CHAPTER 394
Xander’s jaw tightened, his hand curling into a fist on the table.
“That’s not fair, Arianna. I rejected the calls. I’m right here with you, aren’t I?”
She exhaled slowly, her gaze sharp as she fixed him with a look. “Are you?"
Her lips twisted into a cold, bitter smile.
“Tell me, Xander… did you mention to her that I was meeting you today? Did you confide in her about this little encounter?"
He faltered, his eyes briefly flicking away before he met her gaze again, frustration creeping into his tone.
“She... came to the office just as I was leaving. I told her I was meeting you, alright? It’s not like I had a choice in the matter.”
Arianna’s eyes hardened. “Of course, you did. And Harmony being Harmony... couldn’t just let it happen, could she? Couldn’t let you have a moment with me without pulling you back to her side.” Her voice dripped with venom.
Xander's breath hitched, anger simmering beneath the surface. He leaned in, his voice low and filled with intensity. “I don’t care about Harmony or her calls right now. The only thing that matters is being here with you. You are important, Arianna. Your feelings—you—are what I care about.”
But even as the words left his mouth, they felt hollow. The weight of everything between them—the unspoken truths, the pain—hung heavily in the air.
Arianna’s eyes narrowed, a fierce, almost accusing edge in her tone. “If that’s true, then why does it feel like you’re choosing her over me?”
Xander’s face twisted with frustration, his fists clenched tightly as he struggled to keep his emotions in check. He leaned forward, his voice low but edged with rawness.
“Because I’ve made mistakes, Arianna. And I know I’ve hurt you, I know I’ve been an idiot. But it’s never been about choosing her over you. It’s about guilt... about a mess I’ve created, and I didn’t know how to fix it.”
He paused, swallowing hard as the weight of his words hit him. “I am trying, Arianna. I don’t know how to make you see that, but I swear, if I could turn back time and do things differently, I would.”
His eyes bore into hers, filled with an intensity that matched the storm brewing in his chest.
“But right now, all I need is for you to trust me... to trust that you are what matters most. Not her. Not anyone else.”
He let out a breath, his body tense with the desperate need for her to believe him. “I need you to believe that... or I don’t know what we have left.”
But she wasn’t having it. Her eyes met his, filled with so much sadness it almost tore him apart.
“Trust?” Arianna’s voice cracked, the words barely a whisper as the hurt flooded through her.
“But you didn’t trust me that night, Xander. You didn’t trust us. You saw me at that hotel, and instead of coming to me, you chose to believe her. You believed her over me.”
Her chest tightened with the sting of the memory, and she had to pause to steady her breath. “You didn’t even give me a chance to explain. You just... you just walked away from that alter....”
“Ariana-”
But once again, she cut him off.
"It doesn’t matter what u say or how many times u reject those calls. The fact remains the same -u will always go running when 'Bunny' needs you because, ultimately, that's where our heart is. And honestly speaking, I can't compete against someone who has been holding onto your heartstrings since god knows when"."
Xander sighed, rubbing his eyes in frustration.
Looking back, letting Harmony work at the same company without discussing it with Arianna first now seemed like a colossal mistake. Arianna's discomfort was completely understandable. He had only himself to blame for that. How many more ways could he screw this up?
“Arianna, I realize what I did was wrong,” Xander admitted, his voice quiet, regret hanging in his words.
“I should’ve talked to you first, should’ve told you about Harmony and everything between us. I’m sorry. I didn’t think it through.”
Arianna didn’t look at him. She just stared out the window, her words sharp.
Arianna’s voice cracked as she spoke, her words laced with hurt and frustration.
“Yes, you should have talked to me about her… because, quite frankly, everything’s been about her, hasn’t it? I can’t escape her—whether at work, at home, or even in my marriage.”
RING… RING… RING…
“Look at this,” Arianna whispered, her eyes dark with pain. “Even now, she can’t stand the thought of you being here with me.”
Her shoulders sagged as she stood, her hands trembling as she waved them in defeat.
“Just go, Xander… just go see what she wants.” Her voice faltered, thick with emotion she couldn’t hide. A tear slipped down her cheek, and she quickly wiped it away, turning her back on him as if she could shut out the pain.
Xander’s heart clenched at the sight—her vulnerability, her brokenness—it tore him apart.
Ariana stood up, but before she could walk away, Xander moved swiftly, grabbing her arm and pulling her toward him. Without a word, he enveloped her in a tight embrace, his arms strong around her as if to hold onto her forever.
“Ari,” he whispered, his voice strained with regret.
"I’m so damn sorry." He breathed into her hair, his heart racing at the thought of losing her. His grip tightened, desperately trying to convey everything he felt. With her ear pressed against his chest, he was sure she could hear how fast his heart was beating.
“I’m sorry,” he repeated, knowing that no amount of apologies would ever be enough.
“The last thing I want is for you to doubt my love for you. For even one second.”
