Betrayed By The Billionaire

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Xavier pulled away abruptly, his breath hitching as he stared down at the woman beneath him. A turbulent wave of emotion—one he couldn't name or suppress—swirled in his chest.

He had initiated that kiss. Not out of punishment, and not out of cold obligation.

Chloe Bishop blinked, the hollow void in her eyes slowly focusing back onto Xavier’s face. When she spoke, her voice was calm, but it carried the weight of a thousand unspoken grievances. "Continue. Why stop? Don't you always prefer taking what you want by force? Go on."

"Chloe, that’s enough."

Xavier released her, a flicker of inexplicable shame burning beneath his skin.

"What? Do you find me repulsive now?" Chloe let out a sharp, jagged laugh. "Don't worry. Regardless of how many men you think I’ll have in the future, as of this moment, this body is still 'clean.' There’s been no one but you."

"Chloe Bishop!"

Xavier’s hand flew to her throat, his fingers tightening in a display of raw, frustrated power. "Do not push your luck."

"Why can't you hear me? Isn't this the vain, greedy Chloe you see in your head?" Her face was now as pale as parchment, her eyes rimmed with a haunting, bloodshot red. "Besides bullying me, misunderstanding me, and hurting me over and over... what else have you ever done for me?"

Xavier remained silent, his gaze locked onto hers.

"Xavier, I was the one who begged you to marry me. Because of that, I never dared to dream that you would love me, or cherish me, or even treat me well. But I am a human being. Why couldn't you leave me with even a shred of basic dignity?"

The dam finally broke. The words she had buried deep in her heart, the ones she had never whispered to a soul, came pouring out. Her tears flowed like a river breaching its banks.

"I can look at my own heart and say that since the day I married you, I have done nothing to betray you. I truly wanted to build a life with you. I worked so hard to please you, but you refused to see any of it."

"I can understand why you don't trust me. But why... why wouldn't you give me even a single chance to explain before throwing me into that dungeon? Do you have any idea how terrifying that place is?"

As Xavier watched the tears track down her face, he felt a sharp, phantom pain in his own chest, as if an invisible hand were crushing his heart. His grip on her neck was firm, but he wasn't actually applying pressure. Is she really crying this hard just because of that? Chloe’s voice dissolved into uncontrollable sobs. "Do you know how dark it is? How damp? How bone-chilling? Did you know there isn't even a toilet down there? No, you don't—because you don't care what I had to endure."

Xavier watched her in a heavy, suffocating silence. Chloe fought to reel in her spiraling emotions, taking long, shaky breaths until she reached a fragile plateau of calm. "I know you have scars from your past, Xavier. But if you have no intention of divorcing me, we have a long life ahead of us. How much longer do you think this body of mine can survive your outbursts?"

Xavier’s eyes darkened dangerously. "Are you asking for a divorce?"

"That day in my father’s office, when you gave me a choice... I wanted to tell you then," Chloe said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "If the day ever comes that I truly want to leave, it won't be because of another man. It will be because of your coldness and your suspicion."

The Empty Room

Xavier left.

Without another word, he walked out of Chloe’s bedroom and departed the Bishop Manor. He didn't look back, leaving the house as abruptly as a shadow at noon.

Chloe sat on the bed, staring at the closed door. She didn't know if her words had reached him, or if he was even capable of self-reflection. But she knew one thing for certain: she was done. She would no longer exhaust herself trying to win the favor of a man who viewed her as a criminal.

If Xavier couldn't change, no amount of effort on her part would matter. Cycles of suspicion and punishment would continue until she was either driven to her grave or into a straitjacket.

By lunchtime, Madam Bishop noted that Chloe had regained some of her composure. Though her mood was low and her eyes remained red, the catatonic shell had cracked.

Xavier has retreated to the silence of the Grayson Estate, but Chloe’s accusations are echoing in the halls of his mind. While Chloe prepares for her niece's celebration, the "Demon CEO" is facing a truth he has spent a lifetime avoiding. He punished her to protect himself from betrayal, but he may have destroyed the only person who was actually trying to stay.

Will Xavier return to the Bishop Manor to apologize, or will the arrival of Donovan Tang at tomorrow's feast ignite a new, even more violent confrontation?

Should the focus shift to Xavier's night of isolation at the Grayson Estate, or stay with Chloe as she finds strength in her family during the celebration preparations?