~Zia~ He groaned, giving in to his desire, palming my breast, kneading both deliciously as he crushed his lips against mine. Gone was the gentle Xavier, replaced by this aroused beast I’m yet to get accustomed to. He kissed me, leaving my lips swollen, before scaling the columns of my neck. My hand rested on his shoulder, gripping him tight as I threw my head back, losing myself in his touch. “Oh, Xavier,” I moaned when his mouth clamped on my nipple, his fingers tweaking the other. He gave it a gentle bite before moving to the neglected one, setting my world into an uproar. I cried when he gave my pebbled bud a delectable bite. He grunted, licking his way down my stomach leading further down. While he gets closer to my sex, my breathing comes out shallow, moaning at the first touch of his warm tongue on my slit.

~Zia~ I stopped pouting. Not voluntarily, though, but I don’t mind Xavier’s way of taking away my pout. A smile wanted to tear my face in half as we continued the drive after that mind-blowing kiss. ~~ I understood now why Xavier wanted me to put some decent clothes on. But it’s his fault for not telling me where we’re headed in the first place. Our first stop was to see Big Buddha Temple in Ko Samui District. We took pictures - Xavier took pictures of me, but I wanted a photo of us together as well. I asked a few tourists to take a picture of us. Xavier was a bit stiff in the first few shots, but I guess that was because of our arrangement. Still, I’m grateful that he didn’t turn down the idea. Next on the itinerary was

~Zia~ The words he mumbled hang heavily between us. It’s as though someone had punched me in the gut, forcing out all the air from my lungs. “W-what?” the glass I’m holding almost slipped from my grasp. Xavier shook his head. From the reticent light, all I could make out was the absence of life and hope in his cold facade. I’m used to Xavier’s wall always surrounding him, but this is some other kind of isolation. It’s coiled with anger and loathing directed at no one but himself. I don’t know what he meant, but I won’t let this one go. With my free hand pressing on the door frame - keeping my balance - I turned and faced him fully. “Xavier, what do you mean?” He let out a breath, swaying his head in resignation, downing

~Zia~ This is so much worse than being caught in the act of committing murder by the police. Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but… what have I done in my past life to receive this punishment? I wasn’t just caught with my hand in the cookie jar, but so much worse. My hand was on my own cookie! I even moaned his name! There’s no moisture left in my mouth even if I attempt to swallow hard. Wildfire of humiliation embraced my skin as I averted my gaze from him, focusing on anything apart from my husband’s firm figure. “H-how long have you been standing there?” I want to applaud myself for not stumbling over my words. Bending on the waist, I reached for the discarded shirt on

~Zia~ I was barely aware of my surroundings as Xavier carried me out of the cottage. The sight of Tanawat and the guy with umber eyes piling up bodies - lifeless bodies - on a fishing boat by the beach had my stomach twisting in wicked ways. I patted Xavier’s shoulder, forcing him to set me down on my feet. I scrambled down from his arms, kneeling on the sand, emptying the content of my stomach. The fine sand we set foot on yesterday is not white anymore. It’s stained with pools and patches of crimson liquid. The stench of blood as the sun beat on it turned my world upside down. Xavier kneeled beside me, pulling my hair back as I curled from the force of this foul distortion in my system. I’m spewing nothing but air, and it is fucking unpleasant.