Chapter 419
Xavier, still collapsed inside the closet, stared wide–eyed at Beau.
At that moment, Theodore also heard Beau’s words through the phone. With one arm crossed over his chest and the other hand resting on his chin, his icy gaze fixed on the computer screen showing surveillance footage of Beau shoving Xavier into the room.
Merida stood behind the driver’s seat, her small hands gripping the headrest. Her round eyes trembled, and her dark pupils were shaking with distress.
“I’ll keep both of you alive!”
Elara’s response didn’t satisfy Beau.
“No! You have to choose just one!” he screamed, grabbing Elara’s arm with a look that mixed stubbornness and desperation.
“Mommy! Xavier will be fine! Just come with me!
“Let’s leave together and reunite with Daddy! We can be a happy family again!”
A sudden thought struck Elara. She turned sideways, rummaged through her backpack, and pulled out a bobby pín. Carefully, she attempted to thread it through the knots of Xavier’s bindings.
Her focus became absolute, and Beau’s pleading voice faded into background noise. She no longer registered what he was saying.
“Beau, just go ahead!” She repeated only this command to her son, her attention never wavering from the ropes. Beads of sweat rolled down Elara’s forehead in thick streams, and her clothes were completely drenched. Just 30 more seconds, and she could free Xavier from these ropes!
Beau stomped his foot in fury. “Why do you insist on saving Xavier? Mommy, look at me!
“My legs hurt so much I can’t walk! Carry me, please!”
Sweat dripped from her brow into Elara’s eyes. She raised a hand to wipe away the stinging moisture.
Beau’s coughing intensified as the smoke had become unbearable. Initially, he’d hoped the exaggerated coughs would draw Elara’s attention.
However, this environment was too much to endure. His original plan only involved waiting alone in the fire for Elara to rescue him.
Tying up Xavier had been a last–minute decision. If Elara had abandoned Xavier and prioritized him, they could have escaped quickly. Yet Elara disappointed him.
Beau’s small hands slipped from Elara’s arm as his survival instinct made him retreat. His pout grew extremely pronounced as he tearfully stared at his mother through the haze.
He’d gambled by binding Xavier–testing who Elara would choose between them. Now he knew for sure that he had lost the bet.
Why did everyone prefer Xavier? Even his own mother chose Xavier over him!
He ignored Elara completely now. It seemed like only Xavier existed in her eyes!
“I hate you!” Beau screamed.
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+25 BONUS
Chapter 419
“Just let Xavier be your child then! Go live with him!”
Inside the car, Merida stared at the surveillance footage in Horror, murmuring, “Why would Beau do this to Xav?”
When she heard Beau shout “I hate you” at Elara, Merida’s eyes instantly reddened.
Theodore turned and gently ruffled Merida’s hair in comfort.
“Because love is inherently selfish–exclusive, possessive, and obsessive. It cannot be shared… and sometimes drives people to mutual destruction.”
Shadows pooled in Theodore’s eyes as he solemnly regarded the “Call Ongoing” display on his phone.
“A father’s absence forces a child to survive solely on a mother’s attention as nourishment.”
With a final roar of frustration, Beau spun around and ran out into the smoke.
