Coffee at first sight

Chapter 25

He keeps glaring at me and removes his jacket. He rolls his sleeves up and I see his inked forearm. The veins look so prominent. Why is that hot? Why is he so hot?

He starts picking up all the papers. Is he seriously cleaning the room right now? I keep eating which watching him clean every inch of the room in awe. He really knows what he is doing. He knows how to cook, how to clean and he is even good in maths.

"I don't cook, I don't clean, but let me tell you, I got this ring", I sing while eating.

After a few minutes, he approaches the bed and without warning me, he pulls out the sheet, throwing me down on the floor. I glare at him and he glares back.

"I'll take a bath while my devoted husband is cleaning the room", I say just to piss him off.

Minutes later, when I return back from my shower, the room is clean and polished. I can't see even a single piece of paper or dust anywhere. Even, the couch is tidied properly.

The door opens and Xander walks back in. His hair is wet and his clothes are already changed. He really has everything in check.

I lay on the couch and he turns off the light. He really is in control of everything. From his emotions to cleaning his room. I realize that we have barely spoken to each other in the past few weeks.

I miss the comfort of my apartment. My own room, my own bed.

Somehow during the night, I hear my phone vibrating. Picking it from the floor, I see the message. My whole body tenses when l see a message from an old college friend.

Ayla, how are you? It's been a long time since I heard back from you. Anyways, thought I would meet you today. Meredith Jackson has passed away. I hope you know. Today was her funeral.

Hope to hear back from you. Alice

My heart starts thudding loudly in my chest as tears blur my vision. Meredith is dead? I get up quickly, no longer sleepy and walk outside on the balcony. But it's still does not feel enough. I feel suffocated. The air is not cold enough for my skin.

I need to walk out or else I might scream and cry. I glance at Xander before opening the door to leave. I keep walking and finally walk away from the house.

"Meredith is dead. She is dead", I murmur to myself.

I promised to meet her. She must had been waiting for me but I just left and never turned back. She was a good woman. Almost like my mother. And not even once, I met her. I just left her to suffer on her own.

I try to take a deep breath when a sob tries to escape from my mouth.

Meredith was the woman who birthed Lucas Jackson. The man I almost killed. The man who currently is in a vegetative state because of me.

Lucas Jackson was my karma for taking my mother away. Father made sure I paid for this with my blood.

As my punishment, he used to send me at their place from a young age. Meredith was always good to me but Lucas and his father was anything but nice. I think Father knew that Lucas had his vile eyes on me since I was sixteen and he let him ravaged my soul.

Lucas was a psychopath. He was obsessed with me. He is the reason behind my every struggle till this day. The main reason why I always choose to wear black clothes and baggy clothes because almost my entire body have marks.

Marks which he has imprinted on my skin.

I tried to run away from him countless times but he would always find me. And the punishement was always worst. It was either one stab with a pocket knife or I became an ashtray for his cigars. He would touched me everywhere and would often forcefully stripped me off my clothes.