He pulled back just enough to look into her eyes, brushing the tear from her cheek with the pad of his thumb.
"You’re the love of my life, Ari. I love you and only you" he said softly, his voice breaking.
"If you don’t know that by now, I’ve failed you. But I swear, I’ll do better. I’ll be better. I promise...I never..."
RING, RING, RING...
Arianna couldn’t take it anymore. With a force she didn’t know she had, she shoved Xander away, her frustration flaring up.
“Just take the damn call, Xander!” she snapped, her voice trembling with raw emotion, a stark contrast to the cold calm she was trying to project. Her hands shook as she turned away from him, desperate to escape the weight of everything crashing down around her.
But before she could take another step, Xander’s hand gripped her arm, pulling her back. She froze, her heart pounding, and she could feel the heat of his touch searing through her. His grip wasn’t harsh—it was intense, as though he was trying to hold her together, to stop her from falling apart.
“Let me go,” she whispered, her voice breaking as she turned her face away from him, unwilling to let him see the tears threatening to spill.
“Never!”
Xander’s hands cupped her cheeks with a tenderness that took her breath away, his thumbs gently brushing away the tears she hadn’t realized had fallen.
“I won’t let you go, Arianna,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.
“You and I belong together, and I can’t lose you. Not like this.” His words were a plea, his eyes searching hers with a desperation that seemed to reach into her soul.
"You’re not leaving—not until we figure this out. Please, stay. Talk to me.”
His eyes burned with desperation, every word laced with an unspoken plea. Arianna’s heart thundered in her chest, the weight of his words pressing against her like a tidal wave. She inhaled deeply, her breath shaky, trying to steady herself against the overwhelming emotions that threatened to consume her.
"I need to leave..."
“Please, Arianna, you’re running away again—just like last night,” Xander pleaded, his voice thick with desperation.
“How are we supposed to fix this if you won’t even listen?”
Arianna’s eyes burned with a mixture of fury and sorrow as she took a step back, her breath unsteady.
“There’s a massive difference between running away and leaving because I was made to feel like an afterthought,” she snapped, her voice raw with emotion.
“You were supposed to be home waiting for me, but instead, you ran to her the moment she called. No hesitation, no second thought. And I—I watched you, Xander.” Her voice cracked, but she pushed through.
“I watched you walk into that VIP room, disappearing behind closed doors with her like I didn’t even exist.”
She let out a shaky breath, trying to contain the storm inside her. “I thought I was yours,” she whispered, pain threading through every word.
“I thought I was special to you. But then—you gave her my trophy.” Her eyes glistened as she forced herself to say it out loud.
“The one thing that meant the world to me, something that I earned, that you knew was important to me. And you handed it to her like it was just some meaningless trinket.” Her voice wavered, but her gaze was sharp, cutting through him like a blade.
Xander's brows pulled together in confusion the moment Arianna mentioned the trophy.
“What—what are you talking about?” he asked, his voice hesitant, like he wasn’t sure he had heard her right.
“You gave it to her, Xander,” she cut in, voice trembling with anger and heartbreak.
“The trophy I won. Mine. The one you knew meant everything to me. Do you even realize what that felt like? To see you give something of mine to her? Do you even care?”
Arianna’s voice trembled with raw emotion as she threw the question at him.
"When...."
Arianna quickly corrected herself, not wanting Xander to know just yet.
“If I have a baby, will you just give it to her too? Just like that, because she wants it?”
Xander's expression shifted into one of utter disbelief, his eyes widening in shock. He took a step back, his voice low but filled with confusion
“Why the hell would I do that? What... what kind of question is that?”
Arianna didn’t bother responding.
The room was suffocating with silence, the weight of her words pressing down like a crushing force.
Then, the phone rang again. Loud. Insistent. A cruel, mocking reminder.
Arianna let out a bitter, humourless laugh, shaking her head.
Arianna’s voice was laced with biting sarcasm, but the pain beneath it was unmistakable.
“After everything that’s happened, you expect me to sit here and listen to you? How am I supposed to do that when Bunny keeps calling non-stop, demanding your attention? She needs you urgently—because, of course, her needs always come first.”
Her words stung, her heart aching with every syllable,
“So go on, Xander. Pick up the damn phone. Because if last night wasn’t proof enough, I already know where your priorities lie.”
She held his gaze, daring him to prove her wrong. But deep down, she already knew the answer.
BEEP BEEP
He chose to ignore it, his gaze fixed on Arianna, but just as he thought the moment would pass, his phone buzzed with a new message.
They both glanced down at the screen, and Xander’s heart sank as he saw the notification. Arianna’s brows furrowed in confusion and concern, mirroring his unease.
**Where the fuck are you? Harmony’s having an attack. I can’t control her—she just grabbed a knife and tried to hurt herself. Whatever the hell you’re doing, get your fucking ass over here now!**
Xander’s breath caught in his throat as panic shot through him. He didn’t know how to fix this.
And in that moment, he realized how much he had screwed everything up.
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