[Layla’s POV]The first thing I felt was pain.A dull ache that spread from my arms to my legs, like I’d been torn apart and stitched back together too quickly. My throat burned, dry and raw, as if every scream I’d swallowed still clung there.I tried to move, but my hand wouldn’t budge.That was when I saw him.Xavier.His head rested against the edge of my bed, my hand cradled in his palm like something too fragile to let go. His hair was a mess, his shirt wrinkled, his tie long gone. The man who always carried himself like steel—sharp suits, polished shoes, the faint scent of cedarwood trailing wherever he went—was nowhere to be found.Instead, there was this man. Exhausted. Worn. Dark circles carved beneath his closed eyes, his features softer in sleep, but heavy with worry even then.My chest tightened. I’d never seen Xavier like this before.Careful not to wake him, I let my eyes wander, and that was when I noticed it.The ring.On my finger. Again.The same ring I had left behi
Last Updated : 2025-09-09 Read more