#Chapter 39 Nobody Compares to You

Eloise’s POV

I came out of the shower and tossed myself into the bed. I pulled the covers over my head and let out a heavy sigh. “Please turn off the lights, Nora. I need to get some sleep.”

“Don’t you want to wait for Lord Xavier?” Nora asked me hesitantly.

I pulled the pillow to my chest and hugged it tightly. “No. I’m too tired and he shouldn’t be back tonight. Adrian told me that had business to take care of.”

After Xavier left last night, I didn’t bother to fix my appearance. I was far too stunned, hurt, and angry to take care of myself.

Despite how much he had hurt me, though, I still wanted him here. It made no sense to me but I wanted us to work through this and talk about it. I just hated that he chose brutality over diplomacy.

When Nora came to me this morning, she was startled by my appearance. I looked in the mirror and got a good look at the bite marks, the bruises, and my disheveled hair. It was a good thing I had planned to just lock myself in the room so no one else would see me.

“What happened?” I remembered her asking me.

I sat in silence because I had no idea how to explain it to her; despite the fact that I thought it was clear what happened to me. Still, I was far too humiliated and violated to really talk about what happened.

The last time Xavier doubted me and thought of me as a liar, he was prepared to throw me out of the kingdom and file for a divorce. Even after I was able to prove my innocence, he still referred to our marriage as nothing more than a contract.

But this time, he acted like I betrayed him and our marriage. Getting along with him was far more exhausting than I thought it was going to be.

I was ready to go to bed and forget about everything that happened these past two days. Just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard the door suddenly open.

I shot up from the bed and saw that Xavier stood in the doorway. He was completely drenched as water dripped onto the floor around him. He smelled of dirt and blood.

Ever since I slapped him, I thought that Xavier was going to get his revenge somehow. I never wanted to hit him but I knew it had to be done to wake him up from his deranged and angry state.

I was prepared for him to go back to neglecting me and pretending like I wasn’t here. I was still too angry to care anyway.

Yet when he approached me looking so messy and terrible, I softened my expression and asked Nora to bring the medicine box.

Xavier knelt down in front of me and allowed me to dress his wounds in silence. After a while, he looked up at me with a sad expression on his face. It was like I was looking at a puppy dog who had just got scolded by their mom.

I let out a heavy sigh. “So, what happened to you this time?” My voice was still cold.

Xavier reached into his pocket and pulled out something. He stretched open his hand and inside was the earring I lost at Noah’s central market.

“You found it…” I took the earring from his hand and examined it.

Xavier nodded his head. “Well, Liam found it initially. He told me that you gave it to him.”

“Which you know is a lie,” I said flatly.

He nodded his head again.

“It’s crazy to me that you’d believe him over your own wife.” My lips were pressed in a frown. “Although, I shouldn’t be surprised. This wouldn’t be the first time–even though you knew I wasn’t lying about the first time either.”

Xavier hugged my waist and sunk his head into my lap. “Eloise, I’m so sorry. I really am. I allowed my anger and jealousy to blind me, and then I became too impulsive with my actions.”

I dropped my hands and sat in silence. For a while, I thought about rejecting his apology. How many times will I have to prove myself to get him to trust me?

Xavier squeezed my waist and looked up at me. “Eloise?”

“I just want you to trust me, Xavier. I’ve proven myself over the course of our marriage and I try so hard to be a good wife. But when you doubt me, it breaks my heart…”

“It’s all my fault,” Xavier said with a tired voice. “I don’t want to hurt you again because you might hit me again!”

I groaned. “Are you serious right now? Need I remind you that you violated my body based on a LIE? You are the Alpha Lord of an entire pack of werewolves. You could easily control me with the wave of a finger. There’s no way that you’re afraid of someone who’s a quarter of your size hitting you…”

Xavier leaned up and kissed my neck softly. He looked up at me with pleading eyes. “You’re right and I want to be able to make that up to you. What I did was inexcusable and I really am sorry. I’ll do everything I can to make this right, I promise.”

I patted his shoulders. I decided that I would believe him for the time being. I had to so my plans could keep moving forward. “I hope so, Xavier. Now go take a shower. You smell like a wet dog.”

Xavier looked up at me and gave me a warm smile. He gave me one more kiss before going to freshen up.

I sat on the bed and patiently waited for him to come to bed. As much as I wanted to stay mad at him, I found that I couldn’t–and it wasn’t even just because of the damn plan. I fidgeted with the bedsheets as I waited.

I admired myself for how I was able to stay and play the role of Xavier’s pure wife despite how much I suffered at his hands. Still, I couldn’t deny how conflicted my feelings for him actually were.

I didn’t know if I was staying with him because I wanted to put an end to such a horrible prophecy, or if because I was greedy and wanted the warmth of a man.

The bathroom door opened and pulled me from my thoughts. Xavier came out of the shower dressed in shorts and a loose shirt. He crawled into bed and laid his head in my lap.

“You smell way better, by the way.” I giggled as I ran my hand through his head.

“I’m glad you think so.” His smile was bright.

“So… Tell me what happened.” I softened my expression.

Xavier took a deep breath before he spoke. “To keep it short and sweet, Liam admitted to being in love with you.”

My eyebrows shot up in shock. “I–I don’t know what to say.”

It made everything make sense, though. The way he looked at me, the way he blushed at me. His kindness.

“Well,” he continued on. “Liam couldn’t stand the thought of giving you up. He thought that you belonged to him and that you needed someone who could reciprocate the love you showed me. He thought I wasn’t good enough for you.”

I shook my head. “If anything, it’s me who isn’t good enough for such a strong and smart Alpha Lord.”

Xavier smiled and caressed my cheek. “You’re amazing, Eloise.”

I bent down to kiss his forehead. “And so are you, Xavier. Tell me the rest, though. What happened to Liam?”

Xavier hesitated. “He challenged me to a life-or-death duel. The loser would die. While the winner… Would get you.”

I looked into his eyes as I was too stunned to speak. After I swallowed the lump in my throat, I managed to speak up. “Did Liam… Did he… Did you…?”

Xavier shook his head. “He lost but I spared his life. Despite what he did to try and tear us apart, he’s still my cousin. Hell, we were raised together for a little bit, and I thought of him as a brother in a way.”

I kissed his forehead. “I’m sorry that it came to that.” I paused before continuing. “But know that even if he had won, I still wouldn’t have chosen to be his wife.”

Xavier sat up on the bed and pulled me into his arms. “Would you really?”

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and smiled at him. “Didn’t I tell you to believe in me?”

Xavier nodded his head and pressed his forehead to mine.

I gave him a soft kiss on the lips. “Nobody compares to you, Xavier. I’ll always choose you in the end.” I answered him quickly.

A wide grin stretched across Xavier’s lips as he hugged me tightly.

However, my heart was an absolute mess as my words fed the war that it had going on with my head. Was I telling him the truth? Or was it nothing more than a senseless lie?