CHAPTER 396
Xander suddenly pulled the car over to the side of the road, the engine’s hum the only sound between them. He sat in silence for a long moment, his eyes fixed straight ahead, as though he was searching for the right words or simply lost in thought.
Finally, he turned to her, his hand moving gently to rest on hers. His touch was firm, steady—an unspoken plea that made her chest tighten with the urge to pull away, but she fought it.
She needed to listen.
She had to hear him out, even if every instinct inside her screamed to keep her distance.
"Please," Xander’s voice was quiet, almost tender. "Just hear me out. I can’t go any further until you hear me out."
His words cut through the silence, and Arianna felt her breath catch in her throat.
She glanced down at their intertwined hands, her pulse racing.
She didn’t want to hear this. She didn’t want to feel anything anymore, but his voice, soft yet full of something unspoken, made it impossible to ignore him.
"I never betrayed you... ever," Xander continued, his gaze unwavering as it met hers.
His eyes—icy blue and piercing—held an emotion she couldn’t name, something that wasn’t just guilt, but deep sincerity. His voice, usually so confident, was now gentle and pleading, raw with emotion. There was no defensiveness, no walls. Just an openness that made her question everything.
He squeezed her hand gently, the warmth of his touch grounding her, urging her to listen.
"Please, believe me," he said, his voice tinged with desperation. "What you’re thinking doesn’t add up. I swear, I never gave her that trophy. I don’t even know how she got it. I took it to my office because it got scratched, and I wanted to fix it for you. I swear, I only had good intentions."
Arianna’s breath caught as his words hung in the air between them, filled with confusion and sincerity. He was looking at her as if he was waiting for her to believe him, his eyes searching for something—a flicker of trust.
His gaze softened, the raw emotion in his expression making her stomach flip.
He was still the man she had fallen in love with—the man with the dark stubble and the most beautiful blue eyes.
The man who had hurt her, yes, but also the man who could still make her heart ache with a single glance.
His words hung in the air, heavy and pleading. She wanted to believe him—needed to. But the confusion, the doubt, and that damn trophy swirled in her mind like a storm she couldn’t escape, each thought pulling her deeper into uncertainty.
He squeezed her hand again, and in that moment, something inside her shifted.
She didn’t want to question him, didn’t want to doubt him.
She wanted to trust him—needed to trust him.
But she also knew the distance that had crept between them, the way things had changed, and the fear that no matter what he said, a part of her might never feel the same again.
"Arianna..." he whispered, his voice breaking the silence, full of hope and despair. "Please, believe me."
And as she looked into his eyes, despite all the pain, all the betrayal that had already cut through their marriage, she realized that maybe, just maybe, she wanted to believe him. Because he was her husband. And she had to choose—choose to trust him, or walk away and let the past swallow them whole.
He had stood by her through the best of times—and, more recently, the worst. How could she take Harmony’s word over his? She couldn’t. She wouldn’t.
Xander deserved the benefit of the doubt… didn’t he?
Arianna met his gaze and gave a small nod, her eyes speaking the words she couldn’t quite say—I believe you.
Xander visibly relaxed, the tension in his shoulders easing as he let out a shaky breath.
"Thank you, Ari..."
He lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a lingering kiss against her knuckles before holding her fist gently against his cheek.
“With you by my side, I can conquer anything, Arianna,” he murmured. “I love you. I always have, and I always will.”
She parted her lips to respond, but before she could, the sharp ring of his phone cut through the moment. They both knew who it was.
Xander sighed, pressing the speaker button.
“X-Xander…” A pause. A shaky breath. A broken sob.
Then—silence.
Xander exhaled, his jaw tightening briefly before he turned back to Arianna. He pressed another kiss to her knuckles, lingering just a second longer this time, before starting the car and heading toward Zach’s apartment.
..........
Harmony sat there, her hands trembling just enough to look convincing, the phone still clutched between her fingers. Her breathing was erratic-shallow gasps punctuated by soft, choked sobs, each one perfectly timed. The moment the call connected, she had whispered his name. Nothing more. Just his name laced with just the right amount of fear, just the right amount of fragility.
He would be here soon.
Zach was kneeling beside her, his hand rubbing soothing circles on her back, his voice a low, reassuring murmur.
"It's okay, Harmony. Everything's going to be okay," he promised, his face tight with concern.
"Arianna caused this, didn't she? I don't understand what Xander is doing with her when he loves you." His voice darkened with frustration, but then he softened, his hand squeezing hers gently.
"But don't worry. I'm here. We'll work it out together, okay? Just calm down."
Harmony kept her gaze cast downward, letting a few more tears slip as she sniffled delicately.
Oh, Zach. Sweet, gullible Zach.
He was useful, that much was true.
Loyal.
Easily manipulated.
