Xavier Parker didn't pick up on Annika James's distress. Not at all.

After dabbing the ointment on her cheek, he grabbed the first aid kit and headed upstairs. "I'm gonna shower. Come up when you're ready."

Annika stayed silent. She snatched her phone and deleted the post she'd just put up. The small smile on her face dissolved as she looked at her ring one more time—then she slipped it off and tucked it back into its velvet box.

She couldn't even bring herself to ask Xavier about what went down today. No matter how she framed it, his answer would always be the same.

Annika felt like she owed the Turner family everything. Owed Lina Turner everything. Like everything she had was really meant for Lina—some twisted way to give Bowen Flores a little peace in the afterlife.

For years, whenever Annika felt hurt or wronged, the second those thoughts surfaced, a door in her mind would slam shut and steal her voice completely.

Annika sat motionless on the couch. Earlier, the reality show on TV had been a welcome distraction; now, with Xavier turning it off, the silence in the living room was deafening.

In the stillness, Annika's mind drifted back to Bowen.

The Parkers and the Floreses had been family friends for generations. Xavier and Bowen were best friends, while Lina was Bowen's younger sister. Annika was the same age as Lina, three years younger than the boys. The four of them basically grew up together.

Even though Annika was just the housekeeper's daughter, her father, Andrew James, spoiled her rotten and gave her the best of everything. The Parkers paid him ridiculously well—his monthly salary as head of household rivaled what most people made in a year.

So Annika never wanted for anything growing up.

She and Xavier had their fair share of squabbles back then. Everyone at the Parker mansion was straight-up terrified of young Master Xavier, the sole heir. But Annika? She was fearless. She argued with him every single day. She even made him cry once when they were kids—not that he'd ever admit it now.

Eventually, Annika got to know the Flores siblings, who were always visiting the Parkers.

Bowen was incredibly kind. Despite his privileged upbringing, he was always so friendly and approachable, his eyes forever warm with a smile. He treated Annika like his very own little sister.

Both Annika and Lina called him "big brother."

Annika and Lina weren't exactly inseparable, but they had a playful rivalry and didn't actually dislike each other.

When did Annika first notice Lina's growing hostility? It must've started around the time they hit high school.

By the time Annika and Lina started high school, Xavier and Bowen were getting ready to graduate. They snuck into the graduation party, and Lina was a bundle of nerves the whole time.

"What's got you so nervous?" Annika asked. "Worst-case scenario, Bowen gives us a lecture. But he's too soft for even that. If Xavier gets all difficult, I'll take the heat."

But Lina's cheeks flushed as she confessed, "I'm going to tell him how I feel today."

"Tell him what?"

"I like Xavier," Lina admitted, blushing even deeper. "I've had a crush on him since we were kids."

Annika froze, a tightness wrapping around her chest.

On one hand, she didn't want to see Lina upset—that would break her heart. But picturing Xavier as Lina's boyfriend made her stomach twist in ways that hurt even worse.

That was the moment she realized her feelings for Xavier went way beyond anything she felt for Bowen.

Lina went off to give Xavier her love letter, while Annika sat sulking in the corner of the sofa. When Lina came back, her eyes were red and puffy from crying. "Annika," she choked out, "we're not friends anymore. I hate you!"

Stunned and totally confused, Annika bolted to find Xavier and demand what he'd told Lina.

"Do you have any idea what Lina said to me?" Xavier snapped.

"It doesn't matter what she said. You shouldn't have upset her!"

Seeing Annika defend Lina so fiercely, Xavier's face went red with frustration.

Finally, he burst out, "You're such an idiot, Annika!"

Xavier had called Annika an idiot a million times growing up, but this time, he sounded genuinely pissed.

Annika was furious too. She couldn't wrap her head around whatever had gone down between Xavier and Lina—one was cutting off their friendship, and the other was icing her out.

Eventually, Bowen reached out. "Annika, I know this might sound selfish, but Lina's my sister. She's spoiled, got a bit of a princess complex. Please don't be mad at her."

Annika murmured, "I don't even know why she suddenly started ignoring me." After a beat, she added, "Or Xavier."

After a pause, Bowen explained, "Lina confessed her feelings to Xavier."

"I know."

