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Let them.

The figure dressed in black crouches in front of me, but I don’t recognise them.

A pair of hands land on my shoulders. I think they’re shaking me. I can’t tell.

They’re tapping my chest, along with that fist-sized muscle inside my chest that’s stopped beating.

It only beats for one person, but now she’s gone.

Chapter 44

Camila

My legs shake like a leaf as I finally pull up to the mansion after following Jacques' directions. Jacques and Daniel are waiting at the open gate as I pull in.

My door is yanked open by Jacques before I have the chance to turn the engine off. A warm, chocolatey smell fills my nose, erasing the amber scent of Xander. My breaths come in short, quick pants as Jacques offers his hand to me.

I place my increasingly sweaty hand into his. After helping me out of the car, he pulls me into his chest. Exhaustion takes hold of my body as I wrap my arms around his muscular waist. His chest rises and falls with a deep sigh.

“Dan, close the gate. Make sure he doesn’t enter. Keep him outside of these grounds tonight,” Jacques orders.

“Yes, sir.”

“Fuck, Cam. What happened?” he asks.

I can’t find it in me to form words. I’m tired. I’m hurt.

Our entire relationship was built on lies and secrets. I thought I knew him. I thought I understood him. I thought he was helping me fix myself.

“Do you want to go inside?” he asks. “Where the fuck are your shoes?”

I’m shaking against him, and I think if he wasn’t holding me, I wouldn’t be able to hold myself up.

“Yes,” I whisper weakly.

“Can you walk?”

I nod against his chest, and he pulls away, weaving his arm under my shoulder to help me forward. I throw my arm around his broad shoulders, struggling with the height difference.

He leads me through the mansion, right into Xander’s wing.

“No,” I mumble, shaking my head as his closed door stares at me from the other end of the hallway.

We stop, and Jacques comes to stand in front of me, holding onto my shoulders to keep me steady.

“Hey, he won’t be here. Not unless you want him to be. He’s not even allowed past the gate. Okay?”

Fear washes over me. Jacques’ blue eyes hold promise in them, but I don’t know who to trust anymore.

I nod once. I know I can’t go back home to my apartment. There’s only one option for me here.

“And even if he does somehow get past Daniel, the first place he’s gonna look is a guest bedroom.”

He walks me up to Xander’s room and pauses outside as I open the door and take a single step in.

His scent hits me like a tonne of bricks. My hand tenses on the handle, and I inhale a sharp breath to rid my eyes of the quickly building tears. I know Jacques wants to know what happened, but the last thing I want right now is to talk to anyone.

My stomach is in knots.