Xeria’s P.O.V

Great, I now have to deal with this drama as well.

"Yes?" I respond by releasing my hand from Jake's grip.

"You can leave now," Khaos tells Jake as he steps into the room.

"Xeria," Jake turns to face me.

"You can stay; I should leave now." I want to leave, but Khaos is blocking my path. Jake, sensing the tension between us, makes the wise decision to leave and close the door behind him.

Khaos examines my wrist, which is covered in marks from Jake's grip.

"Can I help you with anything?" I ask, looking into his eyes, and he chuckles.

"Yes, you can help me by telling me how you're feeling right now," he says with a cheeky smile.

"I'm conflicted, betrayed, and surprisingly recharged, so can I leave now?" I ask, but he simply raises an eyebrow.

"No, you may not," he says, smiling.

"I wasn't exactly asking for your permission," I try to get past him, but he pins me against the door and smiles down at me.

"Why did you run away from me yesterday?" He asks, and the embarrassing memories from last night flood back, but it couldn't stop there as Khaos brings up my wrist, where my wedding ring was hanging by the chain we used to wear as a pair, and I yank his hand away.

"I wasn't trying to make a mistake," I explain, rolling my eyes.

"What mistake?" he asks, his gaze drawn to the ring.

"The ring was chosen by my mother; don't get any wrong ideas," I look at the ring.

"What ideas, Beryl?" he asks with an amused look on his face.

"Nothing. I want to go now; step back, okay?" I look down, feeling uneasy and suffocated. Sensing my uneasiness, Khaos steps back.

"Beryl, look at me," Khaos demands, but I don't look up.

"Beryl?" he calls again, but I don't want to.

"Xeria, are you ok?" Grunge calls as he bangs the door.

"Yes, I'm coming," I answer, exhaling and hurriedly opening the door.
Grunge looks at me, but then his expression stiffens as he sees Khaos standing behind me.

"What are you doing here?" he asks, clearly upset with the situation.

"I told you that I will be back," he answers, walking out of the room with his hands in his pockets.

Back?

What does he mean by back?

Was he here before?

I ponder but shake these thoughts away.

"Let's go." I tighten my grip on my bag as Grunge takes the lead. I walk down the corridor and subconsciously turn my head back to look at Khaos staring at me with him glued to his position.

"Why did you lie?" I ask Grunge as I buckle my seatbelt.

"You weren't in a position to hear the truth," he says, shrugging his shoulders and remaining as nonchalant as always.

"Anyways, where were you last night before I went out?" I ask him.

"That woman who was with Khaos last night, she is nothing to him, so don't be misunderstood," he says, and I turn to face him.

"What?" I ask him, not understanding the connection.

"Khaos is not with that woman in any way, so don't overthink it," he presses and steers through the busy road.

"What does it have to do with me?" I ask him, shifting in my seat and looking out, and he chuckles.

"It's been what? two years now, I guess now you should do something with all this and stop fooling yourself." He states and picks up his buzzing phone.

"What's wrong?" I ask him.

"I have to leave for home; something has come up," he explains, his gaze still lingering on his phone.

"You can drop me off at my place here, and then you can go." I offer sensing the urgency.

"You sure?" he confirms, looking at me.

"Yes, it's been a while since I went there, so," I assure him.

*

Unlocking the door, I step inside. I bought this place initially to stay away from Khaos in this city when we moved here, but I never had to use it up until now.

Plopping down on the couch, I open my social and search for Sloan, whose name I got from Moira. It was embarrassing, but I'm just intrigued.

Honestly, she's such a beautiful woman, or you can say an epitome of perfection. I look at the pictures from yesterday, but they were just her solo pictures, none with Khaos. I guess Grunge wasn't lying, but I don't know.

I scroll down and see only her pictures—no family or friends. I scroll some more, but my interest fades, and then Quentin's name appears on the screen.

"How are you?" he asks as soon as I pick up the phone.

"Better," I respond, throwing my head back.

"Well, I was unsuccessful in tracking down the person who posted those articles; it was a dead end," he informs me, and I sigh, realizing how clever this person is that no one can track them down.

"Anyway, since you're staying, come over for dinner. Bertil and Wilhelmina will also join; I will pick you up." Before I can respond, he hangs up.

"How was your getaway?" As we prepare to eat dinner, I ask Gabriell.

"Perfect," Gabriell says, a smile spreading across her face, and Quentin mirrors her reaction.

"Xeria, what's going on with Jake?" Wilhelmina looks concerned as she asks me.

"Nothing, just dealing with the aftermath of the mess we made two years ago." I keep the spoon down and close my eyes, not attempting to recall the memories.

"What are you going to do next?" she inquires.

"Go home and get back to normal," I shrug and continue to eat.

"I don't think that's possible now," Quentin interrupts, capturing our attention.

"You've let him in, Xeria; he's not going to back down now, and you know you can't push him away." He continues with his train of thought, and I know he is stating the facts.

"You know, I have this weird feeling that I can't shake." I tell them, and then the silence falls.

"You have to start over, Xeria, and this time it has to be you who makes the call, not anyone else," Gabriell says, placing her hand over mine to reassure me.

"That is the problem. I'm not sure where to start; this is all so disorganized that I can't think of a way to get through it." Gabriell smiles as I rest my hand on the table to support my head.

"Well, this isn't your mess; you have to walk through it with the person who started it all in the first place." Gabriell chuckles, and I nod as we resume our dinner.