Page 48 of His Dark Cravings

By dinner, though, the knot in my stomach is harder to ignore. Lila’s seat at the table remains empty, and Xavier’s demeanor is glacial. He’s distant, his responses curt, his eyes avoiding everyone else's. Even Sable is quieter than usual, her sharp remarks absent.

Something's happened.

I wait until we’re alone in the hallway before I turn to Winter.

“Where’s Lila?” I ask, keeping my voice low. “She wasn’t at breakfast or dinner.”

Winter looks at me sympathetically. “Lila has a tendency to... wander,” she says, her tone light but careful. “When things start to feel too routine, she loses interest. She’s done this before in her life. It's just something that happens.”

“But will she come back?”

Winter pauses, her gaze steady. “No. I don't think so.”

I feel a sting I didn’t expect. Just a few days ago, Lila was comforting me after that run-in with Liane. We were laughing, connecting, and now she’s just gone? Without even a goodbye?

Did Lila say goodbye to Xavier? Does he even care? The way he’s been acting tonight, so cold and withdrawn, I wonder if he’s upset or just annoyed.

The thought unsettles me more than I want to admit. I trail behind Winter, my thoughts swirling. Had Lila been planning this all along? And why does it bother me so much? I’d just started to feel like we were getting closer, like she was someone I could rely on in this strange, tangled world.

Now, she’s just gone.

But not forgotten.

Lila’s absence presses down on the house like an unspoken secret. Days pass, and Xavier doesn’t emerge from his private quarters, leaving the dolls and me in a heavy, unresolved silence. Sable’s sharp tongue seems dulled, her usual quips replaced with clipped, strained remarks. Winter moves with her usual precision, but her icy demeanor falters now and then, revealing unease in her eyes.

It's weird without Lila.

I try to focus on my work, on the routine, but my mind drifts. I find myself walking past Lila’s empty chair at breakfast, lingering by the door of the dining room as if expecting her to saunter in late, laughing, apologetic.

She doesn’t.

By the second day, the quiet is unbearable. I’ve had enough of waiting, enough of wondering. I make my way to Xavier’s private wing, uninvited. The door to his lounge is closed, but I can feel him behind it. There's a charged energy that draws me despite the hesitation gnawing at my gut.

I knock once before pushing the door open. Xavier sits on the couch, slouching heavily. The room smells faintly of whiskey.

He doesn’t look up when I step inside.

“Xavier?” I try softly. “You’ve been... gone. Is everything okay?”

I wonder briefly if he even heard me. But then he looks up. His eyes are cold, distant, like a stranger’s.

“It’s fine, Everly. You can go.”

I take a step forward. “You’ve barely spoken to anyone in days. You’re upset about Lila, aren’t you?”

His jaw tightens, a flicker of emotion crossing his face before he smothers it. “I said it’s fine.”

“But it’s not fine.” My voice rises with frustration, and anxiety claws at my heart. “You’re shutting everyone out.”

He lifts an eyebrow, his tone cutting. “And why does that bother you so much?”

“Because I care,” I snap. “Because it feels like you’re punishing all of us for something Lila did.”

Xavier regards me like I've just told an inappropriate joke. It's like he can't believe I'd say such a thing and wants to forget it as soon as possible. His head drops to his chest slowly, and in real time, I see him dismissing me, retreating into himself.

“Everly,” he says finally, his voice low and rough. “Go.”

I hesitate, part of me wanting to push, to scream, to demand answers. But another part of me, the part that’s learning to recognize the walls he builds, steps back. I turn and leave, the door closing behind me with a soft, definitive click. The sound echoes in my ears as I walk away, leaving him alone in his darkness.

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