Colin didn't look like he noticed the disappointment in Olivia's eyes. He reached out to her. "I was passing by when I spotted you, Olivia. Did you get lost, or did you sprain your ankle?"Declining his offer to help, Olivia got up on her own. Then, she smiled helplessly. "I was just thinking about something. I stopped here without realizing it.""My house is nearby. If you don't mind, Olivia, you can go visit Snowball. Snowball misses you."Because of this reason, Olivia couldn't bring herself to decline.The warm interior of the car formed a stark contrast to the cold outside. Colin passed to Olivia an untouched cup of coffee."I was thinking of drinking it when I got home. Here, it'll warm you up."Olivia looked down. It was spiced coffee."Thank you.""No need for thanks." Smiling, Colin turned the steering wheel with one hand.Olivia felt that something was off. She had the feeling that the spiced coffee was bought specially for her, and he didn't run into her by accident
Olivia felt that human hearts were quite simple. Colin's cooking managed to heal the hurt she received from Ethan and Chloe.The more she needed love, the easier she was touched by small acts of kindness.In the end, Colin still noticed her sorrow. He asked, "Olivia, is there something you're upset about?""I need to undergo surgery, but when I look back in my life, I realize that I have no one to sign the risk acknowledgment letter for me. Am I a failure?"Olivia spoke nonchalantly, but a pained look flashed across Colin's eyes."Olivia, everyone has a different definition of failure. To me, you're an outstanding woman, so you're not a failure. An unhappy marriage can only be a mistake at most."But we have long lives. No one can predict the future and avoid making mistakes."Olivia frowned a little. "You know about what happened to me?""Back on the cruise, I knew that Mr. Miller was holding you. I was among the crowd at the hospital that day, so I overheard your fight. Sorry
Ethan stared quietly at Olivia. She hadn't done anything out of the ordinary in the past few days.The most she did was spend long hours at the hospital a few days ago. Jeff was getting weaker by the day. It was only reasonable for Olivia to want to spend as much time with him as possible.For the past few days, she didn't go anywhere outside of the residential area. Everly didn't come over either.She was wearing a beige lace dress. The breeze caressed her face as flower petals danced around her. She was exceedingly beautiful.Ethan realized how gentle Olivia could be when she kept her distance from him.Olivia looked him in the eye from a distance away. She nodded in place of a greeting. Then, she left without even turning back.Ethan felt upset. He had made a decision and given her a promise, but he kept breaking his own rules for Olivia's sake.Seeing that she was about to leave, he stepped forward and grabbed her wrist.Olivia looked at him calmly, then sounded a warning.
The person standing at the door was none other than Chloe. She was once the person Olivia longed the most for, but now, even a glance at her hurt Olivia's heart.Ethan was simply getting engaged. But because of that, Olivia managed to meet all the people she didn't want to see in one go."Liv, just give me five minutes.""You're not getting even five seconds." Olivia's expression was cold.Coincidentally, a neighbor was leaving their house. Olivia didn't want to be criticized, so she had no choice but to open the door and let Chloe in.This was Chloe's first time coming to Olivia's house after returning to the country.If it were before, Olivia would've welcomed her with open arms. But today, she didn't do that. She changed her shoes calmly, then got a glass of water for herself. Her throat was dry."Go ahead."Chloe looked around her. The apartment wasn't too big. She could see the whole place in just a glance."Liv, I heard from Marina that she bought the Fordham residence f
Olivia didn't know how Chris managed to charm Chloe. She thought, "She's already so old, so how can she still be so naive?"She replied, "Why should I bless them? Marina is the reason I ended up like this today. I haven't even made her pay for what she's done to me, but I'm supposed to give her my blessing now? What's the logic behind this?"Chloe said, "I also heard about what happened between you two. Liv, what happened to your child was an accident."Marina also fell into the sea, and she almost ended up like you. But she was fortunate enough to have given birth to the child. You can't blame her."Olivia knew that Marina had been spinning tales in front of Chloe again.No matter what Marina said, Chloe would believe her and reprimand Olivia instead."Mrs. Carlton, your generosity knows no bounds. Have you considered doing charity work?"Chloe said in exasperation, "Liv, I'm sincerely inviting you to attend their engagement ceremony. What's with your attitude? Why are you stil
Olivia had also thought about talking to Ryan these days. She could continue the investigation through his case.But she feared that it might alert the mastermind, so she never took action.She didn't expect Ryan to reach out to her first.Olivia pressed the button to answer the call. "Hello, Ryan.""Ms. Fordham, where are you right now? You asked me to investigate Jodie, remember? I found something!"Ryan's voice sounded anxious, and there was no trace of him faking it.Olivia probed, "What is it?""Jodie's phone! But it's already broken. I remember you being interested, so I'm calling to ask if you want it.""I heard that her original home has been rented to someone else. Her body was found in the ocean. Where did the phone come from? If it's already broken, how can you be sure that it's Jodie's?"Olivia was smart, and she soon found the key point.Ryan thought that she would latch onto the clue without hesitation. He didn't expect her to figure out the flaw so soon.While
They weren't talking in person. But Olivia felt like the atmosphere between them was extremely awkward.Ethan's voice was filled with dissatisfaction. "Is that all you wanted to say?"She had already spoken, so it was too late to take back her words. Calming herself, Olivia said, "Yes. We're not strangers, after all. I feel like I should congratulate you on a day like this."Ethan gritted his teeth. "Thanks."With that, he hung up. Listening to the beeps coming from her phone, Olivia sighed helplessly.He was the one who was getting engaged, but he behaved as if she was forcing him to be engaged. He sounded so reluctant.She wouldn't tell Ethan about this, or it would ruin his engagement ceremony. Not just Marina, but even Chloe would annoy her to no end.Just then, Colin happened to call her. Olivia felt like she had seen the light."Colin.""Good morning, Olivia.""Can you come over and pick me up?" Olivia carefully asked for help."Of course. I'm already on my way. I'll b
Olivia woke up, regaining consciousness. She had a splitting headache. In the elevator, someone had covered her nose and mouth with a drugged handkerchief.The effects of the drug still lingered. Olivia felt weak and sore all over her body.Her eyes were covered with a thick piece of black cloth. She couldn't see any light at all.Her wrists and ankles were tightly bound as well. Tied up firmly, she couldn't move.She was trapped in a narrow space, and she could smell something rotting.She tried to feel around. She soon realized that she was squeezed tightly, and there wasn't much space for her to move around.Soon, she figured out where she was. She was in the trunk of a car.For some reason, she suddenly thought about how Jodie died.Jodie was strangled to death before getting tossed into the ocean. She was only discovered when her body was distorted from all the swelling."Is it my turn now?" Olivia wondered.She must have provoked the mastermind by working at Miller Grou