Second Love [Completed]

11. We're over!!

Xavier's P.O.V.

A loud, persistent buzzing dragged me out of sleep, each ring slicing through the dull ache in my head. I groaned, fumbling for my phone on the nightstand, my vision still blurred from the remnants of last night's drinks.

I squinted at the screen. Dad.

Fantastic. Just fantastic.

"Good morning, Dad," I muttered, my voice raspy with sleep.

"Jesus Christ, Xavier Williams! You're still in bed?" His voice boomed through the speaker, each syllable sending a fresh wave of pain through my skull. Did he forget I was an adult?

"Dad, it's vacation. I'm not exactly on an office schedule here. Could you maybe lower your voice? For God's sake?" I rubbed my temple, already regretting answering.

"I can practically smell the alcohol through the phone," he grumbled, his voice thick with disapproval. "You never change, do you? Anyway, I called to let you know that I'm heading out of town to visit Joseph and his wife. Try not to turn the city upside down while I'm gone."

I sighed, rubbing my temple. "Yeah, yeah. Tell Uncle Joseph I said hi. And Mom too."

Uncle Joseph—one of the few people in my father's circle I actually respected. A brilliant man, wise beyond his years, but with a fortune so massive it felt like a burden rather than a blessing. I remembered hearing whispers about his daughter—the one who abandoned everything for some guy her father loathed. I never met her, but my father never missed a chance to bring up her "poor life choices."

"Good. Now get up, do something productive, and for God's sake, Xavier, try not to land yourself in any scandals. I don't want to wake up to your face plastered all over the news again."

I exhaled slowly, shaking my head. "Noted. Bye, Dad."

As I hung up, I groaned, flopping back against the pillows. My brain was still wrapped in a haze, but something was poking at the edges of my memory. A feeling. An absence.

Then it hit me.

The girl.

I sat up so fast my head protested. My eyes scanned the room. The bed was mostly untouched on her side, the sheets barely wrinkled. My chest tightened slightly. Had she left in the middle of the night? No note, no trace—just gone. I told myself I didn't care, but the nagging feeling in my gut said otherwise.

I swung my legs over the bed and checked the suite—living area, bathroom, even the damn kitchen. Empty.

I exhaled sharply, rubbing the back of my neck. Not that it mattered. But something about her sudden disappearance left me unsettled, like unfinished business.

I shook it off. It was better this way. Or at least, that's what I tried to believe. Still, my gaze lingered on the empty space where she had been, a part of me wondering if she had left because she wanted to—

Or because she was running from something.

But something told me this wouldn't be the last time our paths crossed.

I shook it off. It was better this way. Or at least, that's what I told myself. But a nagging feeling remained—had she left because she wanted to, or was she running from something? I searched the suite once more, as if expecting a note or some kind of explanation. Nothing. Just like that, she had vanished. A part of me was relieved—it meant no awkward goodbyes. Another part? Well, I wasn't ready to examine that just yet.

Susan's P.O.V.

I stood under the shower, letting the hot water scald my skin, trying to scrub away the lingering filth I felt inside. I felt disgusting—not just because of Adrian's betrayal but because I let myself fall so hard. I had ignored the signs. I had trusted him.