Chapter 197 An unbelievable night

Chapter 197 An unbelievable night
Chapter 197: An unbelievable night 

“You didn’t.”

The words came out barely above a whisper.

Golden stood frozen, her head turned slightly from the impact, her cheek still stinging. The room felt too quiet and still, like the entire world had paused just to witness what had just happened.

The slap lingered in the air.

Xander stood in front of her, his hand still half raised, his chest rising and falling unevenly. His breathing was sharp, uncontrolled, but his face had already begun to change. The anger was still there, burning, but something heavier was pushing through it now.

Golden slowly turned her face back to him. She did not touch her cheek. She looked at him in pure, quiet disbelief.

Xander swallowed hard, his fingers curling into a fist as if he could take the action back, as if he could rewind the last few seconds and undo everything. But he didn’t move or speak. His pride, his anger, his confusion, everything inside him clashed violently, refusing to let him take the one step that mattered.

Say sorry.

He couldn’t.

Golden took a slow step back.

The space between them suddenly felt necessary.

Her voice, when it came, was calm.

“You just became the man you promised you’d never be. Allan was anything, except a woman hitter.”

The words landed softly, but they cut deep. Xander flinched, almost imperceptibly.

Golden held his gaze for one more second, as if waiting. Waiting for something. For him to deny it. To apologize. To reach for her.

He didn’t.

His jaw tightened instead, his eyes hardening as if doubling down on the moment would somehow protect him from it.

Golden nodded slowly. That was all the confirmation she needed. She turned away in quiet acceptance of something that could not be undone.

Her footsteps were steady as she walked past him, heading toward the door. Xander’s body tensed as she moved, his instinct screaming at him to stop her, to say something, to fix it.

But the words stayed stuck in his throat. He watched her reach for her bag. 

“Golden…” he started, his voice rough.

She didn’t turn or respond. She picked up her keys.

The silence stretched again, heavy and suffocating.

“Don’t leave like this,” he added, but the command in his tone ruined whatever softness he had tried to add.

Golden paused for half a second. Then she continued, she opened the door and walked out.

The door shut behind her with a quiet click that sounded louder than any slam.

Xander stood there, staring at the empty space she had just occupied.

For a long moment, he didn’t move.

Then he dragged a hand through his hair, pacing once across the living room before stopping again. His chest felt tight, his thoughts chaotic.

He looked at his hand. The same hand that had just hit her.

“Damn it,” he muttered under his breath, his voice low, strained.

He sank onto the couch, elbows on his knees, his hands clasped together as if holding himself together.

He told himself she had pushed him.

He told himself she had crossed a line.

He told himself he was angry for a reason.

But none of it sat right anymore.

None of it erased the image of her face when she looked at him.

That quiet disappointment. That finality.

He exhaled slowly, staring at the floor.



Golden didn’t remember how she got into the car.

One moment she was standing outside the house, the cool night air hitting her skin, and the next she was behind the wheel, the engine running, the road stretching endlessly ahead of her.

She drove with no destination or plan. Her hands gripped the steering wheel tighter than necessary, her knuckles pale.

Still, she didn’t cry. Her cheek still burned faintly, but it wasn’t the pain that stayed with her. It was the moment.

The reality of it. She inhaled slowly, her breath uneven, and reached for her phone with one hand.

Golden swallowed, her throat tight, and tried again.



Across town, Alex was not paying attention to her phone.

She was sprawled across the bed, laughter caught between her lips as Varney leaned over her, his hand resting lightly on her waist.

“Your phone is buzzing,” Varney murmured, glancing toward the bedside table.

Alex barely spared it a glance.

“I’ll check later,” she said dismissively, pulling him closer.

The phone stopped. Then started again.

Varney frowned slightly, reaching for his own phone as it began to ring as well.

He glanced at the screen.

“Golden is calling,” he said, his tone shifting slightly.

Alex leaned up, catching a glimpse of the name.

“Oh really,” she said, her voice casual.

Varney straightened a little. “Let me pick up.”

He moved to answer the call, but Alex’s hand caught his wrist.

“Leave it,” she said, pulling him back down.

Varney hesitated. “It could be something serious. It’s mid night.”

Alex shook her head, brushing her lips against his.

“She’s fine,” she said. “She’s grown. She has a husband too. Whatever it is, she’ll handle it. This is the first time we’re making love in a long time, don’t ruin the moment.”

Varney looked unconvinced for a second. The phone kept ringing. Then stopped.

He exhaled quietly, setting it aside.

“See?” Alex added, smiling faintly. “Nothing happened.”

She pulled him back into the moment, effectively shutting out the concern. 



Golden lowered her phone slowly. The silence on the other end hurt. 

She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat.

The road ahead stretched endlessly. She kept driving.

Her thoughts moved in circles, replaying everything. The argument. The tension. The moment he hit her.

The way he didn’t apologize. The way he just stood there.

Her grip on the wheel tightened.

“You just became the man you promised you’d never be.”

The words echoed back at her. She shook her head slightly, as if trying to push the memory away, but it stayed.

Everything stayed. Her chest felt tight now, heavier with every passing second, but still no tears came.

It was as if she had gone numb. She drove past intersections without noticing, the city slowly thinning as the roads grew quieter, emptier.

Then her phone lit up again. The sound broke through the silence of the car. Golden glanced at it, the screen glowed in the dim light.

Her fingers tightened slightly on the steering wheel. The phone kept ringing. She didn’t pick it up, she just stared at it. The ringing continued, Allan kept calling.