⚠️[SMUT in this chapter]⚠️

AUDREY POV

It had been 6 months already that I was living in London. 

Caroline let me work as her personal secretary at her company. Meaning I had a stable job.

At first I lived in Caroline's home for a while but as soon as I had enough money to get an apartment, I did just that.

I didn't want to be a bother to her and her husband.

Luckily Caroline had given me a lot of clothes she no longer used and before I knew it I had gotten adjusted to my new life.

Although I did all of this to escape Xavier, there wasn't a day I didn't think about him.

I was still in love with him.

But I was happy I was finally free. I was finally living my life. I had a job and my own apartment.

I was grateful to have such a supportive friend like Caroline. She was like my sister and she felt like family.

I had contacted my granny and finally informed her about my split from Xavier. She had been shocked at first but she was happy I was doing well.

I had finally arrived at the office. Everyone here was very kind and super friendly.

I greeted everyone and I headed to Caroline's office.

"Good morning." I said. 

"Good morning." Caroline gave me a hug and then I waited to see what she needed me to do for the day.

"Please take a seat." She said. 

Her face didn't look happy. She looked worried.

"Well as you know the company is having a big event for the launch of our new product. It's more like a huge party for all of our associates. I'm in charge of this event as the owner of half of this company. However I'm sure you're well aware who owns the other half." 

She was talking about Xavier. Meaning I would be seeing him again.

I nodded my head in agreement.

"Xavier’s coming to London next week for the event. He doesn't know where you live so you don't have to worry about him knocking at your door. But he might want to talk to you at this event." 

She looked concerned for me.

"If you don't want to come I completely understand." 

I thought it was sweet of Caroline for thinking of me.

"That's alright Caroline. I'm also an employee at this company and I want to be there for such an important day for you. In other words I need to be there not only as your friend but also as your coworker."

She smiled.

"And I think it's time I talk with Xavier about everything that happened. I can't run away from him forever."

I planned to ask him why he had changed so much. After spending some time away from him I realized his simple answer " I'm worried about your health" was just an excuse. 

Throughout this time I had also gained back a few more memories. I remember the first time Xavier and I had met and what it was that made me fall in love with him.

It was because of this that I realized his actions were out of character. 

I was going to face him and no longer run away. And I would demand an answer. 

The day continued as usual. I organized some documents for Caroline and accompanied her to meetings. It was time for lunch and we headed to our favorite cafe.

We sat down and talked about what we planned to wear for the event.

Caroline was really excited. She had shown me the dress she had bought for the event and it was beautiful.

I, on the other hand, had no idea what to wear. Although Caroline offered to let me borrow a new dress she had purchased a year ago and had never worn before.

Although I was excited for Caroline and happy for her. I couldn't help but stop thinking about Xavier.

In fact, this entire time I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t get him out of my mind.

The following days passed as usual and before I knew it, the big day had arrived.

Caroline's husband drove us to the event and we all headed inside.

The place was elegantly decorated. There were a lot of business men and their partners. 

There was a large stage where Caroline and Xavier would officially present their new product.

Most of the guests had arrived and the presentation began. I saw Xavier standing next to Caroline.

He looked handsome in that suit. His hair was styled nicely as always. 

I tried not to look at him and focus on Caroline. 

It was then time for Xavier to speak.

As he spoke, his strong and confident voice echoed in the room. 

I always liked how well he presented himself. He was a great leader and excellent at his work. 

It's one of his qualities that made me admire him.

I couldn't believe I was still thinking about him that way. I wasn't supposed to be so interested in him after what he did to me.

After the presentation was over Caroline and Xavier headed to where Caroline's husband and I were at.

As Xavier walked closer I felt my heart beat faster.

I congratulated Caroline and hugged her.

"You were amazing up there."

Caroline smiled.

"Thank you." She said.

I looked at Xavier and he smiled at me.

He looked happy to see me.

"I'm going to greet the rest of the guests. Let's go my love." Caroline grabbed her husband's hand and they left Xavier and I alone. 

"Hello, it's nice to see you again. You look beautiful." Xavier said.

I could tell Xavier was trying to be cautious after what happened between us.

"Thank you" I said.

Having him face to face brought back so many pent up feelings. 

I wished I could grab him and kiss him. I wanted his strong arms around me.

I wanted to feel his warmth and protection again.

My only wish was for us to fix our problems and make things work again. 

However, I needed to see he was truly sorry for what he did and that he was never going to do it again.

"Can we talk somewhere more private?" I asked him.

He immediately agreed.

We headed towards an area with no people around. 

Now it was simply just the two of us.

I looked up at him and planned to demand an answer from him.

But the minute I truly looked into his eyes I froze.

I recognized his cologne, the one he always wore and that reminded me of him. I noticed we were standing pretty close and I could feel his body heat.

I couldn't explain it but I was drawn to him. I knew he felt the same way by the look of desire in his face.

This feeling of love and desire I felt so strongly irritated me. I couldn't understand why I still felt these feelings of love for Xavier after what he had made me go through.

However I planned to get a clear answer from him today. I wasn’t sure how much it would change things but I wanted to give him a second chance if he earned it.

