~ Lexi ~
When I got home that day, I didn't cry straight away.
I just... stood there.
In the middle of my apartment.
Still.
Trying to make sense of everything I had just seen.
Jasper.
His past.
His family.
His wife.
His baby.
Gone.
All of them.
Burned out of his life like they had never existed.
I pressed my hand to my chest, trying to steady the tightness there.
Because I got it.
I understood him now.
Why he shut people out.
Why he kept everything locked away.
Why he pushed me away so easily.
Because letting someone in meant risking losing them.
And he had already lost everything.
But understanding him didn't make what he did okay.
Didn't make the way he looked at me—like I had crossed some unforgivable line—hurt any less.
I swallowed hard, forcing the thought away.
"I'll forget about him," I muttered to myself.
Even as my chest tightened at the idea.
"I'll find another job."
I had to.
Because whatever was going on in his world—
It wasn't mine.
And it never would be.
—
The first few days were the hardest.
Too quiet.
Too empty.
No emails.
No schedule.
No Lilly checking in.
No Jasper—
Standing in doorways.
Watching.
Saying nothing.
I told myself it was a good thing.
That I needed distance.
That I needed normal.
But then—
The flowers started arriving.
Every morning.
Different ones.
Always fresh.
Always expensive.
No note.
No explanation.
Just—
There.
Then the messages.
Short.
Simple.
"Are you okay?"
"Let me know if you need anything."
YOU ARE READING
The Billionaire Recluse & The girl who stayed.
Romance⚠️ Trigger Warning ⚠️ This story contains themes of violence, kidnapping, human trafficking, trauma, grief, and mental health struggles. Reader discretion is advised. He was broken. She stayed. And loving him almost destroyed her. Jasper Monroe is a...
