3. Panic Attacks

The car ride to the airport was suffocatingly silent. The only sound was the low hum of the engine and the faint rhythm of the tires against the road. Streetlights flashed across Xavier’s sharp profile—calm, unreadable, as though none of this touched him.

I sat rigid, forehead pressed lightly against the cool window, watching my breath fog and vanish on the glass. One truth circled me like a curse, no matter how I tried to push it away: I was married. Married to Xavier Russell. Not Liam. Not the boy I loved.

By the time the bright, sterile lights of the airport appeared, my chest already felt raw. Xavier pulled to a stop, his tone clipped, detached.

“Your mother is there. Go.”

I didn’t hesitate. My heels clicked against the pavement as I rushed out, scanning the crowd until I saw her. Relief washed over me and I ran straight into her arms.

“Layla.”

Dad’s voice froze me. I turned, and my smile faltered. He stood a few steps back, brows knit in confusion.

“Layla, where were you? I haven’t seen you since yesterday. Were you out partying?”

Before I could speak, Mom cut in quickly, her tone sharp. “Layla, I told you not to—”

“Mrs. Beth.”

Xavier’s voice sliced through, cold and commanding. He had stepped closer, his tall frame casting a shadow over all of us. His jaw clenched, his eyes dark with restrained fury. “Enough. I know you’re trying to protect your family, but don’t use me as your puppet.”

The air froze.

Dad blinked, startled. “What are you talking about?”

Xavier’s gaze didn’t waver. “Mr. Beth, your daughter Yuri never married me. She ran away. That day, it was Layla who stood at the altar and spoke the vows.”

The words detonated like a bomb.

Dad’s face drained of color, then flushed deep red as his eyes snapped to me, searching for denial. Mom’s hand clutched his arm desperately, whispering, “Please… don’t—”

“Is this true?” His voice cracked. It wasn’t just anger—it was betrayal, disbelief.

My lips parted, but no words came. The shame pressed down like lead.

Xavier didn’t spare me. His voice was flat, merciless. “It’s true. You’ve been congratulating the wrong daughter.”

The silence that followed was unbearable. Dad’s eyes brimmed with fury and disappointment, and Mom looked away, her expression a storm of guilt and cowardice.

“Enough.” Xavier ended it with a single word. He turned, curt. “We’re leaving.”

I followed him back to the car, my throat burning, the weight of Dad’s broken gaze still carved into me.

The drive back to the mansion was colder than ever.

Inside, the familiar scent of lemons and rosemary filled the air, mocking me with its false calm. I tried to breathe it in, to steady myself, but my chest only tightened.

“Xavier.” My voice cracked as I stopped him before he disappeared upstairs. He turned, his dark eyes locking with mine.

“I know you were betrayed. I know Yuri running away was wrong. I know my mother pushing me into that aisle was wrong. But I’m a victim here too. I never wanted this. I had a life in London. I had Liam. And now I’m forced to live as your wife while the man I love won’t even pick up my calls—”

My breath hitched. Saying his name out loud shattered something inside me. Liam. The ache in my chest spread like fire, suffocating.

“I cheated on him,” I whispered, the realization breaking me. “I married my sister’s fiancé. I—”

My voice strangled into silence. My knees buckled. Air wouldn’t come. The room tilted violently and I collapsed onto the floor.

“Layla!”

Xavier was at my side instantly. His voice softened in a way that startled me, no trace of his earlier steel. His hands steadied me, arms pulling me close.

“Look at me. Breathe, Layla. Just breathe.”

How could the same man who had moments ago looked at me with hatred now say my name so gently?

“I’m sorry—” My words broke into sobs. “I’m so sorry, Xavier. I don’t know how I got here. Liam—God, I miss Liam—”

His grip on me tightened. His tone was cold, but laced with something I couldn’t name. “Where is he?”

“I… I don’t know. I’ve tried to reach him. His phone is off. There’s no sign of him. I don’t know what to do. I’m so sorry, I’m—”

The world spun, the edges of my vision blurring, and then everything went dark.