That all would depend on his answer.

Xavier raised his hand and tucked my hair behind my ear as he moved closer to me.

What happened next surprised even me.

Xavier pulled me against him grabbing hold of my waist as he pressed his aching lips against mine and devoured my mouth.

It wasn't slow, nor a small peck, but instead a passionate, hungry kiss.

What surprised me more was that I kissed his back with the same fervent passion.

It felt like we hadn't seen each other in years and we were finally reuniting.

I felt Xavier's hand travel down my body where he grabbed hold of my ass. He squeezed it a bit before lifting me up.

He was now holding me with his hands on my thighs.

The way he held me made it easier for me to notice his evident hard on.

He then moved a bit so my back was now against the wall. He began to press his manhood against my core, making both of us feel pleasure. 

Even though we still had our clothes on the sensation felt amazing.

We continued to kiss. My arms were placed around his neck as we tilted our heads side to side as our lips touched. 

He stopped, allowing for both of us to catch our breath before he proceeded to kiss my neck.

At first it was a small, gentle kiss. But then he began to lick and suck on my neck until he left a mark on me.

I did my best to contain my moans from the pleasure. But I let out a moan.

"Those sounds I hear are making me go crazy princess." Xavier whispered in my ear.

I needed to get it together. I was letting my emotions get the better of me.

"Let's talk." I managed to say while Xavier continued to kiss my neck and suck on my collarbone.

"Please Xavier, we need to talk." I said again.

He gently put me down.

We both needed to cool down a bit after that hot make out session we just had.

Finally I managed to get the words I'd been wanting to tell him all day.

"Why did you do it? Why did you lock me away from the world?" My voice came out strong.

Xavier appeared sad for a bit, for a second I felt he had repented for what he had done. But it quickly went away and he now had a cold expression.

"I already told you. You got into an accident and I felt you still weren't ready to go out on your own, let alone work." He seemed almost upset.

It hurt to see that rude man he was when I left, still remained. 

"Do you even feel just a bit sorry for what you did to me?" I began to feel angry and sad.

"I did what I thought and still feel is good for you." 

Hearing that answer made me realize he hadn't changed. He didn’t seem to think that what he did to me was bad, but instead just his way of helping me.

I knew I needed to make a big decision but I wanted to be absolutely positive before I made the choice.

"If you could turn back time, would you have done the same? Would you have prevented me from working and locked me away in our home?" 

He was quiet for a bit before making what sounded like a very confident answer.

"Yes, I would have done the same. And I will do the same once you come back home to me."

The arrogance and insensitivity of this man. It truly surprised me.

I felt embarrassed and ashamed for having kissed him and longed for him just minutes ago.

"Who says I'm going back with you." I answered.

Like hell was I going back. Now I was more sure than ever about the big step I was about to take. 

"You're my wife Audrey. You're legally bound to me." He looked upset.

I couldn't believe how he was acting.

"Well I guess you should have thought about that before you treated me like a prisoner rather than your wife." 

It was time.

"And you know what, let's change that. I no longer wish to be bound by you so I hope you will understand when I say I want a divorce." 

I said it. Those words I had been thinking about since I left him, had finally come out.

He looked too shocked for words.

"Are you being serious?" He finally spoke, asking in a softer tone. 

"Yes" I replied.

I could tell he was taken by surprise.

"But why? I don't understand?" He asked sounding genuinely confused.

"Do you seriously not know now why?" I couldn’t understand how he hadn’t realized how much he had hurt me.

"I was scared of you Xavier! For once in my life I feared you. I never thought I would ever feel that way around you…"

I felt I was about to cry, but I finished my sentence without bursting into tears 

"But I did."

 I tried to calm myself down before continuing.

"I no longer felt safe around you Xavier. I wasn't allowed to get out of my room for weeks. I didn’t even get to go around my own house for crying out loud. And the one thing that meant the world to me, my new job, was taken away from me. You took my freedom, my right to make my own choices, and my voice to speak my mind. You didn’t listen to me or cared to ask how I was feeling. Every time I was near you it felt like I was walking on eggshells. Like if I made you angry you would make my life worse." 

I breathed in and out.

"I can't, no, I won't live like that. Never again." I shed a tear and I knew I wasn't going to contain it anymore.

I turned around and began to walk away.

"Audrey, wait!" I heard him call out my name.

I tried to walk faster but he grabbed my hand and stopped me.

I didn't look at him.

"Please reconsider. I know you still love me just as much as I do. Please, don't make a rash decision." 

I felt angry and sad at the same time.

"Let me go!" I screamed before pulling my hand away from him.

When I finally faced him I noticed his red eyes and tears falling down his cheeks. 

He was heartbroken as well. 

"Please don't leave me Audrey. I can't lose you too." 

He was being sincere. Seeing how distraught he looked made me want to cry even more.

I didn’t say a word and simply left. I couldn’t be there any longer. 

END OF CHAPTER 19

(Well things got dramatic 🙄 and a bit steamy too 😌. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I've already started writing the next chapter and I plan to post it as soon as possible. 😁Don't forget to VOTE if you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for reading.)