The night had been long.
June lay awake hours after Xander had fallen asleep, staring at the ceiling, listening to the soft rhythm of his breathing beside her. Her heart had been wrestling with itself caught in the ache of fear and the longing for peace. She thought about her past. About Larry. About the pain she had carried like a second skin. About the months of therapy, the journal entries filled with doubt, the nights she cried into her pillow wondering if she was even capable of being loved again. She thought about the message those cruel, anonymous words that had threatened to unravel what she had built. And yet… through all that noise, Xander had stayed. Through her silences, her emotional walls, her tears he never pulled away. Never lashed out. Never made her feel small. Wasn’t that what she had always prayed for? A man who stayed? As dawn began to push against the curtains, she turned to look at him. His brow furrowed slightly in sleep, as if even his dreams carried weight. His hand rested loosely on the edge of the bed, open, as though waiting for her to take it. June inhaled slowly. Maybe this was what healing looked like. Not certainty. Not fireworks. But choosing even when the heart still bore bruises. Maybe it was trusting someone not because they demanded it, but because they showed up day after day, until the trust had nowhere else to go but into their hands. She slipped out of bed, careful not to wake him, and tiptoed to the balcony. The early morning breeze greeted her like a soft whisper. Everything was still. But inside her finally something had shifted. She didn’t feel rushed anymore. She felt ready. Hours later, as Xander stirred and sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes and blinking at the sunlight, June walked back into the room. She was dressed in one of his button-down shirts, her hair slightly damp from a quick shower. She held a small cup of coffee in her hand, but her eyes bright, open held something far stronger. “Good morning,” he mumbled, his voice rough. June walked over and set the coffee on the nightstand. “Good morning,” she replied, sitting beside him. He studied her face, sensing something different in her. “You okay?” She nodded slowly. “I’ve been thinking.” A pause. “About what?” She smiled faintly, nerves dancing behind her eyes. “About everything. About us. About the proposal.” He sat up straighter, alert now. “Yeah?” June nodded again, more certain this time. “I want to say yes.” Xander’s brows lifted, stunned. “You do?” “I do.” He stared at her, speechless for a second, until she reached for his hand. “Let’s get married, Xander,” she said gently. “I want to allow myself to love and to be loved. I’ve spent so much of my life waiting for someone to prove I’m worth staying for. And maybe it took me a while, but I see it now. You’ve never made me feel like I was too much or too broken or too late.” Tears glistened in her eyes. “You were patient. Kind. Steady. You waited for me to meet you here. And I want to meet you. I want to build something new. I know I’m still healing, and I know I might never be perfect… but I believe you’re the best person for me to spend my life with.” Xander blinked, letting out a slow breath as if he’d been holding it all night. Then he smiled. Wide. Bright. But deep behind it, in the places she couldn’t see a different kind of triumph burned. He cupped her face gently, brushing a tear from her cheek. “You have no idea how much this means to me,” he said. Then he leaned over to the drawer and retrieved the velvet box again. This time, there was no hesitation. He knelt. Again. But now the moment was ripe with emotion, not tension. “June Williams, will you marry me?” She nodded, tears spilling freely now. “Yes. Yes, Xander. I will.” He slipped the ring onto her finger, and her breath caught at how perfectly it fit. Almost too perfectly. He stood, and she threw her arms around him. He held her tightly, one hand cradling the back of her head, the other pressing her body against his. “I promise,” he whispered, “to take care of you. To protect you. Always.” June smiled against his chest, the warmth of his words melting the last of her fears. In that moment, she believed him completely. They announced the engagement over brunch with close friends. June laughed more than she had in weeks. Her eyes sparkled. Xander was attentive, affectionate, the picture of the perfect fiancé. People took pictures. Friends toasted. Plans were already being discussed. It felt like a dream. But beneath all the smiles, across the room, a woman watched silently from her seat by the window, sipping her drink slowly. Audrey. She had seen the I*******m post. She hadn’t expected June to say yes. But she wasn’t done. Not even close. She pulled out her phone and typed a message. “Congratulations, sweetheart. You just made the biggest mistake of your life. Let’s see how long your fairy tale lasts.” She hit send. And smiled. The headlines broke just days after the engagement announcement. June hadn’t expected the media to take such an interest, not after how quiet her life had been for the past year. But Xander was connected he always had people watching, listening, paying attention. One slip of information, one careless