The Billionaire Ex-Wife and the Beggar He Became novel Chapter 181

Felicity immediately picked up on the cool distance in Xander's voice. She asked gently, "Xander, what's wrong? Did you have a long surgery again—is that why you're so tired?"

Xander hesitated, unsure how to answer.

When he didn't respond, Felicity pressed on, her tone sincere and gentle. "Xander, my brother's been abroad for years and hardly ever comes home. I've always thought of you as my real brother. Please, take care of yourself, alright? If anything happened to you, I'd feel even more alone."

On the other end of the line, Xander let out a weary sigh. "Felly, I'm exhausted. I've done three surgeries today. I haven't even had a sip of water."

"Then get some rest, Xander. I won't keep you any longer," Felicity replied quickly.

"Alright." Xander didn't bother with any formalities—he simply hung up.

He set his phone down and sat alone on the balcony, nursing a bottle of whiskey, pouring glass after glass for himself.

Mayo's words kept echoing in his mind: "Winona is Julian's wife. They have a daughter together, and they adopted a son."

How bitterly ironic, he thought.

For two months, he'd seen Winona as nothing more than an unscrupulous homewrecker, someone who'd come between Felicity and Julian. Every time he met her, he felt compelled to humiliate her, to make her pay for the pain she'd supposedly caused Felicity.

But in the end, it was Felicity who was the intruder. And Winona—the one he'd despised—was simply defending her own place in her family.

No wonder Winona always looked at him with that scornful, dismissive gaze, as though even spitting on him would be too much effort.

All this time, he'd thought he was standing up for justice, championing Felicity—when in reality, he'd only been making things worse.

He took another burning swallow of whiskey, the heat searing his throat and jolting him into a fleeting moment of clarity.

Gradually, she started to come out of her shell. But even then, she never lost her hardworking spirit.

Whenever Xander thought about those days, he couldn't help but feel for her. Sixteen years adrift, enduring who-knows-what hardships—she'd never even owned a new pair of shoes. How could anyone not feel moved by that?

Remembering the pain and struggle Felicity had endured, watching her blossom into a gentle, diligent, optimistic young woman—Xander realized he'd fallen for her somewhere along the way. He admired her resilience, her determination, her kindness.

But back then, she was still so young.

He'd promised himself he'd wait until she graduated college before speaking his heart.

Then he left for further studies abroad. She went on to graduate school. Somehow, their paths never quite lined up again—never offering that chance for a real conversation, for anything more.