"You are safe. No one is going to hurt you," he whispered in her ears, trying to calm her down.


    He continued to whisper soothing words into her ear, his voice a gentle murmur in the stillness of the room. Gradually, Selene’s trembling lessened, her breathing bing steadier. After a while, exhaustion overcame her, and she began to calm down, slowly returning to her senses.


    Selene sobbed, her tears staining Xavier’s shirt but Xavier continued to hug. Surprisingly, she hugged him back so tight as if she was holding on to her dear life.


    "They are so wicked for doing that to me," she sobbed.


    She continued to sob until she had no more tears left to shed.


    Xavier released her so that he could look at her face which was as red as a tomato.


    "I’m sorry," she suddenly apologized which earned her a frown from Xavier. "I’m sorry for ruining your shirt," she exined.


    "That’s okay, you can ruin as many shirts as you want," he said. Wiping her tears. Selene’s head was lowered as she tried to avoid eye contact with him. She knew she looked miserable but she felt if she stared at him for even a second, she was going to cry again.


    "Thank you for saving me," she said.


    "You don’t need to thank me for that. You are my wife and I must protect you."


    Selene raised her head to look at him for a brief second before she lowered her head back. She bit her lips, finding words to reply to his.


    Sometimes she felt she needed to be reminded she was already a married woman.


    Xavier stared down at her pink lips, his breath hitching as desire surged within him. He sighed, fighting with his urge, knowing this wasn’t the right moment for intimacy. Yet, the way Selene bit her lip, her teeth grazing the soft flesh, made it almost impossible to resist.


    He ced his hand under her chin, lifting her head so that he could look into her eyes which were already pooled with tears.


    "I will punish anyone who hurts you. That I promise you," he added.


    Selene blinked at him, feeling her heart skip a beat at his words.


    "Xavier," she whispered. She didn’t get the chance to say anything else when he captured her lips.


    Selene’s eyes widened in shock, her heart racing wildly in her chest. She couldn’t bring herself to push him away—she didn’t want to push him away. Instead, she closed her eyes, surrendering to the moment and savoring the warmth of his kiss.


    Xavier nibbled on her lower lip, the taste of her salty tears mingling with the kiss. He sucked on her lips like a starved man, drawing a soft moan from her. Encouraged, he deepened the kiss, his tongue exploring her mouth. Selene stiffened momentarily, then rxed, matching his rhythm as she gave in to the moment.


    Xavier searched for her tongue and imed dominance as he continued to kiss her.


    Subconsciously, Selene’s hand found his shoulders and his found her waist as they pulled each other closer, diving deeper into the kiss.


    Selene tapped his chest, already running out of breath and he released her. Silence reigned and no one could say a word.


    Selene stood up, ready to leave when she noticed the shirt she was wearing. Shock was written all over her face when she stared at Xavier.


    "I didn’t see anything," he said even before she could ask him any question. But from the look in Selene’s eyes, she didn’t believe him. She was about to stomp out of the room when Xavier grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him. "I mean it, I didn’t look at anything," he tried to convince her. He didn’t want her to think the wrong way.


    "Okay," Selene mumbled.


    "You don’t need to go back to your room. I want you to stay here with me," he said.


    "I can’t do that."


    Xavier sighed, not surprised that was her answer. "Please Ana," he pleaded. "I want to take care of you."


    "You don’t need to, I can take care of myself," Selene replied, her tone suddenly cold. "You don’t need to worry, I won’t try to kill myself."


    Xavier frowned at her words. She tried to yank her wrist free from his grip but he only tightened it.


    "Xavier, let me go."


    "Did they do something else you haven’t told me about?" He asked her.


    Immediately, her body stiffened. She could feel tears threatening to pool again in her eyes but she blinked them back before she turned to look at Xavier.


    "I’ve told you everything that you needed to know," she replied.


    "Are you hiding something from me, Selene?"


    Selene ignored his question. "Let go of me Xavier." She tried to yank her hand back from his but failed. Instead of letting her go, Xavier pulled her towards his chest.


    "Like I said earlier, Ana. I will punish anyone who hurts you. You don’t need to be scared. You are mine and I will protect you no matter what."