toast at brunch, one tagged I*******m story from a mutual friend and it was everywhere. “From Mistress to Mrs.? June Williams Engaged to Xander Amid Cheating Scandal!” “June Williams: Socialite or Serial Heartbreaker? What Really Ended Her Marriage to Larry .” “Sources Say June Cheated on Ex Husband Before Divorce Was Finalized.” June’s phone buzzed non stop. Messages flooded in. Some from concerned friends. Some from vague acquaintances now pretending to be concerned. And many far too many were anonymous. Cruel. Judgmental. “Hope this one knows what he’s getting into.” “Once a cheater, always a cheater.” “Poor Larry. She ruined him.” “Xander better watch his back.” June stood frozen in the kitchen, phone in hand, breath shallow, nausea creeping up her throat. She didn’t know who leaked it. Or how much of it came from Audrey’s games. But she did know this her past was back, twisted and sharpened into a weapon meant to destroy her. And it was working. Her hands trembled as she opened another article. This one included a photo from years ago one taken at an art gala, showing her laughing in a red dress with a glass of champagne in her hand. Larry was behind her in the background, scowling. The caption? “The smile of a woman who already had one foot out the door.” June felt sick. “They’re calling me a whore.” Xander found her sitting on the floor by the couch, knees to her chest, phone discarded nearby. Her cheeks were streaked with silent tears. He crouched beside her. “June,” he said gently. “Talk to me.” She didn’t move at first, just pressed her hands to her face. “I didn’t do any of that,” she whispered. “I didn’t cheat. Larry made me feel like I didn’t exist. I was alone in that marriage long before I ever met you. But none of that matters now. They’ve already painted the picture.” He sat beside her, pulling her into his arms. “It doesn’t matter what they say,” he murmured. “You know your truth. I know your truth.” She buried her face into his chest, her voice small. “Why is this happening now? Why can’t people just leave me alone?” Because the timing was perfect, he thought. But instead, he stroked her back and whispered, “They’re trying to break you because you’re finally happy. People hate when broken things start to heal.” He held her tightly, feeling her tension melt into him. And this… this was exactly what he needed. Her vulnerable. Afraid. Isolated. Over the next few days, the damage worsened. A few brands she'd partnered with in the past quietly pulled back. A foundation gala she was invited to rescinded her RSVP. Even her longtime yoga instructor texted that the studio needed to “pause” their private sessions due to “reputation concerns.” June felt the walls closing in. “I need to fix this,” she said one evening, pacing the living room. “I need a publicist. Maybe I should do an interview. Or post something an open letter, a video. Something real.” Xander stepped in quickly. “No, June. Don’t give them more fuel. Don’t put yourself out there for them to rip apart.” “But I can’t just hide” “Why not?” he said gently. “Let it die down. Let me handle things for now. We’ll get someone trustworthy to manage your image. I know people who can make all of this disappear.” June stared at him, exhausted. “Are you sure?” “I’ve got you,” he said firmly, brushing her hair back. “But you have to let me take care of it. Just focus on us, okay? Let me be your shield.” That night, Xander collected all her brand partnership files, legal documents, even access to her social media accounts under the pretense of “relieving her stress.” And June, feeling like she was drowning, agreed. He’s helping. He’s protecting me. He began slowly moving funds, suggesting he open a joint account “just in case,” claiming it would be better for wedding planning. He offered to temporarily manage her company shares while she “recuperated emotionally.” “You need rest,” he said soothingly. “You’re not in the right headspace to deal with everything. Let me do this for us. For you.” She nodded. “Okay.” Every time June handed over a password, a code, a document, Xander felt the victory growing. Her dependency was deepening. Her trust was total. She stopped going out. She started forwarding emails to him. She signed what he gave her. The chaos in the media had become his greatest ally. The more the world turned against her, the more tightly she clung to him. And that was exactly how he wanted it. “You’re all I have right now,” she said one night, her voice cracked with exhaustion. He kissed her forehead. “I always will be.”June stood in front of the ornate full-length mirror in the bridal suite of the Bloomfield Estate, her white gown cascading like a river of silk down her body. The delicate lace sleeves hugged her arms, and the soft shimmer of the beading caught the morning sunlight pouring in from the tall windows. A soft blush sat on her cheeks—not from makeup alone, but from nerves, excitement, and a thousand untold thoughts.Behind her, Renee, her childhood best friend and maid of honor, was gently adjusting the veil, her fingers steady but her eyes uncertain.“June,” Renee said softly, finally breaking the silence, “do you really want to go through with this?”June met her friend’s gaze in the mirror. “I already told you, Renee. I love Xander. He’s been good to me, and this—today—it’s right.”Renee sighed, stepping back. “I know you believe that. I just… I’ve been watching you. And I still feel like you’re holding something back. Like your heart is racing ahead, but your gut is lagging behind.”J
