Chapter 23
The draft fulta had poured an entire day into now lay in tom shreds all over the floor. Even though she tried hard to keep her emotions in check, the fire rising in her chest was impossible to hide.
Her sharp tone made Xavier freeze.
For a moment, he just stood there, stunned. Then the anger came flooding back, stronger than before.
So, Julia ignored him and yelled at him over a stupid plece of paper?
In his memory, Julia had always been strict, but she’d never yelled at him like that.
“I’m not leaving!” Xavier screamed, completely losing it. “Why should I? You’re my mommy, you’re supposed to take care of me! And now you’re yelling. at me, too?
The more he talked, the angrier he got. He grabbed a handful of things off the nearby display shelf, whatever he could reach, and started hurling them at the floor.
“That’s for ignoring me!”
Avase landed with a crash
“That’s for saying you don’t want
it me anymore!”
He might’ve been small, but when Xavier lost his temper, he was stubborn and explosive. In seconds, the ceramic decorations on the shell were in pieces
“Xavier!” Julia shouted, her eyes reddened with tears as she watched him completely lose control
This was the son she’d lovingly raised for six years?
Finally, Xavier stopped, only because he couldn’t reach the higher shelves.
The office floor was now covered in shattered ceramic.
my sake–you just wanted to protect yo
your ego! You
“Aunt Penny was right! You never really loved me! You’re just selfish! You weren’t strict with me for my sake only “raised‘ me so you could brag to Daddy and everyone else about how great of a mom you are!”
He stood there, shouting at Julia as broken pieces Jay scattered at his feet.
All those things Penelope had quietly planted in Xavier’s mind–twisted words, subtle jebs–came spilling out now,
Julia Summers! You don’t deserve to be my mommy! You don’t even care if I’m happy or not! Aunt Penny’s right–kids like me should be able to play however we want!”
Xavier was screaming and crying at the same time, his voice growing more hoarse by the second
His outburst was a mix of blame toward Julia and his buried frustration over being held to high expectations.
Faced with his accusations, Julia went pale and took two shaky steps back.
If teaching him discipline, building good habits, and encouraging him to learn two languages since early childhood counted as being strict, then fine- he’d admit to being strict
But was Xavier’s childhood truly unhappy
Before Penelope had inserted herself into their lives, Julla had taken him to Dreamyland regularly,
She’d flown him overseas to dive in coral reefs, to explore the underwater world he loved…
Xavier rubbed his eyes with his arm. “You were so mean to me, but I still thought you were a good mommy.
“But Aunt Penny, she cares about me! She takes me out to play in secret, and you’re just jealous. You were always so mean to her.
“You tried to kick her out! Just because I liked Aunt Penny a little more, you decided to abandon me! I was in the hospital, and you didn’t care at all! You didn’t want me anymore…
His sobbing words felt like knives, each one driving straight into Julia’s chest.
“Lia?” Haley, sering falla’s face go pale, stepped closer, worried
Julia waved her off. “I’m fine.”
Her face was expressionless, her jaw clenched, and her eyes cold as stone as she looked at Xavier and said, “I can’t control you anymore. I’ll have your dad come pick you up.”
And just like that, she turned away, ignoring the next wave of Xavier’s shouting and crying. She pulled out her phone and called Sebastian.
Sebastian had just returned to the villa and was about to ask Penelope if Xavier had said or done anything unusual before running off, when fulla’s call
came in.
He answered immediately.
“Come pick up Xavier, Julia said, her tone calm.
Sebastian frowned. He was just about to suggest she come home too, that maybe they could all return together, when Xavier’s furious screaming, burst through the speaker
“Julia Summers! i hate you! I wish you were dead!