But he was also becoming irritating. His constant reassurances, and his need to be her knight in shining armour it was exhausting. He was so desperate to be needed, so willing to play hero for a damsel in distress.
But she didn't need him.
She needed Xander.
And she needed him away from her.
Harmony took a shaky breath, her grip tightening around the phone as she buried her face in her hands, hiding the slow, satisfied smile that curled at the edges of her lips.
Soon.
He would be here soon
She heard the hurried footsteps in the hallway, the frantic knock against the door, followed by his voice, desperate, worried.
"Zach...Open the door!"
A slow smile stretched across Harmony's lips before she forced it away, replacing it with something fragile, something pitiful.
She waited, counting to three, steadying her breath, before dragging herself up from the floor.
Zach had already started to move toward the door, but before he could reach it, she stumbled forward, pushing past him in a frantic rush.
"I've got it," she murmured breathlessly, her voice laced with just the right amount of urgency.
Her trembling fingers fumbled with the latch before she swung the door open, already preparing to throw herself into his arms, to feel the safety of his embrace.
But then she froze.
Her breath hitched. Her grip on the doorframe tightened, nails pressing into the wood as her stomach twisted.
He wasn't alone.
Arianna.
The woman stood beside him, effortlessly poised, her presence an infuriating reminder of everything Harmony had lost. A flicker of something dark curled beneath her skin, hot and sharp, coiling tight in her gut. The urge to grab something sharp, something heavy, something that could make the woman disappear-flashed through her mind like a whisper of temptation.
But she swallowed it down. Buried it.
Instead, without giving Arianna more than a fleeting glance, she did what she did best.
She leapt into Xander's arms.
A broken sob tore from her lips as she clung to him, her fingers twisting desperately into his shirt.
"You came," she choked out, her voice trembling with just the right amount of helplessness.
"You came-I don't know what happened... Xander..."
Arianna stood there, silent. Watching.
Her eyes didn't miss the way Harmony clung to him like he was the only thing keeping her from falling apart.
Didn't miss the way Xander stiffened, hesitating, before placing his hands lightly on Harmony's shoulders.
Didn't miss the flicker of something-just a flicker-in Harmony's gaze when she buried her face against his chest.
And just like that, Arianna saw it for what it was.
A game. A calculated move.
Here's a more intense, gripping rewrite of your scene with heightened aggression, tension, and Harmony's psychotic inner monologue.
Harmony stole a glance at Arianna, who was still watching her, arms folded, unwavering. The sight made Harmony's teeth clench.
She wanted her gone-to disappear, to vanish into nothing. She wasn't wanted here.
But she swallowed it down. She couldn't slip. Not yet.
Instead, she let out a soft, broken sob and staggered back slightly, pressing herself further into Xander's hold.
"You came... you came," she repeated, her voice quivering, her tear-filled gaze locking onto his with desperate relief.
And just as Xander parted his lips to speak, the moment shattered-
"Why the hell are you here?"
Zach's voice ripped through the air like a gunshot.
Arianna barely had time to react before his furious gaze locked onto her, his body radiating open hostility.
"Haven't you caused Bunny enough pain?" he spat, his voice laced with pure venom.
Arianna's breath hitched, caught entirely off guard by the sheer contempt in his words. Her brows furrowed as she took a small step back. What? What had she done to deserve this hatred from him?
Xander's head snapped toward Zach with a dangerous slowness, his entire posture shifting, dark energy rolling off him in waves. His muscles tensed, coiled like a predator ready to strike.
"Watch your tone," he said, voice low, lethal. His eyes turned glacial, a stark warning woven into every syllable. "That's my wife you're speaking to."
But Zach didn't so much as flinch. If anything, he stepped closer, his fury unwavering.
"She shouldn't have come," he shot back.
"It's because of her, no doubt, that Bunny is in this state. She's the reason Harmony is hurting, and she needs to leave. I won't have her here."
Xander's jaw flexed, his fists clenching at his sides. The air in the room turned razor-sharp.
Arianna's heart pounded against her ribs. She opened her mouth, about to defend herself, but-
Harmony tightened her grip on Xander's shirt, pressing her small, trembling body closer to him. Her face remained buried in his chest, her shoulders shaking as she let out a weak, pitiful sniffle.
But her lips?
They curled into a slow, satisfied smile.
Oh, Zach. You are just too easy.
Her heart thrummed with twisted delight. This was better than she could've planned. She had spent months playing the role of the fragile, broken thing, of Bunny, of the victim. And Zach? Sweet, protective Zach? He had fallen for it so deeply that now, he was doing her dirty work for her.
Harmony felt Arianna's gaze burning into her, and she knew Arianna was watching.
Good.
Ever so slightly, just enough for her to see, Harmony tilted her head-
And let the smirk slip.
It was brief, no more than a flicker of dark amusement, but it was there. A whisper of victory.
Arianna stiffened.
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