XAVIER'S POV
I sat in the driver’s seat for what felt like hours, my hands gripping the steering wheel so tight my knuckles turned pale.
Melissa’s voice was still ringing in my head, raw and sharp like a blade.
Get out. Get the f**k out of my house, Xavier.
Those words replayed on a loop, each repetition cutting deeper. I didn’t even know about her disqualification from the Miss England pageant until she’d thrown it in my face. And now… knowing it was indirectly because of me—it was like someone had punched me in the gut and refused to let go.
I’d never seen Melissa like that before. Broken. Shaking. Eyes swollen from crying, her voice trembling with fury. She’s one of the strongest women I know, and for her to crumble like that… it meant the damage was worse than I’d realized.
The
