I Raised My Husband's Love Child...Then He Shot Me

Chapter 10

The knock on the door was sharp, impatient. I frowned as I walked to answer it.

The last person I expected to see was her.

Maria.

Michael's mother.

And standing beside her, looking as imposing as ever, was Gerald—Michael and Xavier's father.

My stomach tightened.

Maria's eyes widened when she saw me. "You?" she exclaimed, her voice dripping with disdain. "What are you doing here?"

I squared my shoulders, refusing to back down. "I live here."

She let out a short, humorless laugh. "You? In Xavier's home? Don't be ridiculous."

Before I could respond, footsteps echoed down the hall. The butler appeared, standing at attention and bowing slightly.

Behind him, Xavier toddled along, dragging his stuffed toy behind him, completely oblivious to the tension in the air.

The butler's voice was firm. "Lady Maria, Master Gerald, you will treat Mrs. Rachel with respect. She is the mistress of this house."

Maria's face twisted in disbelief. "Mistress?" She turned to Gerald, scoffing. "He must be joking."

The butler didn't flinch. "He is not."

Maria burst out laughing, loud and mocking. Gerald, on the other hand, studied Xavier with a deep, unreadable gaze before shifting his attention to me.

"You got married," Gerald said, his tone flat. "And you didn't even bother to inform us?"

Xavier ignored them, fixated on a small toy soldier in his hand. He seemed completely detached from the conversation.

Maria sneered. "What, were you afraid Daddy would disapprove?"

Gerald's lips twitched, barely hiding his amusement. "Why would I disapprove?" He let his eyes linger on me before adding, "You suit each other well."

My hands balled into fists.

He didn't mean that as a compliment.

Maria tilted her head, eyes narrowing. "Oh, I see now." She smirked. "Rachel, you were so devastated after Michael left that you threw yourself at a man like Xavier?" She looked at him, shaking her head. "A man who's completely out of his mind?"

My blood boiled.

I stepped forward, positioning myself between Xavier and the two of them. "Don't talk about my husband like that."

"Husband?" Maria scoffed. "How long do you think this will last? Once Michael finds out, he'll—"

"I don't care what Michael thinks."

Maria's mocking laughter echoed around the hallway, and Gerald shook his head as if this whole thing amused him.

That was enough.

"If you can't be respectful, then leave," I snapped, pointing toward the door.

The butler looked startled, but Maria's laughter died immediately, replaced by a sharp, incredulous glare.

"You're throwing me out?" she asked, disbelief in her voice.

"Yes. Both of you."

Without waiting for a response, I turned away, heart pounding. Maria and Gerald left, but not without shooting a few final sneers. I didn't care.

I wasn't going to let them humiliate Xavier in his own home.

That night, while helping Xavier into bed, I couldn't shake the lingering feeling from the confrontation. He lay there, staring up at the ceiling with a calm expression, as I tucked the blanket around him.

I paused, unsure of what to say.

"I'm sorry."

Xavier blinked, turning his head slightly toward me.

Then he started babbling and giggling.

I sighed, feeling the weight of the day settle on me. "I'm sorry for everything. For how people talk about you. For how they treat you."

He didn't respond, and I wasn't even sure if he understood, but his calm breathing soon had him drifting off to sleep, his fingers loosely clutching his stuffed toy.

I stayed awake for a while longer, watching him. There were so many emotions swirling inside me that I couldn't quite name.

Eventually, exhaustion won, and sleep claimed me.

At midnight, I woke up with a start. The space beside me was empty.

Confused, I rubbed my eyes and sat up, blinking into the darkness.

Where was Xavier?

I heard a faint sound coming from the bathroom.

Still half-asleep, I pushed the covers off and made my way to the door, opening it slowly.

And then—

I froze.

Xavier was standing.

Not sitting.

Not crawling.

Standing.

He was facing the restroom, his posture straight, his back to me.

My heart slammed into my ribs.

He wasn't supposed to be able to do that.

"Xavier?" My voice barely escaped as a whisper.

He turned his head slightly, glancing at me over his shoulder.

"Oh shit!" he muttered under his breath.

My eyes widened in shock. At that moment, I realized something.

I had been wrong about everything.