Some people are suffering, but you'll never notice because they're suffering in silence.

Violet's POV

I trembled in fear as the scary man grabbed my arm and roughly slammed me on the wall.

"You seem a bit shaken up," He mocks. "Don't worry I'll make this quick." He takes out a knife from his pocket. He brings the knife close my face running it gently on my cheek.

"It's a shame too. You're beautiful." I try and struggle out of his grip, but this angers him. He slams harder on the wall, "Stop fighting it bitch," He hisses.

"I'm not dying a without a fight," I spat glaring at him. I wasn't some damsel in distress, and he wasn't killing me without a fight.

"Let me go!" I yell struggling out if his grip.

"Shut up," He growls and cuts my arm with his blade. The pain burned, blood gushed out of the cut. I let a tear slip out of my eye, the pain increasing by the second.

"Not so tough now are we?" He jeers smirking proudly. His words anger me, and I struggle even harder, kicking his legs.

"Let her go, Abel," Someone orders. I turn and see one of the men who showed Linda, Bella and me to our rooms.

Abel steps away from me putting the knife back in his pocket. "Excuse me,"
He mumbles and quickly walks away as if nothing happened.

"Don't worry I'll take care of him, I'm Ace I took you and your friends to your rooms," He says smiling at me, I look at him skeptically; why was he so nice to me?

"Please don't tell anyone about this,"
I plea. I didn't want anyone finding out about this because it would just lead to more problems.

He looks at me in shock, "You can't be serious. How will you explain the cut?" He asks pointing at my hand.

"I'll think of something, but no one can find out. I'm trusting you'll tell no one." He looks at me like I'd grown two heads.

I know it seemed stupid not telling people what happened to me but I couldn't put other people's lives in danger because of my problems. I wasn't going to let innocent people die because of me, that's a mistake I refuse to make twice.

Ace looks at me for what feels like hours. I stand there in a very uncomfortable silence, I didn't like lying but I would if it meant Linda and Bella would be safe.

"Fine I'll play along in your game, but if this gets out of hand, I'm telling Xavier," Ace says in a stern voice. I nod, agreeing to his terms. "Now let's go get that cut cleaned up," He smiles at me beckoning me to follow him.

I walk behind him, wondering what was going on in this place. What files were those two men trying to steal, More importantly, what were they hiding?

Ace leads me to the kitchen. We enter and find Bella, Linda and Rose cooking. They look at my arm in horror, Bella rushed over to me, "What the hell happened?" She asks worriedly.

"I was cleaning, and some stuff fell on me, and I cut my arm," I lie terribly, Bella looks at me skeptically but doesn't push further.

"Nice save," I hear Ace mumble sarcastically. I roll my eyes at his comment, Livia walks over to me, her eyes asked a million questions, but she didn't utter a word. She pulls out a chair for me, and I sit down.

Rose walks over to me with a sweet smile. "I'll help you clean up that cut dear," She says taking out a first aid kit from the shelf close to us.

"Well, then I'll just leave you ladies to it," Ace chirps and exits the kitchen leaving us in silence.

"So are you going to tell us what actually happened to your hand cause I don't buy your story," Livia spoke breaking the silence.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I responded nervously. "I'm sure that it was Xavier that hit you," Bella stated.

"Xavier had nothing to do with this," I glare at my friends wondering what had gotten into them.

"That's enough; I don't want you three turning this into a fight. I'm more than sure Xavier had nothing to do with what happened to Violet," Rose declares.

"With all due respect, how are you so sure of that Rose?" Bella questions. "I've worked here for a very long time. I've known Xavier since he was 3, I was his nanny. He might be a lot of things, but he would never hit a woman," She responds putting a bandage on my arm.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's a sweet lady like you doing in a place like this," Linda asks. Rose sighs,"This place was my saving grace." We look at her in curiosity, urging her to go on.

"You see my family was going through some tough times. There had been a shooting, hundreds had died and our town was in chaos- people were running away, moving in with their relatives. I tried to convince Paul, my husband, that it would best if we moved in with his family or mine but he refused he said we could survive on our own. Boy was he wrong." She pauses and lets out a shaky breath.

"We were fine for some time but things got harder. Paul had to work over time, he would come back home really late at night. I told him it wasn't safe but he just wouldn't listen. He got shot one day on his way to work, I didn't have any money to pay for rent so I got thrown out of my house and then a few weeks later I found out I was pregnant. I went to my family to ask for help but they said they wanted nothing to do with my child. I asked Paul's family for help but they blamed me for their son's death. I had no one to turn to: I had no food, money or family. Due to my situation, the baby didn't get want it needed. I was always stressed, I hardly ate anything and I was living on the streets, I had a miscarriage."

I look at Rose with tears in my eyes. She's been through so much, and her heart is somehow still full of so much love.

