"You are not filthy," he said firmly, his fingers twitching with the urge to hold her. "You didn’t choose this. None of this was your fault."


    She shook her head violently. "You’re supposed to hate me. You’re supposed to look at me with disgust—"


    Xavier cupped her face, forcing her to meet his gaze. His dark eyes burned with something fierce, unwavering. "I could never hate you." His voice was raw, filled with conviction. "And I sure as hell will never leave you."


    Tears continued to pour down her cheeks, her lips trembling. "Why?" she whispered.


    "Because I love you," he said without hesitation. "No matter what, I will always love you."


    Xavier wrapped his arms around her, bringing her to his chest as he hugged her as tightly as possible but not tight enough to suffocate her.


    It’s almost been a year since she went missing, so hugging her right now felt like a dream. Anastasia hugged him just as tight as if her life depended on it.


    After spilling everything, her chest felt light. At first, she’d thought he was going to walk out the door like she’d expected, but he was still here with her, not feeling disgusted or irritated that he was touching her.


    ’Tracie was right all along,’ she thought to herself.


    Reluctantly, Xavier released her and wiped away the rest of her tears from her eyes. The gesture had only been a small thing but it meant a lot to Anastasia.


    All of a sudden, Anastasia shrieked. "You’re bleeding."


    Panic surged through her as she quickly pulled Xavier off the ground. Blood dripped steadily from the open wound—her earlier strike with the baton had done more damage than she’d realized.


    "I thought it would’ve stopped by now," she muttered, her hands hovering uncertainly over the injury. Her anger from before was momentarily forgotten, reced by a growing sense of urgency. "We need to get you to a hospital. Now."


    Xavier simply stared at her without saying anything. It was only blood, and he was fine. However, Anastasia was worried.


    They rushed out of the house after Anastasia had already cleaned the blood and put a bandage to prevent it from dripping onto his clothes.


    At the hospital,


    Anastasia was seated across from Xavier who was getting his injury stitched. ording to the doctor, there was nothing serious to be worried about. Although he might suffer from a few concussions from time to time.


    Anastasia sighed. So much had happened in just one day. Months back, she was sure she was going to achieve her revenge before going back to Xavier. Then, Tracie found out first, and so did Xavier.


    The whole time Xavier was getting stitched, his gaze was on her. She wanted to avoid his gaze but she found herself staring back at him as butterflies swamped in her belly.


    "That’s all for now," said the nurse as she arranged her tools and got ready to leave.


    "Thank you," said Anastasia. The nurse bowed her head with a smile before taking her leave.


    Anastasia stood up from her chair and walked towards him.


    "Is it painful?" She asked with concernced in her tone as she stared at him. He shook his hand, pulling her to sit by himself as he nuzzled his head on her neck, breathing in her scent. He still couldn’t believe she was in his arms once again.


    All of a sudden, the door opened with a bang as Tracie walked inside.


    "What did you say happened to you? You just called me all of a sudden saying you were at the hospital! Are you hur—" Tracie choked on her own words when she saw the scene in front of her. "What the fuck happened?!!"