Chapter 23

The draft Julia had poured an entire day into now lay in torn shreds all over the floor. Even though she tried hard to keep her emotions in check, the fire rising in her chest was impossible to hide. Her sharp tone made Xavier freeze. For a moment, he just stood there, stunned. Then the anger came flooding back, stronger than before. So, Julia ignored him and yelled at him over a stupid piece of paper? In his memory, Julia had always been strict, but she'd never yelled at him like that. "I'm not leaving!" Xavier screamed, completely losing it. "Why should I? You're my mommy, you're supposed to take care of me! And now you're yelling at me, too?" The more he talked, the angrier he got. He grabbed a handful of things off the nearby display shelf, whatever he could reach, and started hurling them at the floor. "That's for ignoring me!" A vase landed with a crash. "That's for saying you don't want me anymore!" He might've been small, but when Xavier lost his temper, he was stubbo