2025-07-10 10:25:52Xavier 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.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
The One Before The Final Decision
The courtyard of Amber’s estate was no longer just tense — it was vibrating with a dangerous electricity that made even the guards keep their hands hovering near their weapons. The echo of Celeste’s voice still lingered in the air, sharp and acidic, and the look on Amber’s face as she stood at the top of the stone steps was the quiet promise of war.Xavier did not move. He stood planted between both women, jaw locked, eyes scanning the estate’s perimeter like he was calculating a thousand risks at once. He didn’t like scenes. He didn’t tolerate ambushes. And he definitely wasn’t going to let a loose-mouthed outsider start a fire on territory he’d sworn to keep safe.Antonio took one slow step forward. “Celeste,” he growled under his breath, “get back in the car—”“Don’t you dare talk to me like I’m the problem,” she hissed, throwing him a glare. “I warned you this was a bad idea. I told you we should have waited. But no— you just had to run straight to Xavier, like he’s the only one w
Forced Confession
The guards pulled back but didn’t disperse. They lingered around the courtyard like a pack waiting for Xavier’s next order. No one breathed freely. No one blinked too long. The air between all four of them was thick enough to slice.Xavier stood in front of Antonio, the tension between them bordering on physical. “Start talking,” he said. “And don’t test my patience with selective details.”Antonio didn’t answer immediately. His eyes flicked between Xavier, Amber, then Celeste—who remained by the gate, rigid, silent, controlled only by the need not to break again in their presence.Xavier took one step forward. “I asked you a question.”Antonio exhaled through clenched teeth. “Fine. You want the truth? You’ll get it.”Amber folded her arms, jaw locked. “About time.”Celeste didn’t move. She stayed outside the gate, watching, unreadable, yet every nerve in her body was braced—because she knew whatever Antonio said next would drag her name into the center of a storm she didn’t create.A
THE BLOW-UP
Antonio had barely gotten the first sentence out before Celeste’s patience finally snapped.“Before New York?” she repeated, her voice shaking with the kind of anger that had been building since the instant her passport was flagged in Heathrow. “You’re starting from ‘before New York’ when I’ve been dragged across borders, detained, questioned, embarrassed, and now told to stand outside like a stray?”Amber’s lips curved. Not kindly. “If the shoe fits.”Celeste turned slowly toward her.Xavier muttered, “Amber—”“Don’t ‘Amber’ me,” she cut in, eyes fixed on Celeste. “I’ve watched this woman circle Antonio like a shadow for months. Every time trouble touches him, somehow she’s in the picture. You want me to act blind now?”Celeste didn’t laugh—she scoffed. “You think I enjoy being anywhere near him? You think I flew across the world because I like being part of your little drama-filled circle?”“This is not a circle,” Amber said sharply. “This is my estate. My security. My responsibilit
Distractions
“Sir, something’s happening at the east entrance. You need to see this now.”The guard’s voice cut through the hallway like a blade. Xavier didn’t move at first; his eyes stayed locked on Antonio, who still looked like a man hanging onto the last thread of patience he had left. But the urgency in the guard’s face made Xavier shift.Amber pushed past the guard before Xavier could respond. “What now?” Her irritation sharpened every word. “Your estate is turning into a circus, Xavier.”Xavier followed her, and Antonio trailed behind them despite the earlier warning not to move. No one addressed him; the tension had become its own breathing thing.They turned the corner toward the east entrance—then everything snapped into focus.Celeste.Standing outside the gate like a storm that had found legs.She wasn’t just arguing with the guards; she was practically ready to tear the gate off the hinges if that’s what it took to get inside. Her voice was raised, firm, unfiltered—demanding that the
Say It With Your Chest
Amber’s heels hit the marble before Xavier even finished his sentence. A sound that told the room she had heard enough even before stepping inside.Antonio turned slightly as she entered the atrium, but Amber didn’t spare him a glance at first. She looked at Xavier directly like she was confirming something she already knew.Then she finally faced Antonio.Her expression didn’t hold anger. It held precision. A different kind of heat—controlled, intelligent, dangerous.“Good,” Amber said, adjusting the sleeve of her robe like she had walked into a board meeting, not a standoff. “You’re still here. Saves me the trouble of dragging you back.”Antonio straightened. “I didn’t come here for you.”“And yet,” Amber replied, “you’re on my property.”“That wasn’t your problem ten minutes ago,” Antonio snapped. “I just want to see my daughter.”Amber tilted her head. “And I want a world without incompetent men. Look how life disappoints us both.”Antonio’s jaw locked. “Don’t start with—”“I’m no
You Don't Get To Demand Anything Here
Amber’s estate did not welcome unexpected visitors. The gates alone stood like a verdict—silent, fortified, and far from forgiving. Antonio stepped out of the black sedan the moment it stopped, posture rigid, eyes fixed on the security point as though he intended to force his way through by sheer will.He didn’t get the chance because Xavier was already outside. He looked prepared, like someone who had been counting down the minutes to this confrontation.Antonio’s jaw tightened. “Where is she?”Xavier didn’t blink. “Behind a gate you’re not walking through.”Antonio took a step forward, and Xavier raised a hand, not a threat, just a warning. “Don’t test me today.”“I came to see my daughter,” Antonio said, voice lowered, steady. “That’s all.”“You came to confirm the damage you caused without telling me,” Xavier corrected. “And you’re going to start with that.”Antonio let out a breath he’d been holding since New York. “Xavier, I don’t have time for this.”“You will make time,” Xavie
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