CHAPTER 41

After 2 hours 

She got off the flight and went to one of the beautiful houses located near the remote areas.. This was her grandmother's house.

**

Xavier entered the house, feeling the exhaustion of the day weigh heavily on his shoulders. It had been a grueling day, one that tested his patience and resolve, and all he wanted was to find solace in Ava's presence. As he loosened his tie, his gaze instinctively shifted toward the kitchen, hoping to see her chatting with the maids or preparing something light, her laughter filling the silence of the house. But the quiet was unsettling, as though something was amiss. He held onto the small container of ice cream she had asked for earlier, but suddenly, even that felt insignificant.

He climbed the stairs slowly, the knot of unease tightening in his chest with every step. When he reached their bedroom, he expected to see her curled up on the bed or in the adjacent bathroom. But the room was empty. The stillness made his pulse quicken, dread creeping into his bones.

His eyes fell on a folded piece of paper resting on the bed. The sight of it caused a chill to run down his spine. He walked over, picking it up with careful hands. As he unfolded the note, he read the words Ava had left for him, each one stabbing at his heart.

"Don't look for me, I have a surprise for you tomorrow. The doctor said I'm fine. Bye, Xavier. Don't call me, I won't pick up, but know that I'm safe."

He sighed heavily, placing the note back on the nightstand. Running a hand through his hair, he muttered under his breath, "This girl is going to be the death of me."

He discarded his clothes, slipping into a robe, and made his way into the bathroom. But instead of drawing a bath—something he and Ava always did together—he stood under the shower, letting the water cascade over him in an attempt to wash away the weight of the day. The tension in his muscles eased slightly as he leaned his head back, but his mind couldn't shake the events of earlier.

The memory of what happened in his office came rushing back.

He had been focused on work, the usual stack of files scattered across his desk when Victoria entered after a brief knock. He didn't even bother to look up, too engrossed in his tasks.

"Sir, these are the documents you requested from Ms. Stacy," Victoria's voice was laced with a subtle seduction, a tone she often used in a failed attempt to capture his attention.

He was well aware of her attempts to entice him, but the only voice that ever stirred something inside him belonged to Ava. Unbothered, he dismissed Victoria with a curt nod, expecting her to leave. But when he didn't hear the familiar sound of retreating footsteps, he glanced up.

To his disgust, Victoria had unbuttoned her shirt, exposing herself completely in a shameless display. Her chest heaved as she tried to elicit a reaction, her eyes filled with a desperate hunger. But all she ignited in him was rage.

His gaze darkened, but not with lust—it was pure fury.

Without hesitation, he rose from his chair, knowing that Victoria's time was running out. Her mistake was fatal.

"Fuck me, Xavier, you know you want it," she purred, trying to play her final card.

In an instant, he had her pinned against the wall, his hand firmly around her throat, choking the life out of her with barely restrained fury. He leaned close to her ear, his voice a low, dangerous growl that sent chills through her.

"You're nothing but filth to me," he snarled. "Did you really think I wouldn't figure out why you joined this company? You've been working with one of the mafia groups involved in human trafficking, and you think I don't know?"

Victoria's eyes widened in terror as he continued, his words laced with venom.

"You thought you were clever, disabling the cameras and elevators, thinking you could dig up dirt on me. But I've outplayed you. Your little camera necklace? It's disabled. And I know you're just as guilty, enjoying the sick things you do to kids. Seducing me was a foolish move, and now, you'll pay for it."

With those words, Xavier pulled out a syringe and injected something into her neck. She gasped, her body crumpling as her eyes fluttered shut. Within moments, Xan entered the room, scooping her unconscious body over his shoulder and carrying her away.

In the present, Xavier stepped out of the shower, tying his night robe around his body. The events of the day still simmered in the back of his mind, but more than anything, he missed Ava. The emptiness of the bed, the lack of her warmth beside him—it gnawed at him, creating a void he couldn't ignore.

"I miss you, love," he whispered, holding her pillow close as if that would somehow bring her back. He was used to having her in his arms every night, her presence a constant comfort. He had no idea that she wasn't coming back, that Ava had left him and was never planning to return.

Oblivious to the fact that his world was about to crumble, he drifted off to sleep, still believing she'd be back tomorrow.

