CHAPTER 111: THE SHOT HEARD ’ROUND

Alessia sat on the bed Panic, cold and absolute, seized her.

She couldn’t be caught with this, Not now. She whipped around, pressing the small journal flat against her back, clutching it tight, trying to make her body rigid and natural at the same time.

It wasn’t a maid or one of the staff.

"It was Xavier"....

He stepped into the room, impeccably dressed as always, his face unreadable, a faint, unsettling smirk playing on his lips.

He wasn’t in the apartment—he had just opened the door and walked in.

"Ma’am," he said smoothly, his eyes sweeping over her, lingering for a fraction of a second on the rigid line of her shoulders.

Alessia’s mind raced. Why was he here? How did he get in? The apartment had state-of-the-art security. Luca’s personal security team would never have let him past the lobby and now into their matrimonial bedroom? Perhaps he was her new personal security guard, so getting access to her would always be easy.

This wasn’t just a sneaky entry; this was a deliberate, silent breach of privacy.

The man who had just provided to protect her, was now invading her bedroom.

"Xavier," she managed, her voice tight, trying to sound aloof and calm. "Luca has just left. What are you doing here? You know he doesn’t like unexpected visitors in our private room."

He took another step, closing the distance, and the smirk widened slightly. "I’m aware, ma’am. But Luca isn’t here, is he? And I felt it was prudent to ensure your safety after delivering that recording. Seraphina and Bianca are unpredictable. But also..." He trailed off, his eyes sparkling with a dark, knowing amusement.

He gestured toward the drawing-room. "Let’s have a drink and discuss. I have something very important to tell you, ma’am. Something Luca... conveniently left out of his rush to the hills."

He paused, his head cocked slightly, his gaze fixed on her face. "Something about the original reason the journal was under that pillow."

Alessia froze, the cool leather pressing into her back.

The world seemed to tilt, He knew... He knew about the journal.

He didn’t just sneak in; he came for her, and he came for the secret Luca was keeping from he... a secret he was now offering to reveal.

The man who was supposedly protecting them was the one who just ripped the last thread of trust from her hands.

The game had just changed, And this time, she was done being the pawn.....

Another voice whispered inside Alessia’s head... quiet, trembling, almost pleading.

No, Even if he speaks the truth... you’re not ready to listen.

Her heart ached at that whisper.

Maybe it was fear speaking, Maybe it was guilt But whatever it was,

Alessia knew one thing for certain she needed Xavier gone.

She couldn’t bear another conversation, not now.

"I need you to leave," she said softly, forcing calm into her voice. "I’ll wait for my husband, Luca. He always comes for me. Always."

Xavier’s brows furrowed, his expression unreadable. "Alessia.... "

"No, Xavier." She straightened, her tone sharpening. "I know you’ve been trying to protect me. You’ve been loyal to Luca, and kind to me. You treat me like a sister, and I appreciate that. But whatever you think this is, you’re wrong. Luca has never betrayed me since the day we married. And even if he ever did, it was always in my favor. So please..."... her lips trembled as she forced a small, nervous laugh... "...just go."

She gestured toward the door, trying to make it sound casual, normal.

But her voice cracked near the end, betraying her unease.

Xavier stood still for a moment, unmoving.

Then slowly, something in his face shifted. The warmth she’d always seen in his eyes vanished, replaced by something darker, colder... something unrecognizable.

"Thank you," she said quickly, trying to end it, nodding toward the door. "That’s the way out."

But his voice came out differently now, deeper... hollow. "I’m not going anywhere."

Alessia froze.

"What?" she breathed, her pulse suddenly quickening.

He took a step toward he, Then another, his shadow stretched long across the marbled floor, swallowing the delicate light spilling from the chandelier.

Alessia stepped back instinctively, until the cold surface of the wall pressed against her spine.

"Xavier," she whispered, "what are you doing?"

He didn’t answer right away.

His gaze wandered down her face, her lips, then back to her trembling hands.

When he finally spoke, his voice broke—half anger, half agony.

"I’ve fallen in love with you, Alessia... Deeply and Madly and here you are... throwing me away as if I were nothing."

Alessia’s breath hitched. Her eyes widened, horror mixing with disbelief. "Stop it. Xavier, have you gone insane?" she demanded, her tone shaking between fear and fury. "What is wrong with you men? What do you all want from a married woman? Have all the young women in the city vanished?"

She tried to move past him, but he blocked her path.

"Guards.. " she shouted, hoping the men stationed outside would hear her.

But no one came.

Her voice fell dead in the air, swallowed by the heavy silence of the private suite.

Luca had designed this room himself—a secluded corner of their estate meant for safety and privacy. The walls were lined with Italian velvet drapes, soundproof mahogany panels, and crystal-glass acoustic dividers to keep their conversations confidential. Not even a scream could pierce through.

Her heartbeat thundered in her ears.

Then Xavier reached into his coat.

"Xavier..." she said, voice barely above a whisper. "Don’t."

But he already had it.. "a gun". Cold metal gleamed under the golden light.