The suite where Xander stood was bathed in warm, filtered sunlight. It was elegant—nothing flashy, just tastefully decorated in deep maroons and golds. The air held the scent of fresh roses and new beginnings, but also something else… something heavier.Xander stood in front of a tall mirror, already dressed in a tailored navy tuxedo. His eyes were sharp, but distant—like a man watching himself from the outside. His father, Maxwell Stone, adjusted his cufflinks with practiced ease, then walked behind his son, resting both hands on his shoulders.“You look like a king today,” Maxwell said, voice deep with pride.Xander gave a forced smile. “It’s just a tux, Dad.”“No, no,” Maxwell said, eyes gleaming as he looked at his son’s reflection. “It’s not the clothes. It’s the legacy, the power, the restoration of our family name—all coming together today. You’ve done what no one else could. You’ve saved us, Xander.”Xander remained quiet.Maxwell turned him around, straightening his lapel lik
They sat curled on the couch, a warm cup of herbal tea in June’s hands and Xander’s arm draped casually around her shoulder. The TV played softly in the background, but neither of them was paying much attention.Xander turned slightly toward her, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “You know,” he began, his tone casual but careful, “you’ve met my friends, we’ve spent time with your dad… but there’s one person you haven’t met.”June raised an eyebrow, smiling. “Who’s that?”“My father.”June straightened up. “Really?”Xander nodded. “Since we’re getting serious… and well, with the wedding plans coming closer”—he glanced at her, gauging her reaction—“I think it’s only right you meet him. He’s been asking about you. He wants to meet the woman who’s managed to tame his wild son.”June laughed softly, a light blush touching her cheeks. “I’d love that. When do we go?”“Now,” he said with a smirk. “If you’re ready.”June’s eyes widened in surprise. “Now now?”“There’s no time lik
The marriage between June Williams and Xander Hale was the talk of the town. It wasn’t just the whirlwind nature of the engagement that had everyone buzzing it was the timing, the scandal, the unanswered questions. Society columnists devoured it. Social media ran with it. Whispers crept into business meetings, charity luncheons, and brunch tables:She moved on too fast.Was she really cheating on Larry?Why him? Why Xander?Is this about money? Revenge? Image?But for June, none of that mattered. The public could talk. People could judge. As far as she was concerned, she had chosen love. Or at least, she had chosen peace.And peace came with Xander.He had been steady in the storm, patient through her breakdowns, quiet in his support. When the world turned its back on her, he held her up. And for the first time in years, she didn’t feel like she was drowning.Which was why, on a quiet Wednesday afternoon, she picked up the phone and called the only person whose opinion could still swa
The night had been long.June lay awake hours after Xander had fallen asleep, staring at the ceiling, listening to the soft rhythm of his breathing beside her. Her heart had been wrestling with itself caught in the ache of fear and the longing for peace.She thought about her past. About Larry. About the pain she had carried like a second skin. About the months of therapy, the journal entries filled with doubt, the nights she cried into her pillow wondering if she was even capable of being loved again.She thought about the messagethose cruel, anonymous words that had threatened to unravel what she had built.And yet… through all that noise, Xander had stayed. Through her silences, her emotional walls, her tears he never pulled away. Never lashed out. Never made her feel small.Wasn’t that what she had always prayed for?A man who stayed?As dawn began to push against the curtains, she turned to look at him. His brow furrowed slightly in sleep, as if even his dreams carried weight. H
The hum of Xander’s phone on the bedside table pulled him from the stillness of early morning. Sunlight filtered through the white curtains, casting a soft glow across the room. June was still asleep beside him, her body curled toward the window, her breaths steady and slow, like ocean waves lapping against the shore. Her hair was tousled, one hand tucked under the pillow. She looked peaceful, for once.Xander reached for his phone, expecting a calendar reminder or a work email.But it was a text.From an unknown number."She doesn’t love you. She’s still in love with Larry. She’ll leave you the moment he calls. Open your eyes, Xander. Don’t be a fool."There was no name. No emoji. Just the cold weight of accusation.Xander sat up slowly, rereading the message. His chest tightened. He looked down at June sleeping soundly, unaware of the silent detonation that had just gone off in the room.His first instinct was disbelief. Who would send something like this? Why now?His mind raced.H