"Xavier told her he has feelings for you."

Annika's breath caught, her eyes slowly meeting Bowen's, confusion and embarrassment swirling inside her.

Bowen smiled softly, his eyes warm with reassurance. He ruffled her hair affectionately. "Annika, you're still young. Promise me, when you graduate high school, you'll sit down and have a real talk with Xavier about this. He promised he wouldn't let it mess with you until then."

Annika's cheeks turned hot.

On her fifteenth birthday, she wrote in her diary: Like the spring breeze that blows overnight and makes a thousand pear trees bloom, it's magical how every flower in my heart bursts open at the sound of his name.

But by the time she graduated high school, Xavier had already left to study abroad. He called her, asking what her college plans were.

Annika shot back defiantly, "Well, I'm not applying anywhere in the U.S."

Xavier was quiet for a second. "I'll be back next year."

"I don't care when you get back."

"Really? You don't care?"

"Nope."

"God, you're an idiot, Annika."

And with that, Xavier hung up.

Fuming, Annika fired off a long, ranty text to him—only to get a red exclamation mark in return.

He'd blocked her again, just like he always did after a fight. He'd insult her, hang up, block her on all social media, and then, a couple days later, unblock her once she'd cooled off.

To the outside world, Xavier was the picture of charm and sophistication—the perfect young heir of the Parker family. But to Annika? He was just petty and childish whenever it involved her.

During Annika James' sophomore year of college, Xavier Parker returned from Europe after locking down three billion-dollar projects in the financial district and taking over Parker Group. He'd become the youngest business mogul in London. He rolled up to her campus in a limited-edition Rolls Royce to pick her up, and Annika felt a little embarrassed as she slid into the car. She scolded him, "Xavier Parker, if you don't want people on campus spreading rumors that I'm dating some rich guy, maybe skip the flashy cars..."

Before she could finish, he pulled her close, wrapping her in his arms. With a fierce, unexpected intensity, Xavier kissed her, sending a rush of heat to her cheeks. In the front seat, Rayan Henry discreetly hit the button to raise the partition. The sealed backseat left only her and Xavier, their heated kiss charging the air between them.

Xavier kissed her like he'd been waiting forever.

It was their first kiss, and it left Annika's mind spinning, her thoughts scattered, her body weak and flooded with warmth.

Xavier murmured, "Annika, I've waited years for this kiss."

Annika looked at him, dazed, not realizing this was Xavier's confession.

For over a decade, they'd bickered and bantered, and she hadn't yet adjusted to this new, more mature Xavier—a man, not just the boy she'd always known.

After a beat, Annika quipped, "Wow, you really do have a lot of patience."

Xavier blinked, slightly caught off guard.

With a playful pinch, he said, "Annika, you're such a goof."

Annika laughed, tilting her head. "I might be a goof, but if you're into goofs, what does that make you?"

Xavier smirked. "Hmm, the biggest goof of them all."

In that million-dollar custom Rolls Royce, the two "goofs" exchanged knowing glances, their faces lit up with a happiness that was almost too much to contain.

In their first year together, Annika and Xavier kept their old dynamic, often squabbling—little tiffs every few days, bigger blowups here and there. But usually, Xavier was the first to cave and admit he was wrong. Annika never told anyone how Xavier could totally disarm her when he showed up with reddened eyes, teetering on the edge of tears. One look at him like that, and her anger just melted away.

During Thanksgiving, Xavier took Annika to the Parker family estate, only to find Lina Turner and her brother Bowen, along with their parents, already there. The two families had been knee-deep in talks about a marriage alliance between Xavier and Lina.

Annika confronted Xavier, who claimed he knew nothing and accused her of being unreasonable. Furious, Annika stormed out.

On the road, Bowen, driving out to find her, was killed in a car crash.

When Annika heard the news, she rushed to the hospital. There, Lina's mother slapped her twice, then forced her to kneel before Bowen's body.

Annika felt like a hollow shell, numb to the pain and humiliation, completely detached from reality.

She couldn't wrap her head around how things had spiraled so disastrously.

The Turner family demanded Annika pay with her life—until Xavier arrived, standing firm in front of her, declaring that Annika was now Mrs. Parker and anyone who laid a finger on her would face his wrath.

