Forever Hers | 18+

C h a p t e r 11

There was no denying where I was, and when I felt a subtle shift in the air, I knew I was no longer alone in my silent spiral into myself.

"Xavier." I say, acknowledging his presence without turning away from the window. "I suppose you've come to try approach number three with me then?"

I watched his movements in the reflection as he didn't say a word, walking straight up to my side as though he belonged there.

Glancing down at me, I knew he was reading the situation as my arms wrapped around myself like it would be enough to protect me from the conversation that was about to take place.

From the chill traveling down my spine at the feeling of his arm brushing against mine.

"Well it seems like you've got us all figured out, don't you sweetheart?" Xavier drawls with a casual stance beside me, turning only slightly as he holds out a steaming hot mug in my direction. "Coffee?" He asks as though his previous statement didn't exist, smiling fully when I accepted it.

I reached out to take the cup, not acknowledging how obvious it was when he moved his fingers to brush over mine. If I did, I would also have to mention the sparks that I felt from the single touch alone, and the fact that I instantly wanted more.

He was dangerous and left me completely and utterly speechless in his presence. Thankfully, he didn't make me say much as he once again beat me to it.

What we had right now was so unbelievably unpredictable, but when he opened his mouth, I could tell it was serious before the words could even leave his lips.

"I didn't kill your mother, Madelyn."

Just like that, everything inside of me froze. I stiffened where I stood, my coffee cup lowering against my will as I stupidly turned to look at him, Xavier's eyes holding no humour or deception. This wasn't a game or a joke. He was being serious.

I felt like a part of me was unconsciously going into shock, unable to fabricate a single one of the thousands of questions weighing on my tongue.

I had so much to say, my heart begging me to deny the truth being laid out before me.

"But I saw the video." I say, not out of distrust but rather out of confusion. She was dead—I saw her body when I said goodbye, so which was true? What was I missing?

"You saw me shoot Heidi's bindings and then the camera to hide the fact that even thousands of miles away, you were still my biggest weakness." Xavier shakes his head, no longer looking at me despite being well aware of my eyes now on him.

How could I not stare when after all this time, I lived in hateful disbelief as to why he would do it. What motive he would have behind killing my mother, especially in such a brutal, unclear way.

I knew it didn't make sense, but I thought... oh god, I thought that...

"Do you know who did it?" I force out as I feel my chest tighten, nausea and anxiety threatening to eat away at my very soul for ever believing Xavier would do something like that. But can I really blame myself when all of the evidence was right in front of my eyes?

I watched her die, or I thought I did. It had been so easy to believe when—

"Cal's looking into it." Xavier says grimly, and realizing that he truly was sad for me was a bit unexpected. "Whether it was by my hand or not, your mother deserved to die a thousand times over for what she did to you, but I really am sorry that you had to see it nonetheless."

My hand wobbled as I waited for the anger to come, for the defence inside of me to rise to the surface in my mother's name, but the truth is that he wasn't wrong. Again.