Xavier didn't need to look up to know how she looked. He knew her well enough, even after twelve years apart to know that she was near tears. Her voice gave it away - and he'd caused it...at least to some extent...He shut his eyes, ducking his head to give the floor a final swipe. He remained there, on his knees before here for a full minute.
There were only two options - lie or tell the truth. Forcing these lies out was impossible. She clearly suspected...and he'd given too much away. His hands clenched on the floor, balling up the cloth. Just like that, his plans were falling apart. Revenge and justice were an impossibility, becuase he'd let himself be distracted by her - just as the Count had warned.
Was this why he pushed his Mercedes away? Xavier wanted to pull the book from her hands and flip through it, trying to find an answer. He wasn't about to kill her son - why did she have to look at him like that? He couldn't fight the urge to tell her truth, not when she asked.
Xavier reached up to pull the cigarette from his mouth. It twirled down his fingers once more, before it rolled to a stand still. Ready. He took a deep breath, before saying in a barely controlled voice, just over a whisper, "My lies are nothing compared to your husband's."