Chapter 188 Heart ache

Chapter 188 Heart ache
Chapter 188: Heart ache 

Alex dropped her fork onto her plate with a sharp sound, her eyes flashing as she looked at Varney. “You are not flying to London,” she said firmly.

Varney leaned back in his chair, his jaw set. “And why not?” he shot back. “Last I checked, I don’t need permission to see my sister.”

Alex let out a short, incredulous laugh. “See your sister? Or babysit her?” she challenged. “Because there’s a difference.”

Varney’s gaze hardened. “Watch your tone, Alex.”

“No, you watch yours,” she fired back immediately. “Golden is not a child. She’s a full grown woman. A married woman for that matter. She can handle herself.”

Varney pushed his chair back slightly, the legs scraping against the floor. “That’s my baby sister,” he said, his voice low but intense. “My only family left.”

“And I get that,” she said, her voice calmer but still firm.

Alex folded her arms across her chest. “People cry, Varney. It doesn’t mean the world is ending.”

“It might be for her,” he snapped.

“And what exactly do you think you’re going to do if you get there?” Alex shot back. “Fix everything? Fight her battles? You can’t always do that.”

Varney stood up now, his patience thinning. “I’m not trying to fight her battles. I just want to be there.”

“And I’m trying to remind you that you have a life here too,” Alex said, rising to her feet as well. “We have a wedding to plan, Varney. Our wedding.”

He ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident. “So now I’m a bad fiancé because I care about my sister?”

“That’s not what I said,” Alex replied quickly. “Don’t twist my words.”

“Then what are you saying?”

“I’m saying you need to trust her,” Alex said, her voice steady. “Trust that she can handle whatever she’s going through without you flying across the world every time something feels off.”

Varney stared at her, his chest rising and falling with restrained emotion.

“She’s all I have left,” he said, quieter this time.

“And you have me,” she replied. “Don’t forget that.”



The door clicked open with a soft sound.

Xander stepped into the house, loosening his tie as he moved inside. 

He closed the door behind him and took a few steps forward.

Then he saw her.

Golden stood in the living room, her hands clasped together, her posture tense as if she had been waiting for hours.

Xander froze for a fraction of a second.

Shock flickered across his face before it disappeared just as quickly. 

He didn’t say a word. He simply walked past her.

Golden turned immediately, reaching out and grabbing his arm. “Xander,” she said.

He stopped, but he didn’t turn.

“Won’t you at least ask me why I’m back?” she continued, her voice unsteady.

He pulled his arm free gently, still not looking at her, and started walking again.

Golden stepped in front of him this time, forcing him to stop.

“Are you just going to ignore me?” she asked.

He ignored. 

“I’m sorry,” she said quickly.

He didn’t reply. 

“I’m sorry, Xander,” she repeated, her voice cracking slightly.

He finally looked at her. His eyes were unreadable.

“What exactly are you sorry for?” he asked.

The question hit harder than she expected.

“For everything,” she said. “For not telling you sooner. For how I handled things. For making you feel like you couldn’t trust me.”

He let out a quiet, almost humorless laugh. “You didn’t just make me feel like that. You gave me a reason to.”

Golden flinched.

“I didn’t mean to,” she said.

“But you did,” he replied simply.

The conversation stretched, words spilling out, emotions rising and falling as they circled the same points again and again.

She explained. He questioned. She defended. He challenged.

Minutes turned into an hour.

Voices rose, then dropped, then rose again.

“You should have told me from the beginning,” Xander said, his frustration evident. “Not after everything escalated.”

“I was trying to understand it myself,” Golden replied. “I didn’t want to bring you something I couldn’t even explain.”

“That’s not how this works,” he said. “We’re married, Golden.”

“It won’t happen again,” she said softly.

He ran a hand over his face, exhaustion creeping in.

“I felt like I didn’t know you,” he admitted. “Like you were living a whole different life over there.”

“I wasn’t,” she said quickly. “I was just… overwhelmed.”

Silence settled between them again.

Then, slowly, Xander stepped forward.

Golden didn’t move.

He pulled her into his arms.

The tension in her body melted almost instantly as she wrapped her arms around him, holding on tightly.

“I’m sorry too,” he murmured against her hair. “I shouldn’t have shut you out like that.”

She shook her head against his chest. “No, you had every right to be upset.”

He pulled back slightly, cupping her face before pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

She blinked. “For what?”

“For coming back,” he replied. “For letting that opportunity go and choosing us.”

Golden’s chest tightened.

“There’s… one more thing,” she said.

His brows furrowed slightly. “What?”

She hesitated, then reached for her phone.

Her hands trembled slightly as she unlocked it, navigating to the video.

“Just… watch this,” she said, handing it to him.

Xander took the phone, his eyes scanning the screen as the video began to play.

The lounge. The lighting. Golden and Allan together.

His expression changed almost immediately.

The softness from moments ago disappeared, replaced by anger. Disbelief.

“What is this?” he asked, his voice low.

Golden swallowed hard. “We were at a lounge…now someone is trying to blackmail me with it…” 

He didn’t look at her. He kept watching.

Every second of the video seemed to stretch, the silence growing heavier.

“It’s not what it looks like,” Golden said quickly. “Nothing happened. I swear, Xander, nothing happened between us.”

He still didn’t respond.

She dropped to her knees in front of him, her composure breaking completely now.

“I’m telling you the truth,” she cried. “Please believe me. I didn’t do anything.”

Tears streamed down her face as she reached for him, her hands trembling.

“I would never do that to you,” she continued. “Never.”

Xander finally looked at her.

His expression was unreadable again, but the anger was still there, simmering beneath the surface.

She held his gaze, desperate.

“Please,” she whispered.

For a moment, it seemed like he might say something. Instead, he handed her phone back without a word.

Then he turned and walked away.

The door opened, and then it closed behind him.