The Heart Left Behind

Chapter 43 I jumped , quickly pulling Xavier away from Lorraine .

He could act up all he wanted with me , but getting physical with her ? That was crossing a line .

Thankfully , Lorraine was far more understanding than Id expected .

Its fine .

Hes just a kid , she said with a soft , forgiving smile , leaving me feeling a bit embarrassed .

This trip has been nothing but chaos .

Sorry you had to witness all of it , I said awkwardly .

Xavier , still sulking , crossed his arms with a look of pure defiance .

Behave , I warned , giving him a light swat on the backside .

Only after he settled down did I pull out my phone to call Yvonne .

After all , her being alone in this foreign place was quite dangerous , and Lorraines suggestion was probably the most feasible at that moment .

As I started dialing , Xavier immediately protested , I dont want you to stay with this woman ! I raised an eyebrow , unable to hide my amusement at his little grown up act .

And what gives you the right to tell me what to do ? I mimicked his usual tone , watching as his face froze in surprise .

Whats the matter ? Are you lost for words ? I Im not scared of you ! Dont get cocky ! Xavier stammered , grabbing Jonas by the arm to whisper something in his ear .

Clearly , he was hatching some sort of plan .

Yvonne picked up on the first ring , her voice cold and distant .

What do you want ? Are you not happy spending time with your girlfriend ? Why are you bothering me now ? Her accusation made it sound like I was the one trying to stir up trouble .

Youve got three minutes to get back to the hotel .

Ill send you the address , I said curtly .

She had a lot of nerve , dumping Xavier on me and vanishing like that .

Did she think I was some kind of free babysitter ? We had agreed to split responsibilities , one kid each .

Xaviers behavior was a product of her parenting or lack thereof .

And now , she was offloading her mess onto me .

Why are you so harsh with her ? Lorraine asked with a faint smile .

She hadnt said a word during the call , but I could tell she was pleased with how I had handled it .

That was me being polite , I replied with a shrug .

I had been too accommodating in the past , and it had only given Yvonne more opportunities to hurt me .

Not anymore .

I wasnt going to let her take advantage of me again .

Chapter 43 Yvonne finally arrived at the hotel , dragging her feet as though she was doing me a favor .

Wow ! It only took you 30 minutes to get here .

Thats pretty impressive , I said , unable to resist a jab .

From the flight to now , she hadnt done a single thing to prove me wrong .

Was self -awareness completely foreign to her ? Xaviers with you , isnt he ? Thats all that matters , she said dismissively .

You trust me enough to hand over Xavier ? Or are you just giving up on custody altogether ? Her expression darkened instantly at the mention of custody , and her voice trembled with anger .

Do you have to push me like this ? Her reaction was stronger than expected , which meant she wasnt entirely indifferent about the kids .

If you actually cared about Xavier , you wouldnt have dumped him on me like this , I shot back .

You knew this wasnt convenient for me .

Her shoulders stiffened , and she let out a bitter laugh .

Oh , I get it .

Youre just worried Ill ruin your romantic getaway.

Her gaze shifted to Lorraine , filled with suspicion and malice .

Dont make this into something its not , I said firmly .

We agreed one kid each .

Youre supposed to handle Xavier , not leave him for me to deal with .

Tired of arguing , I pulled out the key card to the hotel room and handed it to her .

Here , its all yours .

You and Xavier can stay there .

She hesitated , her hand hovering in mid air as confusion flashed across her face .

Whats this supposed to mean ? I found you a place to stay .

What else ? Where are you staying ? she asked , her tone sharp .

Women and their sixth sense … Her gaze darted to Lorraine , and the hostility in her eyes was impossible to miss .

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