Chapter 26
As soon Xander saw me going away his breath hitched like he was a man drowning.
“Athena I have prepared everything for you. Those dresses that Jessica took are now being restored by the best of designers in the world. A state mourning is organised for your mother and I ruined Valcruz family members who sold you to the marriage with Killian Arrows!! burned that damn house down where you cried…I will do everything for you Athenal I will die for you.”
“Die?” I turned to face him, my lips pressd in a thin line. “What good your death would do to me Xander?
“I don’t love you… nor do I hate you Xander…not anymore.” I said my voice steady. “Because even that would mean you mattered. The Valeruz family and you are all strangers to me whom even if I ever pass I would refused to even recogniize so whatever you are doing in the garb of making ‘me‘ happy is in reality all your desire…your wishful thinking that those would make me happy.”
His hands curled into fists against the stone. “Athena No!… don’t say that please No!”
I straightened and turned away.
That was my answer.
“Athena wait! I know you dreamed of a family with me!”
I froze.S
“I found the sketches.–Yo
beautiful charcoal drawings.” he whispered hoarsely. “The ones you drew years ago. Hidden behind your wardrobe panel. You drew our house. You… you even picked names for children. Llora. Eli, You planned to build a nursery with stars on the ceiling.”
gripped the doorframe
“Please give me one chance Athena..I will make all those dreams come true. Please.”
“You used to wait for me with warm food, with soft fingers even when you were bruised. And I was so blind, so drunk on her lies… crushed every ounce of your hope under my boots.”
His voice cracked further, unable to hold the weight of what he’d done.”
“I destroyed your dreams. Your safety. Your love. And worst of all–I made you feel like the broken one. I left you doubting your worth, your sanity, your voice.”
“I should’ve known,” he sobbed. “When you flinched from sudden sounds. When your hands shook while pouring tea. When you stood silent at every party like you didn’t belong in your own skin. I should have known!”
His voice cracked into a whisper.
“And instead I turned away. I called you cold. Manipulative. While you were choking on silence just to protect the family that hated you.”
I looked over my shoulder, slowly. And what I saw wasn’t Xander Thome. Not the empire builder. Not the savior. Not the heir.
It was a man destroyed by his own hands.
He had sunk to the ground again, forehead pressed against the gravel, trembling.
“I don’t want redemption Athenal” he said softly. “I don’t even want your forgiveness, I just want to live every day knowing I failed the only person who ever saw me. Not my power. Not my legacy. Just… me….please come back to me baby. I will make it up to you please!“! “You wanted to build a life with me…” he choked. “And I was the one who set fire to iL”!
I said nothing for a moment and then turned to face him fully.
“You are right, Xander, I did dream of a life with you..didn’t I confess my love saying that I wanted to live with you?”
His breath caught,
“I dreamed of mornings with coffee in bed….even if it was a small cottage far away from the luxury I would have been so happy..so content because I would then know that I was being seen… loved and cherished.”
He lifted his tear–streaked face to look at me.ll
“But now I have all that Xander,” I said. “And it’s with a man who tried to show that he doesn’t cares and then I don’t know why ends up caring so much. Yesterday when you send your men to take me Killian gave me a choice..the man who can snatch and conquer respected my decision to choose between you and him.
The man who rules the mafia stained with blood was nightmare.
beside my bed all night because e he was afraid that I would be startled by a
Even if you gained the world and Killian lost everything Xander…I would still choose him.”
1 stepped back inside but Xander was frozen, his bloodshot eyes seemed like they were bleeding tears.
Through the glass, I saw him collapse again broken, kneeling in a country he didn’t belong to, mourning a girl he never truly saw.
I closed the door.
And finally felt peace.
10 05 AM c d
