MARKED FOR XAVIER

CHAPTER TWELVE:THE MEMORY THEY TRIED TO ERASE

The words didn’t just settle.

They echoed.

Ariana felt them before she understood them.

Deep.

Sharp.

Unforgiving.

“…No,” she whispered, her voice barely steady. “That’s not possible.”

But something inside her—

Something quiet, buried, and long forgotten—

Shifted.

A flicker.

A fracture.

Her breath slowed.

Then quickened again.

“I would remember something like that,” she said, though the certainty in her voice had already begun to crack.

Xavier didn’t respond immediately.

He watched her.

Closely.

Like he was waiting.

For something.

And that—

That unsettled her more than anything else.

“You were young,” he said finally.

His voice was lower now.

More deliberate.

“And not everything that happens… stays where it should.”

Ariana’s brows pulled together.

“What does that even mean?”

But even as she asked—

Her vision shifted.

Just slightly.

The room blurred at the edges.

The air felt… different.

Thicker.

Her fingers curled slowly at her sides.

“Why does it feel like I—”

She stopped.

Because suddenly—

She wasn’t fully there anymore.

The air smelled different.

Sharper.

Colder.

Like rain just before it touched the ground.

Ariana’s breath came lighter now.

Smaller.

Not because she chose it—

But because she wasn’t her present self anymore.

She was younger.

Much younger.

Her surroundings had changed.

The estate—

But not as she knew it.

Less controlled.

Less silent.

But still… wrong.

The sky above was a dull grey, heavy with clouds, the wind brushing against her skin in uneven waves.

Her small hands clutched tightly at the fabric of her dress.

Soft.

Pale.

Her hair—long, dark, slightly tangled by the wind—fell loosely over her shoulders, strands sticking faintly to her face.

Her heartbeat was fast.

Too fast.

Not confusion.

Fear.

Raw.

Unfiltered.

“You shouldn’t be out here.”

The voice came from behind her.

Deep.

Cold.

Ariana turned slowly.

And saw him.

Not Xavier.

Someone else.

Taller.

Older.

His presence felt… wrong.

His eyes—

Dark.

Not just in color.

But in depth.

Empty in a way that didn’t make sense.

His posture was still.

Too still.

Like he didn’t need to move to command attention.

“Come here,” he said.

Not gently.

Not forcefully either.

Just certain.

The kind of certainty that didn’t allow disobedience.

Ariana took a step back instead.

Her small frame trembling slightly.

“No…” she whispered.

The man tilted his head slightly.

Almost curious.

“You were told to listen,” he said.

Her breathing quickened.

“I want my mom,” she said, her voice breaking slightly.

For a moment—

Just a moment—

Something flickered across his face.

Annoyance.

Then—

Gone.

“You don’t need her,” he replied.

He stepped forward.

Slow.

Measured.

Ariana stepped back again.

Her little heel sandals caught slightly against the uneven ground.

Her balance shifted—

And suddenly—

She fell.

The impact knocked the air from her lungs.

Her vision blurred for a second.

But she forced herself to look up.

He was closer now.

Too close.

The air felt colder around him.

He crouched slightly.

Bringing himself to her level.

His gaze locked onto hers.

And this time—

She saw it clearly.

His eyes weren’t just dark.

They were… watching.

Like he wasn’t just looking at her—

But through her.

“You’re important,” he said quietly.

His voice dropped lower.

“But not in the way you think.”

Ariana shook her head slightly.

“I don’t understand…”

He reached toward her.

Her body froze.

Not because she wanted to—

But because something in her refused to move.

“You don’t need to,” he said.

His fingers brushed lightly against her temple.

Cold.

Too cold.

Her breath stopped.

And then—

Everything went wrong.

A sharp sound cut through the air.

Loud.

Sudden.

The man’s head snapped to the side.

Ariana’s vision shook.

Voices.

Shouting.

Fast.

Urgent.

“Get her away from him!”

The world blurred again.

Hands—

Different hands—

Pulled her back.

Strong.

Protective.

Her vision flickered.

And then—

For a split second—

She saw him.

Xavier.

Younger.

But unmistakable.

Standing a distance away.

His expression—

Cold.

Focused.

But his eyes—

Locked onto hers.

Everything shattered.

The image cracked—

Like glass breaking from the inside.

And suddenly—

Ariana was back.

Her breath came out sharp.

Her body jerked slightly as she stumbled back.

The room spun for a moment.

Her chest rising and falling too fast.

“…No…” she whispered.

Her hands trembled slightly.

“That—” she shook her head. “That wasn’t—”

But it was.

She knew it was.

Her eyes snapped to Xavier.

“You were there,” she said.

Her voice wasn’t soft anymore.

It was sharp.

Accusing.

“You were there.”

Silence.

He didn’t deny it.

Her heart pounded harder now.

“Who was he?” she demanded.

A pause.

Too long.

Then—

Xavier spoke.

Quiet.

Controlled.

But heavier than before.

“Someone who shouldn’t have found you that early.”

Ariana’s breath caught.

“…Found me?”

A beat.

Then—

His next words changed everything.

“That wasn’t the first time.”