All Chapters of I Crossed Miles to Say Goodbye: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

Serena's POVI walked up to Xavier. He'd been smiling when he gave the young woman a helping of the food earlier, but froze when he saw me. His hand paused in midair."S-Serena?"Ignoring him, I turned to face the woman and introduced myself. "Hi, I'm Serena Wilder, Xavier's girlfriend. And you are?""H-Hi, I'm Tiffany Lowry. I work for Mr. Harrington." Her voice grew quieter toward the end of her introduction, laced with an imperceptible trace of guilt.I was about to press further when Xavier interjected, "I think that's enough, Serena."I watched the rage burning in his eyes and wondered why he was getting all worked up. My boyfriend was dining with another woman, and they seemed suspiciously close, yet I couldn't even question it?Or was he furious that my unexpected appearance had screwed up his chances with Tiffany?I said nothing and simply leaned back in my seat as a weariness washed over me.Xavier saw Tiffany out of the restaurant. It wasn't until he'd seen her get i

Chapter 2

Serena's POV"Serena!"Xavier bolted out of the restaurant after me, anxiously grabbing me by the wrist and forcing me to stop in my tracks. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving? This is a big city; it's unfamiliar territory for you, and you don't know anyone here. What if you'd gotten lost?"So he was aware that this was a big, unfamiliar city and that I had no friends or family here. Why, then, did he brush me off with the excuse of work when I happily showed up here to surprise him for his birthday?I ended up standing outside the train station that day, gobsmacked and helpless.I'd taken three days off and taken an eight-hour train ride to surprise him, but I never even got a glimpse of him. I'd arrived in the city alone and left the same way.Looking back, Xavier probably had someone else with him then.As I snapped out of my daze, I freed myself from his grip and put some distance between us. "I don't want to get in your way. You're busy, after all.""What are you pla

Chapter 3

Serena's POV"Are you sure?" My superior was stunned by my sudden change of mind. "You won't be home for at least a year or so.""I'm sure." After sending the text, I heaved a sigh of relief and lay on the bed, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off my chest.That night, Xavier didn't show up at the hotel or send me a text. But I did come across Tiffany's latest post on social media."Growing up: no longer needing my superior edition." Featured with the caption was a picture of Tiffany sitting on the curb, a large hand slipping off the blistering high heel from her foot.I knew that hand as if it were my own, courtesy of my eight-year relationship with its owner. I knew right away that it was Xavier.Perhaps Tiffany didn't think someone might stumble upon her post, for she droned on in the comments section: "Mr. H was worried walking might hurt me, so he picked me up (aww!).""And even after he brought me home, he put an ice pack on my ankle. He's so considerate! I'm so in l

Chapter 4

Serena's POV"What's that supposed to mean?" Xavier froze, a grimace weaving across his face.My actions faltered, and I lifted my gaze to him. "You heard me.""You're quitting on us because of a young lady who's still green in society? I told you I'd transfer her to another branch! What more do you want from me?" Xavier shot me an incredulous look, as if my kicking up a fuss and unreasonable tantrums had brought on this development.I said nothing, a weariness bogging me down. My heart tightened to the point that breathing became difficult."Oh, staying quiet, are we? Fine, then! I don't want to hear anything from you anymore!"Xavier stormed out, the door slamming shut behind him with a thud so violent that the whole room seemed to rattle.I laughed, then slumped on the ground as if all the strength had been sapped out of me.The next morning, I checked out of the hotel with red, swollen eyes. I'd only just turned when I spotted Xavier and Tiffany in the lobby.The latter jo

Chapter 5

Third-Person POVMeanwhile, Xavier had his head down as he tended to Tiffany's arm after her allergy flared up. Red rashes covered the entire length of her arm, and she'd even scratched some spots to the point that they were bleeding.Xavier held up a cotton swab, his movements gentle. "Does it hurt?""A little," she replied."Hang on a little longer, okay? We're almost done."His phone buzzed in his pocket. He fished it out and glanced at the screen, noting the message from Serena that read, "Let's break up, Xavier."Xavier's fingers stilled on the screen. He looked like he'd frozen.Sensing something was amiss, Tiffany lifted her head to look at him. "Mr. Harrington? What's the matter?"He said nothing, his gaze glued on the four words that formed Serena's curt text. He thought he must have misread the text, so he read it again.But the words didn't change, and neither did their meaning.Xavier typed swiftly, "What are you playing at again?"He'd only just hit "send" when

