Revenge Looks Good In Gucci

Alone

Xavier stared at the note in his hands.

Lisa’s handwriting. Neat, almost too neat for what it carried.

  “I’ve gone to stay with my mom in New Rochelle. Just for a while. Please don’t come looking for us. I’ll be leaving for Boston soon with Emerald.”

He didn’t wait to read it twice.

He bought a Metro-North ticket to New Rochelle without hesitation.

He knew exactly where Lisa’s mother lived.

They used to go there every other Sunday for family dinners, have awkward small talks, with Lisa laughing too hard at her mom’s jokes while Xavier quietly helped clear the plates.

But this time, he wasn’t going for small talk.

The train pulled into the quiet New Rochelle station just before 9 p.m. Just when the weather had changed, threatening to rain any moment.

He walked the familiar streets in silence, clutching a gift bag that had a soft plush bunny inside. He didn’t know why he bought it, but something told him Emerald would be happy to see it.

When he reached the cream-colored townhouse with the black railings, he didn’t hesitate.

He knocked.

The door creaked open.

Lisa stood there, barefoot in leggings and a sweatshirt.

Her face dropped the moment she saw him. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Xavier stepped forward. “We need to talk.”

She tried to close the door. “No. You’re not supposed to be here.”

He caught the door with one hand and gently pushed it open. “Lisa–”

He stepped in.

Lisa stared at him like she didn’t recognize him.

In the living room, a small laugh rang out.

Emerald.

She was sitting on the floor with a stuffed giraffe, her tiny fingers flipping through a board book.

When she looked up and saw him, her face lit up instantly.

  “Dada!”

Xavier didn’t even think. He dropped the bag and picked her up, holding her against his chest.

His eyes burned. “Hey, baby girl. Daddy missed you.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck.

Lisa didn’t say a word.

  “She’s mine,” he whispered, more to himself than to her.

Lisa stepped forward.

  “Put her down.”

Xavier held Emerald a little closer.

  “I just got here.”

  “You shouldn’t be here,” she snapped. “You’re not supposed to follow me. You never listen.”

  “I’m her father, Lisa.”

She scoffed. “God, could you be any more pathetic?”

  “Let’s not do this in front of our daughter,” he said, his voice shaking. “I didn’t come to fight. I came to make things right.”

Lisa folded her arms. “Make what right?”

  “I know I wasn’t perfect. You were stressed. Work was a lot, and I wasn’t always there in the right ways…”

Lisa blinked, confused.

  “...but I’m sorry,” he continued quickly. “Okay? I’m sorry. I just want us back. You and Emerald are all I have, Lisa.”

She laughed, loud and sharp.

  “You’re not just sorry, Xavier. You’re delusional. What part of I’m done don’t you understand?”

  “I never got a chance to talk to you”

  “I left a letter! I sent messages. I told Mrs. Pritchard everything. What did you think was happening? That I just needed space?”

She walked closer. “I sold the house, incase you've not realised.”

His stomach dropped.

  “No. You can’t be serious. You can’t sell the house. We bought it together.”

  “Technically, it’s under my name,” she said flatly. “I had every right. And I sold it, because we’re starting a new life. In Boston.”

His mouth hung open. “What?”

Lisa rolled her eyes. “Why am I even explaining myself? You streamed a damn proposal live like we’re in a reality show, and now people are tagging me in memes! My friends are laughing at me!”

  “I was trying to make it special”

  “You made it embarrassing.”

She took a breath, her voice lower. “I don’t want anything to do with you, Xavier. Ever again.”

Before he could respond, a voice cut through the hallway.

 “What’s going on here?”

Lisa’s mother stepped out of her bedroom wearing a silk robe and house slippers, her hair wrapped in a scarf. She paused when she saw Xavier, her lips curling.

  “Oh. It's you.”

  “Good evening, Mrs. Hanes,” Xavier said. “I just came to talk.”

  “Talk?” she scoffed, stepping closer. “You have some nerve showing up here. After dragging my daughter’s name through the mud?”

   “I didn’t drag her anywhere,” he said, trying to stay calm. “I came for my family.”

  “Your family?” Her voice rose. “You mean the one you couldn’t support? The one you embarrassed in front of the whole internet?”

Xavier swallowed hard.

  “We were managing”

  “Managing?” she barked a laugh. “My daughter wasn’t born to manage, Xavier. And my granddaughter definitely wasn’t. You trapped Lisa in a life she hated. And now she’s free.”

  “Mom, that’s enough,” Lisa said quietly.

Mrs. Hanes didn’t even blink. “No. Let me finish. This man has been nothing but dead weight since the beginning. We tolerated him because you swore he had potential. Look where that got you.”

Xavier looked down at Emerald. She was resting against his chest, calm. Trusting.

   “I never stopped trying,” he said softly. “All my handwork is for them.”

Lisa stepped forward and gently took Emerald from his arms. “It’s too late, Xavier.”

  “I can’t just walk away like this.”

  “If you don’t leave,” Mrs. Hanes said sharply, “I’ll have you escorted out. You think we won’t file a restraining order?”

Xavier’s voice cracked. “Lisa, please… just talk to me. Without her.”

Lisa stared at him with blank eyes. “There’s nothing else to say.”

He turned to Mrs. Hanes, his fists clenched. “You don’t get to strip me of my daughter.”

  “She’s not your daughter,” she said, each word ice-cold. “She is Antonio’s and they’re leaving in a few days, without you.”

That broke him.

He looked at Lisa, one last time. “You’re going to regret this.”

Lisa’s voice cut sharp

  “Oh, I regretted everything long before now. I regret ever choosing you.”

Mrs. Hanes pointed at the door. “Get out. Now!”

Xavier didn’t move. He couldn’t.

Until Lisa spoke, her voice firm without even looking at him. Her voice was ice cold.

   “Please… you’ve done enough damage, Xavier. Just go, and don’t you ever come looking for us again.”

For a second, he didn’t move. Her words hung in the air like a slap.

Then, as if something inside him finally gave out, his shoulders slumped. Whatever fight was left in him disappeared.

Defeated, humiliated and alone.

He stepped out into the pouring rain. No home, no daughter, no dignity. Just the echo of her voice chasing him down the street.