Chapter Twenty Three — Avi
1490 Words
I had to admit it.
Sicily was beautiful.
Very beautiful.
The kind of beautiful that made you stop what you were doing just to look around.
The architecture, the streets, the scenery, the little shops, the restaurants, the monuments—it was all incredible.
For the first few hours, I actually forgot that I was supposed to be annoyed with Xavier.
Almost.
Because then I remembered the guards.
There were guards everywhere.
Behind me.
Beside me.
Sometimes in front of me.
I felt like I was being escorted to a presidential meeting instead of sightseeing.
I glanced at Matteo.
“Do they really need to follow me everywhere?”
Matteo gave me an apologetic look.
“Patron said we should watch you.”
I sighed.
“Of course he did.”
Matteo smiled slightly.
“He is worried about you.”
“I know.”
I looked behind me.
Four men were walking several feet away.
“I just want to walk normally.”
Matteo hesitated.
I lowered my voice.
“Please. Just let me have a little space. I’m not going anywhere.”
He looked at the guards.
Then at me.
Finally, he nodded.
“Okay. But we stay close.”
“That’s fine.”
And for the first time that day, I felt like a normal person.
We walked around.
I visited the mall.
I bought a few small things.
Nothing expensive.
Nothing that required Xavier’s credit card.
Not because I didn’t want to use it.
I knew Xavier wanted me to.
But I didn’t need to spend his money just because he had given me permission.
I bought snacks.
Some small souvenirs.
A few things that caught my attention.
At one point, I even bought food for the guards.
Matteo looked surprised.
“You bought this for them?”
“Yes.”
“They’ll appreciate it.”
“They’ve been following me around all day. They deserve lunch.”
He laughed.
We grabbed some fast food and sat for a while.
It was actually fun.
Simple.
Nothing extravagant.
And for a few hours, I enjoyed myself.
I took pictures.
I walked around.
I saw monuments.
I admired the scenery.
Sicily was incredible.
I understood why Xavier wanted to show me this place.
For the first time since arriving, I thought maybe I understood what he meant when he said he wanted me to see where he came from.
Then I remembered something.
He wasn’t here.
He was working.
Again.
⸻
By the time I returned to the estate, it was already evening.
I showered and changed.
Dinner was already prepared.
But Xavier wasn’t there.
Again.
I looked toward the empty chair beside mine.
Nothing.
No Xavier.
No phone call.
Not even a text.
Not one.
Don Falcon was at the table.
He smiled when he saw me.
“How was your outing?”
“It was nice.”
“Did you enjoy yourself?”
“Yes. Sicily is beautiful.”
“I’m glad.”
He asked about the places I visited, what I bought, whether I had eaten.
I answered everything.
But my eyes kept drifting toward the door.
Maybe Xavier would walk through it.
Maybe he’d surprise me.
Maybe he’d say he was sorry.
Maybe he’d sit beside me and ask me about my day.
Nothing.
Eventually, dinner ended.
I went upstairs.
I changed.
Then I waited.
I didn’t know why I was waiting.
I kept telling myself I wasn’t.
I was simply sitting there.
That’s all.
I checked my phone.
Nothing.
Ten o’clock.
Nothing.
Eleven.
Nothing.
Midnight.
Still nothing.
I stared at his contact.
My thumb hovered over his name.
I could call him.
I wanted to.
But he had said he was busy.
I didn’t want to disturb him.
So I put my phone down.
One o’clock.
Nothing.
Two.
Still nothing.
Eventually, sleep won.
⸻
The next morning, Xavier still wasn’t there.
I woke up and immediately looked beside me.
Empty.
I checked the bathroom.
Nothing.
His side of the wardrobe was untouched.
My stomach tightened.
I didn’t know why.
I went downstairs.
Don Falcon was already having breakfast.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning, Avi.”
We exchanged pleasantries.
I sat down.
But I couldn’t help myself.
“Where’s Xavier?”
Don Falcon paused.