The following morning, Xavier arrived at the office earlier than usual, still holding onto the ice cream Ava had requested the day before. He couldn't shake the strange feeling that something was off, yet he clung to the hope that he would find her in the office, her radiant smile greeting him as though nothing had changed.

As he approached the private elevator, his receptionist handed him a sealed envelope. "Ava left this for you yesterday," she said with a small smile, unaware of the turmoil brewing beneath Xavier's calm exterior.

Xavier took the envelope, nodding absently as he stepped into the elevator. His fingers ran over the smooth paper, the weight of it heavier than it should have been. "This must be the surprise she mentioned," he murmured to himself, trying to suppress the nagging unease that tugged at his thoughts. Once in his office, he tossed his coat over the chair and gently placed the ice cream on his desk. He eyed the envelope for a moment, before sitting down to open it, trying to calm the storm brewing inside.

Mia and Noah, still glowing from their idyllic honeymoon, had just returned home. The days had been nothing short of perfect, and Mia's heart was even more full after discovering she was pregnant. Her immediate thought was to call Ava—her best friend and confidante, the one person she had to share the exciting news with. But Ava hadn't answered her calls. That alone had made Mia frown with concern. Ava never ignored her calls.

"What's wrong, love?" Noah asked, noticing the look on his wife's face as they entered their new house.

Mia frowned, still glancing at her phone. "Ava promised she'd throw me a welcome-back party. I know her—she wouldn't just forget."

"Maybe she's caught up with something. You know how work can get," Noah offered, trying to ease her concern, though he was starting to feel uneasy himself. Ava wasn't the type to forget something important.

"If she's too busy with Xavier to even remember, I swear I'll wring her neck," Mia huffed, her mood shifting. "I want to scream into her ear and tell her she's going to be the godmother of our child! She can't just ignore me like this."

Noah chuckled softly, kissing her forehead. "We'll get to the bottom of it. Let's settle in first, and then we'll go see them. I'm sure there's an explanation."

Unbeknownst to Mia, both she and Ava were pregnant at the same time, two best friends experiencing life-altering moments apart.

Back in his office, Xavier's hands trembled with a mixture of shock, disbelief, and anger as he stared at the contents of the envelope. Two letters. One was Ava's resignation letter, neatly signed and with finality. But the second letter—those three simple yet devastating words—cut deeper than anything else ever had:

"I HATE YOU. DON'T EVEN LOOK FOR ME, OR I WILL KILL MYSELF."

His heart constricted painfully as he read and re-read those words, unable to reconcile them with the Ava he knew—the woman who loved him so fiercely, so completely. Now, that love had turned to hate, and the thought of it left him paralyzed.

The girl who once promised him forever, who had made him believe in a love so deep, now despised him. The words stung like a dagger to his heart.

Xavier closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to still the storm of emotions threatening to overwhelm him. His mind raced to figure out what had gone wrong, to trace where the cracks had begun. He knew he had to act swiftly, to find her, but also to understand how everything had unraveled so quickly.

The door to his office opened abruptly, snapping him out of his spiraling thoughts. He was ready to lash out in anger at the intrusion, but as he opened his eyes, he saw Noah and Mia standing there. His best friend and his wife. The tension in the room was palpable.

"Xavier, where is Ava?" Mia asked, her tone frantic but hopeful. "I have the biggest news to share with her, but she isn't answering her phone. What's going on?"

Noah noticed the papers in Xavier's hand, his eyes narrowing as he realized something was terribly wrong. He snatched the letters from Xavier's grip, scanning them quickly, and his expression darkened with disbelief and anger.

"What the hell is this?" Noah growled, his voice filled with fury as he read Ava's words. He slammed the letters down on the desk.

"What happened?" Mia asked, her anxiety growing as she looked between the two men, sensing the weight of the situation. Her heart clenched as she saw the familiar handwriting on the letters, written by her best friend, Ava. The same Ava who never kept secrets from her, who always shared everything. But these letters told a different story, one Mia couldn't understand.

"Ava's gone," Xavier said quietly, though the tone of his voice was unnerving. There was no panic, no fear—just a cold, deadly calm, like the stillness before a hurricane.

"What do you mean, she's gone?" Mia's voice trembled as she snatched the letters from Noah's hand. Her eyes scanned the words, her heart sinking as the truth hit her. "No... no, this isn't right. Why would she run away? Why now, when everything was going so well?"

No one had an answer. But as the silence stretched between them, all three knew that nothing would ever be the same again.