Chapter 6

Third-Person POVTiffany's face crumbled. "Why not?""Because I'm not interested in you like that," Xavier said coolly.She argued, "But you were so nice to me… You celebrated my birthday with me, took me hiking, and you even helped me change out of my shoes…""I would've done all of that for anyone else too." There was no emotion in Xavier's tone. "You're my subordinate, and it's hard being on your own without support. I should look out for you, but that's out of duty, not love."Tiffany's eyes were rimmed with red. "You're lying.""I'm not. If you weren't my subordinate, I wouldn't have bothered with you at all."The words were harsh and brought tears to Tiffany's eyes. She bit her lower lip, her shoulders shaking like she was heaving. "How could you do this, Xavier?""I'm sorry. I shouldn't have given you the wrong idea." Xavier handed her a tissue.She didn't take it, and instead wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "So, what, you never liked me?""No.""What about

Chapter 7

Third-Person POVXavier clenched his fists as he stood before the receptionist, not budging an inch. "Please tell me where Serena is. I have something important to tell her."The receptionist hesitated, then sighed. "She went abroad. I don't know the details of her transfer, only that it's to Erilea.""Where in Erilea?" Xavier pressed."I really can't tell you. She made that clear."After thanking the receptionist, Xavier turned and left the office building. He walked out the company doors and stood by the curb.He fell into a daze as he watched the cars zoom past, seemingly lost in his thoughts. Erilea. Serena had gone to Erilea alone and hadn't told him about it, but he wasn't about to give up.He combed through her social media accounts, fervently searching through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even her LinkedIn.After a whole day of sleuthing, he found nothing useful. Serena had either deactivated her social media accounts or stopped posting on them altogether.It

Chapter 8

Serena's POVI didn't stop.Xavier caught up to me and grabbed my arm. "Hear me out, Serena—""Let go," I bit out icily.But he held on, as if I might disappear completely if he let go. "I came for you.""What for?" I demanded."To take you home."I snorted, turning to face him. "Xavier, that's your home, not mine.""It's our home," he insisted."How can that be when there's no 'us' anymore?" I pulled my arm free from his grip and stepped back.The light in Xavier's eyes guttered. He trembled slightly. "Serena, I know I messed up. I came here to tell you that I'm sorry. Come back with me, and let's start over. How about it?"I met his gaze. He looked like he hadn't slept well for some time, if his bloodshot eyes were any indication. A bone-deep weariness seemed to roll off him.I sighed, then said quietly, "Do you know why I came here, Xavier?"When he said nothing, I continued, "Because you're not here. To me, home is where you're not."He stood outside my apartment buil

Chapter 9

Serena's POVXavier stood in place. His lips moved, but no words came out of his mouth. In the end, all he managed was the same old tune. "I'll wait for you."I chuckled bitterly. "Be my guest, but I'm not going back."Xavier made good on his promise. He waited—one month, two, then three. He came every day without fail, rain or shine.Some days, he brought food, and on others, flowers. There were days when he brought nothing at all and simply waited downstairs, staring quietly at my window.I pulled the curtains closed and refused to look at him.When the fourth month hit, he'd lost a good bit of weight. His chin had sharpened, and his eyes were sunken. He'd stopped wearing his suits, too, and started looking haggard.One day, he knocked on my front door. I opened it to find him holding up a stack of papers."What are those?" I asked.He replied, "An asset transfer agreement."I froze."I've already signed it. Your signature's all that's needed," he added, handing me the pap

Chapter 10

Serena's POVXavier didn't leave. He stayed for another month, lingering downstairs like a ghoul, waiting.Some days, I'd see him through the window. He was either looking down at his phone or looking up at my window.One time, he barreled toward me when I headed downstairs to take the trash out. He'd been holding a box, saying, "This is the necklace you always said you wanted, Serena. I got it for you. Will you accept it, please?"I stared at the box. It was the necklace I'd spotted in a glass case on my birthday two years ago. I'd looked at it a few more times, but Xavier told me it was too expensive and promised to get it for me when he made good money.Alas, I waited all these years and never got the necklace as a gift. It was ironic that he remembered it only after we'd broken up."I don't want it," I said."Just take it. You can toss it out if you don't want to keep it," Xavier insisted.I shoved the box toward him. "Don't you understand, Xavier? I never wanted the neckla

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