The drive back to the hospital was a blur as Xavier kept asking himself questions. “If Alessia was alive, where would she have been?” “Did Gabriele lie to me?” When he finally arrived at the Hospital,he strode down the familiar hallway to her room, but when he pushed the door open, the sight that greeted him made his blood run cold for the second time that day. The room was empty. His heart seized in a sharp, painful clutch. Panic, hot and swift, flooded his senses. He spun around and practically ran back toward the main nursing station. “The patient in ward 302,Ari,where is she?” Xavier demanded, his voice tight and his usual control stripped away by fear. The head nurse looked up calmly. “Mr. Xavier, there’s no need for alarm. She was feeling quite restless and needed some fresh air. We moved her to the patients’ garden area. A nurse is going to fetch her shortly.” “No, don’t bother,” Xavier cut her off, already moving toward the elevators. “I’ll go get her myself.” He too

Bang. Bang. Bang. Three shots, three holes in the center of the target's throat. The heavy steel double doors of the range burst open. Marco, Gabriele’s right-hand man, rushed in, his face pale and sweat beading at his hairline. He didn't wait for the usual permission to speak. "Sir! There is a massive problem!" Gabriele didn't turn. He squeezed the trigger one more time before engaging the safety. Only then did he lower the weapon and look over his shoulder, his expression bored. "You’re interrupting my rhythm, Marco," Gabriele said, his voice smooth and cold. "This had better involve a funeral or a fortune." "The Kanes, sir," Marco panted, clutching a tablet. "Xavier... he went to their estate an hour ago. He burnt the entire house to the ground. The fire department just confirmed,everyone inside is dead. It’s a total loss." Gabriele let out a short, dry scoff. He reached up, adjusting his shooting goggles with a flick of his finger, a mocking smirk dancing on his lips. "The

The car glided to a halt in the driveway of Xavier's sprawling estate. Before the engine had even fully cooled, he was out of the driver’s side and rounding the hood, intent on scooping her up again. As he opened her door and reached in, Ari put a hand up, pressing it against his chest. The solid wall of muscle beneath his shirt made her fingers tingle, reminding her instantly of the overwhelming sensory overload she’d felt in the hospital garage. "I’d rather walk," she said quickly, perhaps a little too quickly. Xavier frowned, his hands hovering. "Ari, you were just discharged. There is no need to be a martyr." "It’s not about being a martyr," she lied smoothly, shifting her legs out of the car. "I need to get the blood flowing. How else am I supposed to heal faster if I don't use my muscles?" He looked ready to argue, his mouth opening to undoubtedly cite some medical fact he’d probably bullied a doctor into telling him, but he stopped. He sighed, relenting. "Fine. But I am not

After a long terrifying day,Ari finally stumbled into her apartment. She didn't turn on the lights, letting the street lamps cast weak patterns on the floor. In the kitchen, she reached deep into the fridge for a cold can of hard cider, needing something stronger. Once she grabbed the drink,she returned to the living room and sank onto the floor, she opened the can, the hiss loud in the silence. As she took a burning gulp, the liquid settled her nausea but did nothing for the cold dread. Fueled by a need to understand the monster she'd fallen for, she opened her laptop and typed Xavier Stewart into the search bar. The results were a sterile monument to corporate success, with nothing about his second lifestyle. “He really did so well to erase the information about himself from the internet” she mumbled to herself as she stretched. Then she tried again, typing Alessia, his late wife. The search yielded hundreds of results and she was ready to check them all, but one profile ima

After a long terrifying day,Ari finally stumbled into her apartment. She didn't turn on the lights, letting the street lamps cast weak patterns on the floor. In the kitchen, she reached deep into the fridge for a cold can of hard cider, needing something stronger. Once she grabbed the drink,she returned to the living room and sank onto the floor, she opened the can, the hiss loud in the silence. As she took a burning gulp, the liquid settled her nausea but did nothing for the cold dread. Fueled by a need to understand the monster she'd fallen for, she opened her laptop and typed Xavier Stewart into the search bar. The results were a sterile monument to corporate success, with nothing about his second lifestyle. “He really did so well to erase the information about himself from the internet” she mumbled to herself as she stretched. Then she tried again, typing Alessia, his late wife. The search yielded hundreds of results and she was ready to check them all, but one profile ima