The Barter Novel Sierra and Xavier

---- His arms slid from her back to her waist.

The very arms that had been holding Alexia seconds ago.

He kissed her back.

Harder.

His lips melded with hers, his hands pulling her closer.

Their mouths moved in a fiery clash of tongues and teeth, raw and desperate.

Behind them, something broke.

The sound wasnt loud.

A cracking noise so faint it might have been imagined.

But it wasn't.

Alexia stood frozen, her eyes wide and unblinking, her breath lodged somewhere between her ribs and her throat.

The crack wasn't physical.

It was the sound of her heart splintering into pieces.

She didnt move, didnt look away.

She couldnt.

She ---- Chapter 496 was rooted to the spot as the realization hit her.

From being the center of Damien's world, she had turned into a fleeting afterthought faster than the winds that surrounded them And for the first time, Alexia felt it in her bones.

Maybe she'd always been a side piece.

A placcholder.

She had stolen the scene from the heroine for a fleeting moment.

But now, the heroinethe main characterwas back.

Zariyan kissed Damien like a woman starved, her fingers threading through his hair as if anchoring herself to him.

Her lips moved with a ferocity that spoke of months, perhaps years, of suppressed longing.

Damien reciprocated without hesitation, his grip tightening around her waist as though trying to hold her soul in place.

Their kiss deepened.

Their tongues intertwined, and the air between them ---- grew heavier.

Alexia watched, helpless, her own shattered heart bleeding in silence.

It wasnt just the kiss.

It was the way Zariyans eyes opened mid-I Alexias.

ss, her brown gaze locking onto Those warm, soft eyes hardened.

Their light turned cold, sharp as daggers aimed directly at her.

Zariyan kissed Damien harder, her fingers trailing up his back, her movements calculated.

The message was clear: Look at us.

Watch.

Know your place Alexia turned away, her chest heaving as she fought to keep the tears at bay.

She couldn't watch anymore.

Zariyans eyes dared her to keep looking, but Alexia didn't have the strength.

Children, we are in public.

Why dont you continue this later? ---- King Adrian's voice broke the tension, cutting through the suffocating silence like a blade.

Alexia exhaled sharply, grateful for the reprieve.

Her feet shuffled, her gaze fixed on the mud beneath her boots as she resisted the urge to run: Damien and Zariyan pulled apart reluctantly, their lips swollen and red.noveldrama

Damien's hands cupped her face, his expression a mixture of awe and disbelief.

What's going on? When did this happen? I thought those bastards changed you...

His voice cracked on the last word.

Zariyan didnt answer immediately.

Instead, her gaze flicked to Damien's bandaged thigh.

And then without a word, she dropped to her knees