NICK
Hearing the details of what Xander had done to Olivia nearly shattered me. Every word Marcus spoke felt like <b>a </b>fresh wound cutting deeper into my chest. My breath caught in my throat, and I had to hold myself back from crumbling under the weight of it all. I couldn’t even let Marcus finish telling me everything, I couldn’t hear more.. The images of what he did, the torture, the maniption, the terror, were too much. My heart was already breaking for her, and I knew that hearing more would break mepletely.
I had once believed that Xander might change, that after everything he had been through, he mighte out the other side a better man. I thought maybe he would be better father, maybe he could still be a part of his son’s life. I was wrong. So wrong.
After hearing the horrors Olivia endured, I could no longer even entertain the idea of letting him go, of allowing him to walk free as if nothing had happened. He didn’t deserve that. Not after what he had done. I was no longer filled with the hope that he could redeem himself. There was no redemption for him, <b>not </b>after the pain he had caused <b>her</b><b>, </b>not after the scars he had left. Olivia was going to carry those scars for the rest of her life, and no amount of time would ever heal that.
With grim determination, I pushed myself to my feet. My blood was boiling, but I needed to stay focused. Olivia’s pain, her suffering, it demanded action. It demanded justice. I couldn’t let Xander just slip away into the world, pretending everything was fine. He had to pay for what he’d done, <b>and </b>I was going to be the one to make sure of it
I walked out of the room, my mind set. I headed back to the room where we had kept Xander, the one at the hotel. I had learned the night before that Luke owned the ce, which <b>made </b>things a little easier for us. The thought of Luke’s involvement was reassuring. He understood the stakes, and he wasn’t about to let Xander slip away either.
I reached the door and shoved it open with such force that it mmed against the wall, then bounced back toward me. The noise was deafening, but I didn’t care. Every inch of me was consumed with the need to make Xander face what he had done.
Xander stirred as I entered, his eyes fluttering open. His face was l bruised, and there was a bandage wrapped around his chest and arms, evidence of the injuries <b>he </b>had sustained. He looked at me, his expression unreadable, like he was bracing for whatever woulde next. He thought he was going to recover, that he was going to walk away from this and return to his life. But he was wrong. He <b>had </b>no idea what was about to happen.
“Time to talk,” I said, my voice low and controlled. I hated the restraint it took to keep myposure. Every fibre of my being screamed at me to let go, to rush at him and make him feel the full extent of the anger I felt. But I couldn’t afford that. I had to y this right.
On the inside, I was burning with rage, every part of me wanting to grab him by the throat, to choke the life out <b>of </b>him slowly <b>and </b>painfully. I wanted to see the terror in his eyes as he realized that everything he had done to Olivia, everything he had put her through, was nowing back to him. I wanted him to feel the helplessness, the desperation, the same things he had forced Olivia to feel. I wanted him to know that his death would be a result of his own actions, and that it was all for Olivia.
But I couldn’t lose myself in the violence just yet. I needed him to speak. I needed him to confess everything. I needed to make sure he understood the gravity of what wasing.
Xander’s eyes narrowed, and he sighed, as if resigned to whatever fate was about to unfold. “They must be in New Vige by now,” he muttered, his voice rough. “They are originally from Summer Strand, where I’m from. The n <b>was </b>to scout all your ces, take you out one by one.
I froze for a moment, processing his words. His n had been to methodically take us out, eliminate u…e by one. The realization hit me hard, and for a brief second, the gravity of his malice struck me with full force. He
wasn’t just some maniac with a personal vendetta. This had been orchestrated, coldly and carefully. His only <b>goal </b>had been destruction.
I took a step closer to him, my anger rising like a tide, but I forced myself to keep it in check. I had to be <b>smart </b>about this. I couldn’t let him see how much his words had affected <b>me</b>, how deeply they cut. I had to stay in control. For Olivia. For the future<b>. </b>
“Thank you, Xander,” I said, my voice steady, almost too cm. “I can see you are a man of your word. I used to be <b>one</b>, <b>too</b>. But men like you, they have this unique ability to change people. You have changed me.”
I let my words hang in the air for a moment, watching him carefully, studying his reaction. There was a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared, reced by the same cold<b>, </b>calcting demeanour I hade to expect from him.
“Did you really think,” I continued, my voice turning sharper now, “that I was going to let you go after everything you did to Olivia?”
The silence in the room thickened. Xander’s expression regained unreadable, but I could see the subtle tension in his shoulders, the slight shift in his posture. I could feel the fear slowly creeping into him. He knew what wasing.
For a moment, I let my gaze hold his, unflinching. I wanted him to feel every ounce of the anger I was holding back, to know that this wasn’t over for him, that it would <b>never </b>be over.
“You are not going anywhere, Xander,” I said, my voice low but filled with undeniable intent. “Not until you have paid for everything you have done.”
I turned and walked out of the room, leaving him with <b>his </b>thoughts. I could feel the weight of the situation pressing on me as I made my way back down the hallway. This was it. There would be no turning back now. Olivia’s <b>pain</b>, her suffering, those weren’t things I could forgive. And neither would he.