LOGIN“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Xavier says to me, reaching for my shaky hands. Xavier's parents rushed into the library. His mother immediately turns on Kendrick, scolding him, though she doesn’t hide her disappointment in Xavier for hitting his brother.His father says nothing.He simply stands there, staring ahead, his expression unreadable.I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand.Without a word, Xavier reaches for my hand and pulls me gently to my feet. His grip is firm, controlled.He leads me out.His jaw is tight, his expression hard. He’s trying to hold himself together.A few minutes later, we’re driving home in silence.Not just quiet—heavy, suffocating silence. Even the radio is off, leaving nothing to soften the tension between us.I stare out the window, exhausted, completely drained by everything the day has thrown at me. A dull headache begins to settle behind my eyes.When I can’t take the silence anymore, I lean forward and switch on the radio.The soft music fil
I was utterly alone in the dining hall for the past 45 minutes. Xavier's parents and his sister left a while ago and I was here, sitting with my thoughts. His mom left a few minutes ago. I sat rigidly, tears gathering in the corners of my eyes, threatening to spill. My mind raced as I tried to understand how my life had turned into such a mess. I never imagined that Drake was Xavier’s brother — Kendrick.What did he mean that we slept together? Why would he lie like that? We didn’t get to that point and he knew that. Why would he try to tarnish my image on purpose? The dining room doors burst open.Before I can process what’s happening, Drake—no, Kendrick—is in front of me. His fingers wrap around my wrist.“Drake?”“Where are you taking me?”He ignored me and continued pulling me away until he stopped at a door, then opened it, and on entering, I could see shelves of books, old and new—with the old, musty smell of books. The smell hits me first—dust and old paper.Shelves line t
XAVIER’S POV“What the hell?!” The word leaves my mouth before I can stop it.I should have seen it.The familiarity in his tone when he said her name. The way she froze. The way Kendrick’s expression shifted from confusion to recognition then to fury in seconds.My brother.Of all men in this city.I loosen my tie roughly and step out into the hallway, my jaw tightening.“Kendrick,” I call after him sharply but he doesn’t stop walking.“Stop.” He does and slowly turns around, eyes blazing — not shocked anymore, just angry.“What the hell was that?” I demand.He laughs—bitter, humorless. “You really want to ask me that?”“You don’t get to disrespect her in front of our parents.”“She disrespected me first.”My jaw flexes. “You dated her. Past tense.”“It was literally last month dude.” He paused, “I loved her,” he snapped, frowning. The words land heavier than they should but I keep my face neutral.“And she’s with me now,” I say evenly.“Is she?” he shoots back. He is oblivious to
The dining room freezes. I sat in turmoil, the food in my mouth instantly tasting like dust. He stood at the other end of the table, staring me down. A confused expression on his face as well.His jaw tightens and his shoulders stiffen. I met his gaze and our eyes met. There was no mistake about who was glaring back at me. The same face I memorized is softer. The same eyes that once looked at me like I was something worth choosing. Except now they’re burning.“D-Drake?” I blurted out softly, my head spinning.“How?.... W-what?... Sydney?’’ Drake stuttered trying to form a sentence.“W-what are you doing here?” I asked dumbfounded after finding my voice.“This is my home” He says matter-of-factly, answering my question.“What did you just call him?” Xavier’s mother asks sharply.Drake’s lips press into a thin line.“Kendrick,” she says again, turning to him. “Why are you standing there?”Kendrick?The name slams into me like a second punch.No.No, no, no.He steps into the room, his
“Are you nervous?” Xavier asked, looking down at my fidgeting hands on my lap. I didn’t respond. I sat rigid on the passenger seat, my seatbelt awkwardly fastened, staring outside the window and wishing this whole situation away. I was meeting the Crests—I mean the famous Crests.I had a headache thinking about it. I was beyond petrified and nervous. What if they don’t like me? Are they even obligated to like me since I’m only a fake wife? What are his siblings like? What are his parents like? Questions kept piling up, and the more I pondered them, the scarier the situation looked. “Hey,” Xavier says softly. “It’s going to be fine and they are going to like you” He says reassuringly, caressing my hands softly. I couldn’t help but blush at the physical contact. My cheeks reddened at his touch. It was the first time he was physically tender towards me. There have been a lot of firsts these days. The first time I hung out with Xavier was after work. First time I’m in his car, dr
I stared at my almost-empty cup. I have been sitting in the cafe for almost 45 minutes now and Xavier is still nowhere in sight. I wish I didn't have to do this with him. I took out my phone and opened Instagram to while away the time, since Xavier decided to keep me waiting. I was scrolling through several posts when I caught a glimpse of one that caught my attention. ‘Xavier… Marriage….’I immediately scrolled back, clicked on the blog post then the news filled my screen. “Xavier Crest's Marriage Plans to Someone Other than his long-time ex-girlfriend, Bianca Wilson.”I read through the post in a state of frenzy. I was both anxious and curious at the same time.I read through hurriedly until I got an answer to the question that had stuck in my mind since I started reading the blog post. “The woman he was said to have jilted Bianca for, remains hidden and kept away from the media” I let out a breath of relief, I didn't even realize I was holding my breath. I dropped my phone so I