Alessia’s stomach dropped.

"No," she breathed, shaking her head slowly. "You wouldn’t."

His hand trembled. "You made me this way," he said, voice hoarse. "You made me want something I could never have. And now... I can’t stop wanting it."

"Put it down," she begged. "You don’t know what you’re doing."

He laughed, low and bitter. "I know exactly what I’m doing."

He took another step closer, the gun still pointed at her.

Alessia’s back hit the corner of the wall, her breathing ragged. Her mind spun in panic, searching for a way out, a way to stall him.

"Remove your clothes," he ordered.

For a heartbeat, she didn’t understand the words.

Then, when she did, her entire body went cold.

"W–what?" she stammered.

"You heard me," he said flatly. "Take them off."

She shook her head violently. "Xavier, you’ve lost your mind."

The room felt smaller than it was, the air dense with silence that hummed between them.

The curtains swayed faintly as if holding their breath.

Alessia stood frozen near the window, her back stiff, her fingers trembling at her sides.

Xavier’s voice broke through the quiet like smoke curling around a flame.

"Do you know what drove me mad all these while, Alessia?" he murmured, his tone low, rough, and intimate. "It wasn’t your laughter, though that sound could make the world stop. It wasn’t even your eyes. It was seeing you belong to him."

Alessia’s heart pounded, her lips parting in disbelief. "Xavier, stop this... "

But he stepped closer, his shadow merging with hers. "No, listen to me. You have no idea what it did to me... watching that man, that heartless husband, sleep peacefully while you cried yourself to sleep.

I envied him, I envied him enjoying your beautiful curves and sweet juicy middle, I envied his right to breathe beside you."

Her breath hitched. The sharp edges in his words felt like they were cutting through years of silence.

"You call him your husband," Xavier continued, his eyes burning with something fierce and broken. "But what has he ever given you? Pain, trust issues, Neglect and Lies.

I saw it all Every time he looked at you, it wasn’t love—it was possession. He doesn’t deserve you, Alessia."

She turned away, hugging herself, trying to breathe through the rising panic. "You don’t know what you’re saying. Luca is..."

"Luca is gone," Xavier interrupted, his voice dropping into a whisper. "Fate has done what I could not. It has sent him away—far away, to where his shadow can no longer touch you. And now..." He reached out but stopped just before his hand touched her arm. "Now you’re free. Free to feel, Free to be mine."

Alessia’s pulse raced. The room seemed to tilt around her as his words slid under her skin like a spell she didn’t want to believe in but couldn’t completely ignore.

"Don’t," she whispered. "You’re talking like a man who’s lost his soul."

"Maybe I have," he breathed, leaning closer, his scent filling her senses. "Because you were my soul. You still are."

She flinched, but he didn’t stop. His voice softened to something almost tender.

"I remember the light that touched your face when you smiled, the way your eyes used to hold hope. I want to give that back to you, Alessia. I want to show you what it means to be desired... not used. Loved, not owned."

His words were dangerous—a promise laced with poison. Yet, for a heartbeat, they sounded almost beautiful.

"You think this is love?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"It’s the only kind of love I have left," he said. "Burning, reckless, all-consuming. And I will not hide it anymore. You can keep pretending he was a saint, but you and I both know the truth. He broke you. I would worship you."

Tears glistened in her eyes as she shook her head. "This isn’t right, Xavier."

He smiled faintly, though his eyes betrayed madness. "Right or wrong stopped mattering when you entered my life. You can’t deny it—something between us has always existed. You felt it that night, didn’t you? The silence was electric. It still is."

Alessia’s heart pounded painfully. She took a step back, but he followed, his voice barely a whisper now.. soft, persuasive, terrifying.

"Let me erase the pain he left behind," he murmured. "Let me show you what it feels like to be alive again, let me stroke your middle sweet pleasures, let me allow you scream my name out of pleasure once I handle your juicy middle, Just once... let me have this moment with you."

His words lingered in the air, intoxicating and dark.

He tilted his head, his tone dropping into a whisper that felt like a curse and a plea all at once.

"Remove your clothes, my darling... Alessia."

His jaw clenched, and the gun’s barrel glinted inches from her chest.

"Remove them," he repeated, his tone darker now. "Or I’ll... "

She cut him off, her voice breaking. "You’d rather kill me than touch me, Xavier. Because if you think I’ll obey you, you’re mistaken."

He blinked, confusion flickering in his eyes. Alessia took a shaky breath and continued, her voice trembling but defiant. "I won’t give you that satisfaction. You can pull the trigger if you want. But I will never give myself to anyone who tries to break me."

Her tears fell freely now, streaking her cheeks.

She looked up toward the ceiling, her lips quivering in prayer.

"Forgive me, Lord," she whispered, closing her eyes. "And to my parents... I miss you. To my darling husband, Luca.... " her voice cracked, "... you’ll sail through without me."

The sound of the safety click echoed like thunder.

Then.... Xavier pulled the trigger of the gun.

BANG.

A single bullet tore through the silence.......