Beautiful Protection

Let's Go Out

On her bed, Erin lay staring at the white ceiling. The night pressed down on her with suffocating silence, no different from the countless lonely nights she had endured in the villa. Except this time, there was something heavier in the air. This was the night she had attempted to kill herself, only to be pulled back into a life she no longer wanted. This was also the night she had lost control and humiliated herself by offering her body to her new bodyguard.

She covered her eyes with her right arm, as if blocking the ceiling from sight could erase the memory of her own foolishness. The echo of her words still rang in her head, sharp and unforgiving. Sleep with me. What madness had possessed her to say that?

It was not that she cared what Xander thought of her, but the humiliation clung to her like a second skin. She wasn’t that kind of woman. Even if Will had abandoned her, even if their marriage was a hollow shell, she had never allowed herself to disgrace the family name. That was what made Will’s false accusations so hateful, he accused her of sins she had never once committed.

A long sigh left her lips. Sleep, she wished, would come quickly and wash away the shame. But her mind refused to rest. For years she had trained herself to stay awake until Will’s supposed bedtime, no matter where he was in the world. Even if he was away on his business trips, she waited in silence, telling herself that somehow, staying awake connected them.

How pathetic it all seemed now. She had been so foolish, waiting for a man who never once thought of her in the same way. The memory stung, but Erin did not cry. She had no more tears left for Will Ferguson. She was drained, hollow, and tired of it all. She had wept her last while drowning beneath the water, she told herself firmly. That would be the final time.

Eventually, sleep claimed her, offering a brief escape, a fragile peace that would vanish with the dawn.

When morning light spilled across her room, Erin felt no different. She had no desire to move, no purpose to greet the day. She decided to remain in her room. There was nothing waiting for her beyond the door. No company to run, no responsibilities to answer to, no people to notice her absence. Not even her husband. Not even her father.

The stillness was broken by a knock at her door.

“Mrs. Ferguson, I brought your breakfast.” The voice was deep and steady.

Xander.

Erin’s heart jolted. She had almost forgotten about him, but the memory of her words from last night rushed back with brutal clarity. Her stomach twisted. Good God, what was I thinking?

She pressed her lips together and chose silence. She didn’t want to see him, and didn’t want to face the embarrassment. If she wanted food, she could go downstairs herself. She wasn’t a cripple. Why should he treat her like she was incapable of moving?

Her gaze fixed on the door, her irritation simmering as though he could see it through the wood. And then, without warning, the door opened.

“I didn’t tell you to come in,” she snapped, her voice sharp as glass.

“I’m sorry, but you are my responsibility,” Xander answered calmly. He carried a tray to the vacant table by the window. “Part of that is to make sure you eat.”

Her jaw tightened. “The last time I checked, I am perfectly capable of leaving my room and preparing my own food.”

“It’s already past breakfast, Mrs. Ferguson, just in case you didn’t know the time,” he replied evenly.

Erin laughed bitterly. “Wow, Will will be so proud of you. You’re doing your job very well.” Her sarcasm dripped like poison, but he did not bite. Xander simply nodded once, accepting her words without reaction.

“What else are you willing to do for him, Xander?” she asked suddenly, rising from the bed.

The satin of her nightgown clung to her body before sliding gracefully with her movements. She didn’t miss the way his Adam’s apple shifted when she passed by him, his composure straining for just a moment. It gave her a strange sense of control, though fleeting.

She stopped mid-step and turned her gaze on him. “Don’t you call me Mrs. Ferguson again.”

The name, Will’s name was something she once held with pride. But now, it was a curse. A mark she wanted erased from her existence.

“Again, what else are you willing to do for him, Xander?” she pressed, her eyes narrowing as she took her seat at the table. She picked up her fork, stabbing into the omelet with little appetite.

Xander remained silent.

“Okay,” Erin muttered, her tone laced with scorn. “I’ll take your silence as your loyalty to him.” She lifted a bite to her mouth with deliberate laziness, as if mocking the entire exchange.

“Just leave. I don’t need an audience while I’m eating.”

He turned and walked toward the doorway, his heavy steps almost vanishing into the quiet. Then, he stopped. For thirty seconds he stood there, as though debating whether to speak.

Finally, he said, “I work for you, not for your husband.”

Erin froze, her fork halfway to her lips. The bitter laugh that spilled out of her sounded more like a sob. “Don’t be ridiculous. He was the one who hired you. You’re all the same.”

Xander turned his head slightly, his gaze steady. “Will did not hire me.”

Her brow furrowed. “Then who hired you?”

“Your father.”

The words landed like a stone in her chest. She stared at him, disbelief painted across her face. “My father? Why?”

“It’s too early to explain,” Xander said, his hands slipping into his pockets. “But trust me, everything will fall into its right place.”

Her lips curved into a bitter smile. “I don’t think it’s wise for you to use that word. The last time I trusted someone, I was betrayed. By everyone. Including my father.” Her voice cracked on the last part, though she tried to keep it low.

“I know,” he said softly.

Erin’s heart skipped. Her throat tightened. What does he know?

Her eyes narrowed, her voice sharp. “How much do you know?”

“Everything you could have imagined,” he replied, his stare unflinching, as though daring her to challenge him.

His words were vague, unsettling, and she felt the old walls inside her rise again. She wasn’t going to explain herself, not to him, not to anyone.

Instead, she shifted the topic. “You said earlier that you work for me, right?”

Xander nodded once.

“Then let’s go out.”