine. As we ate, Audrey barely touched her wine. After the last bite, she stood, quiet as a breath, and reached for the dishes. I waved her off. “I’ve got it.” She hes

• Xavier's Obsession    Chapter 41: We're A Couple Now.

  Audrey.Sometimes I think if Xavier knew everything, he’d stop looking at me the way he does.Like I’m good. Like I’m worth saving.Like all this—the way he hovers near me, the way he touches me so carefully, the way he texts me just to ask if I’ve eaten—is because he loves me.But he doesn’t really know me. Not the full version. Not the ugly, scarred, cracked-open pieces that had to survive long before Brandon ever happened.He knows the aftermath. The bruises and the blood. The hospital photos, the scars I couldn’t hide. But that’s just a chapter. There’s a whole damn book before that, and most of it doesn’t have happy endings.Xavier doesn’t know the things I’ve done. The people I’ve tricked. The way I’ve used my body just to stay warm, just to eat, just to make it through the night. He doesn’t know how survival can twist a person into something unrecognizable—and how easy it is to become numb when no one is watching.He thinks he loves me. But he’s in love with the part of me that

• Xavier's Obsession    Chapter 40: Even A Small Win Is Still A Win.

  Xavier.My phone vibrates on the desk for the fourth time in twenty minutes and I’m on it like a fucking reflex.Still nothing from her.No reply. No call back. Just silence.I stare at the message again, like maybe if I look long enough, I’ll be able to conjure a response out of thin air.I had sent the message around 11:02 AM. And it’s 12:18 now.I tell myself she’s busy. The café might be full. Lattes and customer complaints. Maybe she forgot to charge her phone. Maybe she saw the text and just didn’t feel like replying yet.But the longer the silence stretches, the tighter my chest feels.I try calling her once.No answer.I let ten minutes pass, checking the screen every thirty seconds, then I call again.Still nothing.A darker voice in my head—the one I thought I’d shut up last night—starts whispering all kinds of possibilities I don’t want to hear.I shove my phone into my pocket, grab my keys, and head out. If she’s not answering, I’ll take lunch to her. Simple.I’m halfway t

• Xavier's Obsession    Chapter 39: I'll Meet Liam In The Afterlife.

  Audrey.The café smells like cinnamon and espresso, and I’m trying not to smile like an idiot while wiping down the pastry display. Talia is currently behind the register, her eyes boring into me like twin lasers.“So?” she says, dragging the words out. “You didn't come home last night. And you’re wearing Xavier's clothes. I need details.”I pretend not to hear her, leaning lower to adjust the scones. “We got back late, and then we slept. I told you this already.”“I know, I know. My question is, did you sleep with him though?”I straighten up too fast and nearly knock over the entire tray of almond croissants.Talia grins, wicked and satisfied. “That’s not a no.”My face burns, and I busy myself with reorganizing the muffins, like their perfect alignment is a national emergency.“I’m not talking about this here.”“This here is where I work, live, and gossip. You don’t get a free pass, missy. Especially not when you saunter in this morning looking like you got thoroughly rearranged.”