Chapter 988
[ 654 words ]
He kissed her with a feverish desperation, almost as if he was letting out every ounce of frustration he’d bottled up. Only after a long while did that intensity start to fade. Finally, he let her go, his touch softening.
“Do you understand now?” Xander asked, his chin resting atop her head. His deep voice held a mix of resignation and the unmistakable edge of command.
Faced with Xander’s sudden show of dominance, Yvonne swallowed, throat dry. “Was it really you that night?” she blurted, still clearly unable to believe it.
“It was me.” Xander’s words were cold, firm-unmistakable.
Yvonne could only stare, stunned into silence.
Again and again, the truth rang in her ears: It was Xander. Not Dan, but Xander. In that moment, every certainty she’d clung to unraveled. The tide inside her surged, confusion swallowing her up.
Xander’s phone started buzzing. He set Yvonne aside gently, checking the screen- it was Dan calling.
Without hesitation, Xander declined the call.
Yvonne bit her lip, still struggling to process everything. “So… um, I… I just…..” Her mind spun, words failing her. Finally, she looked at Xander, dazed. “Everything I did to Dan… what was that even about?”
Xander’s reply was brusque, almost amused. “Just means he had rotten luck.”
Yvonne blinked, speechless. “…Oh.” Was that… really all?
She stared at him, lost for words. “But you…?”
“What? Are you about to say I never told you?” Xander shot her an annoyed look. “I’ve said from the start that it was me that night. You just decided I must be taking the fall for Dan.”
Again, Yvonne had nothing to say-completely exasperated by her own naivety. She took a shaky breath, wanting to defend herself, but no words would come. Now that she finally accepted the truth—that the man from that night had been Xander— she found herself paralyzed, unable to describe the tangle of emotions inside her. She was numb. It was impossible to wrap her head around what she’d done.
“But if it was you, then why did you run off?” Yvonne suddenly demanded, flaring
up.
At the word “run,” Xander’s
expression turned stormy in an instant. Images flashed through his mind: Shawn Schultz, Lott, and.
Ashley hauling him out, draggin
him away. Even so, being the who bailed under those circumstances… It was beyond humiliating.
Xander silenced her with a hard, frustrated kiss. Yvonne, still fuming, pushed back and struggled. He gripped her tightly, pulling her into his arms. “Don’t move,” he muttered.
“You big coward!” she exclaimed—and then, in a burst of anger, she bit down on his lip.
On the other side of town, chaos was brewing for Susanna Tucker as well.
She’d just gotten off the phone with Stella Quinn. “Wait, are you saying Yorick Quarry’s the one who told you that?” Stella had asked.
“Yeah, it’s true, right?” Susanna replied.
“It is. I’ve got it covered already-nothing for you to worry about,” Stella reassured her.
“Alright, thanks.”
“And listen―you do what your mother says and stay away from the Murray family for now,” Stella instructed firmly.
She ran through the details about Black Gate, pointedly leaving Yorick out of the conversation. Susanna agreed, picking up on the
unsad now she knew enou net
about Black Gate to make sense of things. Things had been too easy back in that cheerful little city; she’d been caught off guard. But that was another life.
When she hung up, Yorick called her almost immediately. Susanna answered with a clipped tone. “You don’t need to worry about her anymore. She’s got Mr. Quinn looking after her.”
There was a silent pause-Susanna could practically feel Yorick’s presence recede on the other end of the line.
“That’s all,” Susanna said, her tone brisk. “I’m hanging up now.”
She was about to end the call when Yorick’s voice stopped her. “How has she been lately?”
“Mr. Quinn loves her more than
anything. Why wouldn’t she be alright?” Susanna replied
matter-of-factly. She could hear the loss in Yorick’s voice, but she didn’t pity him. “And don’t go feeling sorry for yourself. You’re the one who fumbled your chances with her.”
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