Eventually, Xavier and Annika married. He transferred two billion-dollar projects and five percent of Parker Group shares to the Turners to smooth things over and get them to back off Annika.

Yet, Annika was branded a sinner.

Haunted by Bowen's death, she couldn't find forgiveness—not from others, and not from herself.

On top of that, her married life became another source of pain.

Once so vibrant and full of fire, after just three years of marriage, Annika had become a recluse, too tormented to even step outside.

—

Xavier finished his shower and came over to Annika, who was sitting on the bed, scrolling through her phone. He noticed her slender fingers were bare.

"Where's your ring?" he asked, towel-drying his hair, water trickling down his chest to the towel wrapped around his waist.

Annika, not bothering to look up, kept chatting with Emma Sanchez on WhatsApp. "It's worth a million bucks. I'm afraid I'll chuck it in a fit of rage and then regret it."

Xavier arched an eyebrow. "Then just don't get pissed off."

"That's tough," Annika shot back. "This world is crawling with idiots."

Xavier watched her in silence for a moment, then glanced at her phone screen. Annika noticed and tilted the phone away, blocking his view.

But he caught a glimpse of Emma's avatar—a bold white "Get Rich" on a red background, impossible to miss.

"Complaining about me to your bestie again?"

Annika shut off her phone and burrowed under the duvet, staying quiet.

She replayed Emma's earlier advice in her head: "That Lina is a piece of work, always copying your every move just to one-up you. One day, let her choke on your fumes."

Crude, but not without a point, Emma's words pulled a smile from Annika, lightening her mood a little.

Then Xavier's warm arm snaked around her waist, pulling her close, his hand slipping under her nightdress.

Annika blocked him. "Xavier, what the hell are you doing!"

"Fulfilling my husbandly duties," he murmured against her neck. "Did you miss me this week?"

His warm breath against her skin stirred something deep, making her breathing hitch.

Xavier knew her body inside and out. Annika always remembered their first night together—beyond the initial discomfort, it was actually good. She'd asked how he was so skilled, wondering if it was really his first time.

Xavier had replied, "I've never been a butcher, but I've seen pigs run. I prepped for this moment for years. I didn't want you to have any regrets."

Annika scoffed. "Men are such basic creatures, always scheming for a little action."

He ground his teeth. "Annika, other women might want me, but I don't want them."

"Big deal, other men want me too, and I don't want them."

"…"

She used to match him word for word, never backing down.

But somewhere along the line, she stopped the bickering and arguing.

Maybe it was last year, when yet another fight erupted over how stupidly attentive he was to Lina. Xavier, with ice in his voice, had said, "If Bowen were alive, I wouldn't feel like I have to look after her; she's his sister, after all."

In that moment, Annika was left speechless.

She'd assumed that even if the whole world blamed her for Bowen's death, Xavier wouldn't.

She believed he understood her suffering, her pain, and wouldn't be the one to twist the knife.

But she was dead wrong.

The deeper her trust, the bigger the letdown.

The next morning, Xavier Parker got dressed with deliberate quietness, stealing a glance at Annika James, who was still lost in deep sleep. The night before had been intense. She'd pushed back against his advances with a firm resolve, but eventually, her defenses crumbled, and she turned pliant and soft in his arms. By the end, she was pleading with him to stop, then slipped into an exhausted sleep with tears drying on her cheeks.

Xavier felt a pang of remorse. He'd missed her like hell the past week, and when she brought up divorce, a storm of anger and longing had driven him to go too far. He hadn't meant to be so rough.

He leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead—a silent apology and tenderness both. Annika remained oblivious, still lost to the world.

His phone buzzed quietly, jerking Xavier out of his reverie. He glanced at his watch and left the bedroom.

At the front door, Rayan Henry stood holding open the backseat door. Once Xavier settled in, Rayan circled the car and slid into the driver's seat, clicking his seatbelt into place. They hadn't driven far when Xavier's voice cut through the silence. "Why does the car smell like roses?"

Rayan froze, sniffing the air but detecting nothing. Still, he knew Xavier's sense of smell was freakishly sharp. Realization hit, and embarrassment crept in. "I'm sorry, Mr. Parker. The other night, my girlfriend had a company event. I picked her up late, and she had a bouquet of roses—the company gave them to all the women. The scent must have lingered."

