The bartender froze when Xavier approached.
Didn’t blink. Didn’t breathe.
The room was too quiet now. The whispers had spread like wildfire. Everyone had heard the things he shouted. Everyone had seen the way he grabbed Abigail. But no one dared step in his path.
Not with the way he looked right now.
He didn’t speak.
He reached across the bar, grabbed the bottle of whiskey straight off the shelf, and yanked the cork out like it offended him.
The bartender took a slow, careful step back.
Xavier didn’t notice. Didn’t care.
He raised the bottle to his lips and drank. Straight from it. No glass. No pause.
The burn hit instantly. Harsh. Bitter.
It didn’t calm him.
It wasn’t supposed to.
He leaned forward and braced both hands on the bar, bottle thudding down beside him. His knuckle
