บททั้งหมดของ BORROWED LOVE ON ICE : บทที่ 41 - บทที่ 50

MELLISA'S POVI was having a good dream.One of those warm, fuzzy ones that didn’t make a lot of sense but felt like safety. No pressure. No whispers. No past dragging me down. Just… peace. Until the universe decided to wake me up with a vengeance.My phone wouldn’t stop buzzing.Ding. Ding. Ding. One after another, like the world had collectively decided to scream at me through a glowing rectangle.Groaning, I reached across the bed and fumbled for the phone, the screen nearly blinding in the early morning darkness.Thirty-seven notifications. Three missed calls. Fifteen unread messages.And every single one of them… was about me.I sat up slowly, heart in my throat, stomach already sinking as I opened the first group chat.Screenshots. Mentions. Clips.The incident from last night.My jaw clenched as I scrolled through the posts. The comments. The headlines. That video of me grabbing Alfred James by the collar and smashing his smug face against the table. People had turned it into a

MELISSA'S POVI was still reeling from the email.The glow of being nominated as a finalist for Miss England hadn’t worn off yet. It still didn’t feel real. I’d read the message over and over again, as if the words might vanish if I blinked too hard. Even with the chaos that had clouded my morning, that one email had felt like a hand reaching down and lifting me from the mess.For the first time in days, I felt light.Hopeful.I had been smiling, hugging a pillow to my chest, letting the idea of Miss World, cameras, gowns, interviews, and finally making something mine swirl around in my head—when my phone vibrated again.Just one name popped up.Xavier Kesh.And I froze. It wasn’t a text. It was a post.My thumb hovered over it for a few seconds, my pulse flickering at my wrist. I wasn’t even sure what I was bracing for—an announcement? A cryptic caption? A quiet unfollow?But when I tapped on it… I saw his face.And everything inside me unraveled.It wasn’t just the way he looked on

MELISSA’S POVThe next morning, I woke up feeling… lighter.No headaches. No tightness in my chest. No weight pressing down on me like the day before.Just sunlight peeking through the blinds and a quiet hum of peace in the silence of my room.It felt foreign.Maybe because I wasn’t used to peace lasting longer than five minutes. But as I sat up and stretched my arms above my head, I realized something—I wanted to keep this feeling.Yesterday had been chaos.From the social media storm to the overwhelming flood of emotions, and Xavier… him stepping in like that. Honestly, I didn’t know how to process it.I’d spent half the night overthinking his post, trying to dissect every word, every sentence. Was it all for the internet? Was he just trying to salvage the situation for PR? Or… did he mean it?And if he did—why? Why go that far for me?I still didn’t have the answers. Maybe I never would. Maybe it didn’t matter.Because today wasn’t about Xavier.Today was about me.I had something

MELISSA’S POVThe office wardrobe always smelled like a strange mix of fabric softener, perfume, and just a hint of coffee from the staff rushing between fittings. I stepped in, my heels clicking against the polished wooden floor, and was immediately greeted by racks upon racks of clothes. Everything was lined up neatly—dresses in protective plastic, tailored suits, shoes organized by color and size, and a little accessory wall that looked like a jeweler’s display.“Melissa, right?” one of the wardrobe assistants called from behind a rack of sequined gowns. She was petite, with her hair tied in a messy bun, and had a measuring tape slung around her neck like it was part of her outfit.“Yeah, that’s me,” I replied, offering a polite smile as I approached.She handed me a garment bag. “Here’s your outfit for today’s shoot. Xavier already approved the theme, so we’ve kept it simple but elegant. The color’s going to pop on camera.”I nodded and thanked her, unzipping the bag just enough t

MELISSA’S POVThe cab ride back was a blur, like someone had pressed fast-forward on reality. I don’t even remember giving the driver my address. I don’t remember taking out my wallet. One moment I was standing in Xavier’s doorway, my pulse thundering like I’d just sprinted for my life, and the next I was in my apartment, leaning against the closed door as if it were the only thing keeping me from collapsing.“What the fuck was that?” The words burst out of me, my voice trembling, echoing off the empty walls.My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. My chest was tight, every breath uneven, like my body was still trapped in that doorway with him. I dropped my bag on the couch, knocking over a pillow I didn’t bother to fix. My feet moved on their own, pacing a line into the carpet.“This isn’t right,” I whispered, my throat aching. “That wasn’t even Xavier back there…”But I could still see him—too clearly. The way his eyes locked on mine when I demanded answers. The way his brows drew together