The backseat went quiet. A flush of shame crept up Rayan's neck. He knew Annika hated the scent of roses—it reminded her of someone she despised. No wonder she'd rolled down the window yesterday as soon as she got in. When he asked if it was too hot, she just shrugged it off and told him to keep driving. Regret twisted in his gut. His damn sinus issues always left him nose-blind to stuff like that.

"Mr. Parker, I could explain to Mrs. Parker—" Rayan started.

After a pause, Xavier cut him off. "No, leave it."

He knew it wasn't the roses she loathed—it was the person who adored them.

Silence settled again. Rayan glanced at Xavier in the rearview mirror, catching the calm but contemplative look on his boss's sculpted face, a shadow of worry creasing his brow. Taking a breath, Rayan ventured, "Mr. Parker, Mrs. Parker hasn't seemed herself lately."

Xavier's gaze snapped to the mirror, sharp and assessing despite its casualness. Under that weight, Rayan pressed on. "Sir, your wedding anniversary with Mrs. Parker is coming up. You were away last year. Maybe... plan something special?"

Xavier looked out the window, rubbing his temple. "I'm aware."

Rayan shut his mouth.

In the office, Rayan went through the day's schedule on his tablet. Xavier interrupted. "What's the date tomorrow?"

"The 17th," Rayan answered.

The 17th of every month was set aside for Annika to visit her father. Her dad, Andrew James, had worked for the Parkers for over twenty years before an accident left him with severe brain damage, his mind reduced to that of a child. He was in a care facility now, and Annika went to see him regularly. Xavier fell silent, thoughtful, as he stepped into his office and closed the door behind him.

—

Annika woke to the midday sun, her body aching all over. She cursed Xavier silently for being so damn rough. The smell of food hit her as she stumbled out of the bedroom.

The housekeeper had finished cooking and was about to head out. When she saw Annika, she gave a warm but restrained smile. "Mrs. Parker, I'll be finishing up at the end of this month."

The announcement caught Annika off guard. She paused, surprised.

This housekeeper had been hired after Annika married Xavier. She only came to cook, and Annika genuinely loved her food. She'd even joked during arguments that she'd give up any settlement just to keep the housekeeper. So why now?

Annika remembered Lina Turner visiting once. Lina had raved about the food, then 'jokingly' offered the housekeeper double the salary to come work for her. Lina always had a way of wanting whatever Annika cherished, always passing it off as a joke. The housekeeper had politely turned her down then.

"Is it about the money?" Annika asked.

The housekeeper shook her head, rubbing her hands nervously. "Oh no, you and Mr. Parker pay me well. It's just... my daughter is having her first baby next month. I've spent years taking care of other people's families. It's time I took care of my own. With postpartum care and all, she'll need her mother there."

Annika understood. There was no arguing with that. "Of course. Having a baby is a big deal. It's best you're there with her."

The housekeeper caught the glisten of unshed tears in Annika's eyes. In the three years she'd worked here, she'd learned something about Annika: for a woman who seemed to have it all, she cried easily. Some days, Annika would duck her head over her bowl, pretending to savor her food while quietly sobbing. As an outsider, the housekeeper never pried, but sometimes she couldn't help feeling a stab of pity for Annika. In all this time, she'd seen few visitors. Even fewer friends.

"Over the years, I wrote down the recipes for your favorite dishes," the housekeeper said, pulling out some papers. "You can give them to the next housekeeper."

It was too much. Annika turned quickly, her voice tight. "Just a moment." She retreated to the bedroom, where she dug through drawers for cash and an envelope, drying her tears with tissues. She found the envelope Xavier had given her last Christmas—still holding two thousand dollars. She returned to the kitchen and pressed it into the housekeeper's hands.

The housekeeper tried to refuse, but Annika was firm. "For your grandchild. Having a baby is a big deal. Call it a blessing."

The housekeeper's eyes brimmed. She bit her lip, accepting it. "Thank you, Mrs. Parker. I hope your kind blessing comes true."

At the door, she paused and looked back. "Mrs. Parker, you're young and beautiful. Please be happy. Life's too short to stay down. You can get through anything. I wish you all the best."