"I was broken, alone and depressed. I had nothing anymore. Then one day I met Mrs. Valentine she took under her roof and cared for me with all her heart. She gave me the loved everyone else and neglected me off, she was my sister, mother, and friend all in one. She was the light of this house, everyone seemed so happy whenever she was around." Rose smiles cleaning the tears that had fallen from her eyes.

"What happened to Mrs. Valentine?" I ask quietly afraid of the answer. What if she was brutally murdered?

Rose looks at me with a pained expression, "She vanished. She left the house one night and never returned. Everyone was devastated, Xavier took it the worst. He became cold and distant and his father turned into a monster. Everyone assumed she died but I still have hope that she's alive."

"Tomorrow is the anniversary of her death." Poor Xavier, that's why he's the way he is. "We should get some sleep it's 9," Bella says getting up from her chair. I nod and walk over Rose giving her big hug. She smiles at me and with that, I leave.

I get into my room and throw myself onto the couch, thinking about the chaotic day I had. Bella and Livia enter the room and walk over to me.

"You don't have to tell us what happened if you don't too but when you're ready to talk just know we're always here," Livia whispers kissing my forehead. Bella nods and kisses my cheek; I smile thinking of how lucky I am to have them.

They get ready for bed and sleep. While I lay awake thinking about Xavier, maybe he isn't the monster I thought he was. I still remember the night at the club, I still remember how good his hands felt on my body. I can still remember how my body reacted to his touch.

I shake those thoughts away; I couldn't be thinking of this. I close my eyes and let sleep consume me.

*************

I'm woken up by the sound of glass breaking and screams. I sit on my couch contemplating if I should go out and find out what's wrong or not.

My curiosity gets the best of me, and I leave my room following the screams. I stop in front of Xavier's room where I find Rose and Mr. Valentine. Rose looks me; her face was full of pain and sadness. Her eyes were red like she had been crying for a long time.

"What's going?" I ask. "Xavier is having a breakdown," Rose explains. At that moment I hear Xavier scream causing me to jump a little.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" I question. "I'm afraid not; he acts like this all the time. He's not worth your time," Mr. Valentine jeers. I look at him in shock wondering how he could talk about his son like that.

I wasn't leaving Xavier in his state, "You two can go to bed, I know how to help him." Mr. Valentine walks out not caring what happens to his son, but Rose stays.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" She questions and I nod. She sighs knowing she can't convince me to do otherwise "Okay but safe," She warns hugging me. With that, she leaves.

I work up all the courage I have and walk into his room. What I'm meet with leaves me speechless, there was broken glass everywhere. Xavier was kneeling on the floor looking utterly broken. His face was stained with tears, his was breathing rapidly. His face and knuckles were bloody.  He seemed like a wild animal.

I cautiously walk over to him trying not to anger or scare him. I place my hand on his shoulder causing him to look up at me. His face almost brings me to tears; he looked destroyed.

"You've come here to mock me like the rest of them," he slurs. "No I came here to help you, Xavier," I kneel beside him hoping he'll accept my help.

"You can't help me, I don't if you've noticed but I'm severely seemed up," He says bitterly. "Have you ever felt like you were slowly slipping away from the world, have you ever wished death would just take you. The difference between you and me is that when you wake up, your nightmare ends."

I wish I could tell him how wrong he was. My nightmares didn't end in fact they got worse. I knew exactly how he felt which is why I'm not going to give up on him.

I place my arm on him, "Let me help you, Xavier. Tell what's wrong," I whisper. He looks at me tears running down his face.

They took her away Violet. They took my mom away," He sobs. I had no idea what came over me, but I pull him into a hug, crying silently. "I promised her that I wouldn't cry, I promised her I'd stay strong. I failed," He mumbles pulling away from me.

"Crying doesn't mean you're weak. It just means you've been strong for way too long," I explained softly. His eyes met mine, and I get lost in his gaze. My eyes roam his body, and I notice he's cut.

I break our gaze and get up, looking for the first aid kit in his room. I knew there was one here cause I remember Rose telling they kept one in every room. I find it in one of the shelves, turn my attention to Xavier.

"I need you to take off your shirt and lay on the bed. You have a cut, and I need to clean it," I instruct. To my surprise, he does what I instructed.

I walk over to him and sit on the edge of the bed. I examine his cut it wasn't deep so he wouldn't need stitches. I clean his wound in silence while admiring his sculpted abs.

Once I'm done I pack up the kit, "You should get some sleep," I mumble smiling at him.

"Will you stay with me?" He asks nervously. I'm shocked by his offer would it be wrong if I stayed with him. A part of me was saying no, but another part was screaming yes.

I decided to throw all caution to the wind and get in bed with him. I lay far away from him, but he pulls me to his body wrapping his arm around my waist.

I was going to protest, but it felt so good, I've never been so comfortable in any one's arms. My eyes get heavy with sleep, so I close and fall asleep in his arms.

Author's Note

Hope you guys liked it. This is the longest chapter I've ever written.

So what do guys think of Xavier?

Shoutout to brilliant_books check her book Wiped it's amazing

Don't forget to vote and comment😘