Just for a second.
Then he answered.
“He’s busy with family business.”
Family business.
There was something about the way he said it that bothered me.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes.”
He smiled.
“There are some disputes that need to be settled. Xavier will be back.”
“Disputes?”
“Nothing you need to worry about.”
That answer made me worry more.
Because Xavier had told me he was dealing with business.
He hadn’t told me anything about disputes.
Or family problems.
Or anything else.
I nodded anyway.
“Okay.”
I ate breakfast.
But my appetite wasn’t really there.
⸻
The rest of the day passed slowly.
Matteo came to me sometime in the morning.
“Would you like to go sightseeing again?”
I looked at him.
“Who told you to ask me?”
“Patron.”
I nearly laughed.
Of course.
“Did he call you?”
“Yes.”
I stared at him.
“So he called you?”
“Yes.”
“And he didn’t call me?”
Matteo immediately became very interested in the floor.
I leaned back.
“Interesting.”
Xavier had somehow managed to call Matteo and ask about me.
But he hadn’t called me.
That irritated me more than it should have.
I stayed home.
I worked.
At lunchtime, the maid came to get me.
“Mr. Avi, lunch is ready.”
“I’m not hungry.”
She hesitated.
“Patron said you should eat.”
I closed my laptop.
There it was again.
Patron said.
Patron said this.
Patron said that.
Patron wanted this.
Patron wanted that.
Everyone seemed to know what Xavier wanted.
Everyone except me.
I looked at her.
“Where is Patron?”
She smiled nervously.
“I don’t know, sir.”
Exactly.
Nobody knew.
Or nobody was telling me.
And I was beginning to get angry.
Where the hell was my husband?
⸻
Dinner came.
Still no Xavier.
Don Falcon joined me again.
He asked about my career.
My work.
My cases.
He complimented me on how quickly my career had been progressing.
I appreciated it.
I really did.
There was something comforting about Don Falcon.
He made an effort.
He asked questions.
He listened.
He seemed genuinely interested in me.
But he wasn’t Xavier.
And that thought annoyed me.
Because why was I thinking about Xavier?
Why was I noticing his absence this much?
Why did I keep looking toward the door?
Why did I keep checking my phone?
I hated it.
I hated every second of it.
After dinner, I went upstairs and opened my laptop.
I worked until midnight.
Still nothing.
No call.
No text.
Nothing.
I closed my laptop.
The room suddenly felt too quiet.
I looked at the empty side of the bed.
And something inside me sank.
I felt abandoned.
The realization hit me so suddenly that I almost laughed at myself.
Abandoned?
By Xavier?
The same man who had spent the last few months asking me where I was every five minutes?
The same man who couldn’t stand when I went somewhere without telling him?
The same man who had practically monitored my entire life?
And now I was upset because he wasn’t doing it?
What was wrong with me?
I picked up my phone again.
Still nothing.
I opened our messages.
The last message was from me.
I stared at it.
Then I locked the phone.
“No.”
I shook my head.
I wasn’t calling him.
I wasn’t chasing him.
I wasn’t going to become that person.
But deep down, I knew something had changed.
Because I missed him.
I missed the annoying questions.
I missed the constant texts.
I missed hearing him ask when I was coming home.
I even missed his ridiculous possessiveness.
And that realization scared me.
Because I was slowly becoming him.
The very thing I had spent a month complaining about.
I was becoming the person who wanted to know:
Where are you?
What are you doing?
Who are you with?
Except there was one question I couldn’t answer.
Where was Xavier?
And why was he making me miss him this much?
I stared at the clock.
12:47 a.m.
Still nothing.
I pulled the blanket over myself and turned toward the empty side of the bed.
For the first time since Xavier came back into my life, I didn’t feel trapped by his presence.
I felt hurt by his absence.
And somehow, that was much worse.
Because I had finally realized something I didn’t want to admit.
I didn’t want Xavier to leave me alone.
I wanted him to come home.
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