I Never Hated You
1345 Words
The penthouse was suffocatingly quiet after the storm of the gala. They had walked through the double doors in absolute silence, parting ways without a single look.
Now, well past midnight, Xavier paced the floor of his master bedroom. The tailored Italian suit was gone, replaced by loose black lounge pants, but the tension in his shoulders remained. He couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the raw hurt and fiery defiance in Kate’s eyes from the limo ride.
He stopped by his window, staring out at the city lights. I shouldn't have approached her that way, he thought, running a heavy hand through his dark hair. He had been so consumed by his old high school grudges, so desperate to keep his guard up, that he had acted like a monster. The truth was undeniable: Marcus Vance had set a lethal trap, and Kate had stepped into the line of fire. She hadn't just survived; she had saved his entire corporate image from crumbling into pieces. And his response had been to threaten her mother's life again.
A profound wave of guilt washed over him. Turning on his heel, he decided he couldn't let the night end like this. He needed to apologize.
A few doors down in the guest wing, Kate sat curled up on the edge of the plush king-sized bed. She was still wearing the emerald-green gown, though she had removed the heavy diamond choker. Her mind was a toxic spiral of exhaustion and regret.
"Did I make a mistake?" she whispered to herself, staring blankly at the thick contract resting on the nightstand. "Was coming to him for help the worst decision of my life?"
She pulled her knees to her chest, questioning everything. She had sold her freedom to a predator just to save her mother, but the emotional cost was proving to be a psychological warfare she wasn't sure she could survive.
A sharp, hesitant knock on her bedroom door broke the silence.
Kate’s heart skipped a beat. She stood up, smoothing down the silk of her dress, her hands turning ice-cold as she walked over and pulled the heavy door open. Xavier stood in the doorway. The harsh, dominant billionaire from the limousine was gone; his expression looked tired, almost vulnerable. Without a word, she stepped back, allowing him inside.
The silence between them stretched as they walked over to the bed, both sitting down on the edge of the mattress, leaving a careful distance between them. Kate fidgeted with the fabric of her gown, her heart hammering against her ribs. She could feel the sheer weight of his eyes on her, and the intense power dynamic left her deeply**** intimidated. She folded her hands tightly in her lap, utterly unable to bring herself to look up and meet his gaze.
Staring at her downcast face, Xavier noticed the slight tremble in her shoulders. His voice softened as he spoke, but it happened to hit the air at the exact same moment she decided to open her mouth.
"Look, I—" Xavier began.
"Xavier, I—" Kate blurted out simultaneously.
They both stopped instantly. Kate quickly looked away toward the balcony doors, her cheeks flushing with a sudden warmth. "Go first."
A faint, fleeting trace of a smile touched Xavier's lips before vanishing, his tone surprisingly gentle. "No. You go first."
Keeping her eyes fixed firmly on the floor, her voice came out as a quiet, defensive whisper. "I don't have anything else to say. Just... go ahead."
Letting out a long, heavy sigh that seemed to carry the entire weight of the night's stress, Xavier shifted slightly on the mattress, turning his body toward her. "I'll go."
He reached out, his fingers stopping just short of touching her hand, resting tightly on the velvet duvet instead. His dark eyes were locked onto her profile, completely devoid of the icy facade. "I want to apologize, Kate. For what happened in the limousine. I was angry, and I was caught off guard, but that didn't give me the right to speak to you the way I did."
Kate's head snapped up, her eyes wide with unadulterated shock as she finally looked directly at him. Her mind struggled to process the words coming out of his mouth.
"You saved me tonight," Xavier continued, his voice dropping into a low, deeply passionate register that made her breath hitch. There was no mockery, no sadistic edge—just a raw, intense sincerity. "Marcus Vance didn't just want to embarrass you; he wanted a headline that would destroy Sterling Global's market value by tomorrow morning. You stood on that stage, completely blind to the project details, and you handled it with more brilliance and grace than anyone else in that room could have. I shouldn't have threatened you. And I shouldn't have thrown your past in your face when you were the only one standing by my side."
Kate sat entirely paralyzed, utterly puzzled by the shift in him. She had prepared herself for another round of insults, another reminder of her dynamic as a contract wife on a leash. She had never expected this side of Xavier Sterling—passionate, apologetic, and dangerously human.
As the sheer weight of his sincere words sank in, a sudden tightness gripped her chest. The anger and defense mechanisms she had held onto all night completely shattered, and a soft, broken sob escapes her lips as tears began to spill over.
Xavier's body instantly tenses, a look of genuine confusion and panic flashing across his sharp features. He leaned in closer, his voice laced with sudden anxiety. "Kate? Hey... what's wrong? Did I say something wrong just now?"
Shaking her head helplessly, she buried her face in her trembling hands as waves of overwhelming emotion slammed through her, making it impossible to breathe.
Without thinking, Xavier reached out and gently took her hands, pulling them away from her face and wrapping his long, warm fingers around hers. It was the first time he had ever initiated physical contact when they were completely alone, devoid of any cameras or crowds. "Talk to me, Kate. Please."
Feeling the unexpected warmth of his touch, she completely broke down, her voice thick with unshed tears as she spilled everything she’ve been suffocating under. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Xavier. For everything. For the way I disrespected you back then, for being a stupid, cruel kid... and even for tonight. When you brought me here, I thought you were just being wicked. I thought you just wanted to torture me and watch me crawl."
Xavier stared at her, his grip on her hands tightening slightly as he listened to the raw vulnerability in her voice.
"But sitting on that stage... looking at Marcus Vance, looking at how high you've climbed... I realized the truth," Kate said, looking right into his dark eyes through a blur of tears, her heart completely laid bare. "If it wasn't for you, Xavier, my life would be in absolute ruins right now. My family would be destroyed. My mom... my mom wouldn't even be breathing by midnight. You saved us. Even if you hate me, you saved us, and I've just been sitting here fighting you."
The final pieces of Xavier's icy facade melted away completely. A profound stillness settled over him as he looked at the girl who once held the world, now completely broken and apologetic on his bed.
Slowly letting go of one of her hands, he lifted his arm, his long fingers gently brushing against her skin as he wiped a stray, hot tear off her cheek with his thumb. His touch was remarkably tender, a stark contrast to the rough grip in the penthouse kitchen hours earlier.
"I don't hate you, Kate," Xavier whispered softly. "I never did. I was just hurt."
- Writer
