All Chapters of A NIGHT WITH MY EX'S RIVAL. : Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

Tulip's Pov“Mom!” Xavier’s voice cracked as he held her, tears streaking his bloodied face.The medical team rushed over immediately, taking her from his arms with urgent efficiency into the room. Machines beeped, and the room filled with the low hum of activity. We all stayed back. And we stayed close to the locked door. One of the nurses glanced at Xavier and me. “Was she in an accident?” she asked, her tone calm but probing.Xavier shook his head violently, his hands clenching. “No… no accident. She was kidnapped. Tortured,” he said, voice rough and hoarse, fighting to hold back more tears.“Oh! I am so sorry”, the nurse replied with concern. I reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder. “She’s going to be okay. She’s in the right place now,” I whispered, trying to sound certain, though I wasn’t sure if I believed it myself.The nurse nodded. “We’ll take care of her. Go sit down; she’ll need monitoring and rest. And you..” her gaze on Xavier, “you should clean yourself up. Yo

Tulip’s Pov“How’s hockey been without my coaching at school?” I asked, glancing at Eli, who was with me in his car outside the hospital.“Honestly…” he said, shaking his head. “It’s been terrible,” he admitted.“Really? Tell me more,” I pressed.“Malia was made overall coach at Nevermore University,” he said. “We all thought you had retired or something,” he added.“Wait… what?” I exclaimed. “Malia? Who did that?”“I can see you’re getting pissed, but you need to calm down,” Eli said softly.“Who gave Malia that position?” I demanded, fury rising.“It was the principal,” he finally said.“The principal?” I repeated, staring at him.“Yes,” Eli confirmed.I paused, remembering how that same principal had made advances toward me before, even promising a promotion if I gave in to his proposal. I had refused, of course.“So he did this just to get to me?” I muttered under my breath.“Proposal?” Eli asked, curious. “Whose proposal?”I gave a small shrug. “Don’t worry about it, Eli. It’s no

Xavier’s pov“Mom,” I said softly, moving closer to her. “Please, try to calm down. I’ll explain everything.”She looked up at me, her eyes clouded with confusion and hurt. “So many things have happened,” she whispered. Then her gaze sharpened. “Who is Tasha?”Before I could answer, my aunt spoke gently, almost cautiously. “Tasha is my brother’s wife. He remarried some time after you left.”“What?” my mom gasped, her voice rising in disbelief. “Married?”I stepped closer, taking her hand. “Yes, Mom,” I said quietly. “Tasha is Dad’s wife… just like she said.”The words tasted bitter in my mouth as I said them.“Wow,” she muttered, her voice breaking. “So,he got married after I left.” Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.“He did it so someone would take care of Xavier whenever he was away at work,” my aunt cut in quickly. “He didn’t want to at first, trust me,” she added. “But he felt he had no choice, for Xavier’s sake.”I held my mom’s hands tightly. “She didn’t take your place in my

Xavier’s pov“Good morning, Mom,” I said, rising from the chair to hug her gently.“Good morning, Xavier,” she whispered, her voice soft and low.I noticed her eyes were wet. “Mom… you’re crying?” I asked, concern tightening in my chest.She remained silent.“Why are you crying?” I pressed, holding her hands firmly.“It’s… it’s just a lot,” she finally said. “I feel so sad knowing I might never see you someday.”“Mom, what are you saying?” I asked, my voice trembling. “I’m still here. I’m not leaving you.”“I know… but I won’t be here in four months,” she said, coughing softly.I swallowed hard, unable to hold back the tears, my mind spinning with helplessness.“I won’t be able to talk to you, see you, or hear your voice when that time comes,” she continued, her voice breaking. “It hurts so much… knowing I didn’t spend enough time with you. I left you, Xavier. I’m so sorry.”I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. “Mom, I have—”“You don’t need to say anything,” she cut me off.

Tulip’s pov“Back so soon?” Clara said as I walked in.“Yeah.”“I thought you were going to spend more time over there,” she added, her eyes fixed on me. “Or did something happen?”“Clara,” I said as I moved to take a seat. “Nothing happened. I just felt they needed a bit more privacy to talk.”“Oh, okay then,” she said. “How’s Xavier’s mom?”“She’s fine,” I replied. “What have you been up to?”“Doing some research, but I’ll be done soon,” she said.“Okay,” I said. “I think I’d like to go to school today.”Clara paused and stared at me. “Are you being serious?”I laughed softly. “Yeah. I need to see how things have been without me.”“Okaaay,” she dragged out. “So when are you planning to go?”“Today,” I said. “Actually… right now.”“Woo,” she exclaimed. “Isn’t that a bit too early?”“I don’t have anything else to do right now,” I said. “So I thought it would be best to go today.”We were still talking when my phone rang.It was a call from Eli.“Hello,” he said as I picked up.“Good a