Ethan didn’t expose her horrible attempt at lying. He called out to her from the side of the dining table. “Come and eat. Wash your hands first.”Rays of light from the chandelier fell on him. Without his suit and tie, the wooly cashmere sweater added a domestic warmth to him. Even his elegant face was less cold than usual.He was wearing the apron she got him three years ago. It almost looked like nothing had changed. Olivia went toward him smiling and saw that the table was filled with the spicy food she used to like. If he paid attention to what Madam Burgess had been making for her recently, he would realize that her palate had changed.He no longer took notice of her like he used to. They tried so hard to revert to the life they had, but that life was far behind them.A lot of things ended silently, like his love. The answer to everything now was silence and distance.Although her stomach couldn’t handle spicy or oily foods, she had hoped for a feast like this for two years. So,
Olivia set the fruit basket down and explained, "She’s my friend. I'm just here to check on her. Then, I’ll leave.""That won't be necessary. Being near people will worsen her condition. Miss Fordham, please."Belle stuffed the pillow into Olivia's arms and desperately said, "Leave with my baby and take care of it. I will stall them. Quick, run!"As she spoke, she picked up the fruit basket Olivia brought and threw it at the doctor. "I’ll kill you, demon! I’ll kill you if you even think about taking my baby away!"Security guards burst through the doors with helmets and vests. They took her down with a stun gun. Four men carried her to her bed and tied her to it.Belle was still screaming, "Give me back my baby!"She slowly lost her strength as she was given a tranquilizer. She fell unconscious shortly after.Olivia was startled by everything that was happening before her. It felt more like a prison than a hospital. The doctors were merely wardens.The unconscious Belle looked
Olivia gathered information on a few people. However, it was nothing new from what she learned from Ethan. She wanted to make reparations with these girls. Unfortunately, they had either moved somewhere else or back to their hometowns. They were nowhere to be found.Olivia had to stop and wait for Belle to settle down before visiting the psychiatric hospital again. She chatted with Ryan for a while before heading their separate ways. Olivia looked at the colors of the sky before hailing a cab home.It was the evening rush. Olivia leaned against the car window and closed her eyes to rest. The cab was playing the local news on the radio. A headline about someone jumping off the roof of a psychiatric hospital caught her attention.Olivia opened her eyes and asked the driver to turn up the volume. It was the psychiatric hospital she went to earlier.She did a quick search on her phone and saw that the deceased patient was Belle, whom she just visited. She killed herself. She was wear
Ethan was silent. He looked so unhappy that Olivia could feel thorns growing around her heart.Ethan said, "I hope it has nothing to do with you. You were there for three hours. Tell me, what were you doing there?"Olivia thought it was ridiculous that she even had to explain. "I told you I went to visit Grandma. Is it my fault that I have no one to talk to so I spend all my time talking to my dead grandmother? Besides, it’s a gravestone, not a croissant. It would break my arm to do all that. Even if you’re trying to frame me for it, at least bring some evidence.""Look at this then. What is all this?"Ethan revealed another stack of pictures with Olivia holding a hammer. Even Olivia was stunned."An old man in charge of grave maintenance dropped his tools. He looked so pitiful, so I helped him pick his tools up."Olivia didn't know how someone could take photos like this. She anxiously explained, "I only said a few words in front of Leia's grave. The gravestone was fine when I l
"Olivia, do you know how miserable Leia was while you were living your princess life? I personally went to the village where she used to live. It was a poor and desolate hellhole. Many of them hadn’t had a full meal for three whole days. I heard she had been sold off and locked in a woodshed like a dog. She’s the daughter of the Miller family, she should’ve been treated like a princess, but she was treated like dirt! She suffered for so many years, and when she finally made her way to Aldenvine … I could have found her if she held on for a little longer."Olivia couldn't speak. She could hardly breathe with Ethan’s hands around her neck. Tears couldn't stop flowing from her eyes as pushed Ethan back, trying to stir him from his rage.Ethan was lost in his grief. "She was tainted by that bastard, your father. She was choked to death and stuffed in a box. She must have felt so hopeless. You look like you’ve lost all hope now too. Can you feel even a little bit of what she felt?""Let
Olivia knew Ethan was deeply affected by his sister's death. His mental health became more unstable in the past two years. At that moment, he thought about killing her and sending himself off to see his sister too!Everly wasn't here yet. Just then, a bright light shone from a distance before a car came to a halt not far from her.Ethan must have been smart enough to figure out that she hadn't left yet and turned back. The moment the car door opened, the man anxiously got down from the car and looked around. He was searching for something.Soon, he walked in Olivia's direction. Olivia stood there blankly before she cowered. Her whole body remained completely still. Only her fingers moved to grab the corners of her clothes tightly.Olivia was so scared as she heard his footsteps closing in on her. She held her breath and closed her eyes.She didn't know what Ethan would do when he found her. Would she lose her life and join Leia?The love of her life was now a completely different
Everly muttered, "Look how dumb I am. My ears are already acting up at this age, haha. I actually heard you say you have stomach cancer. The anger I feel for that bastard must have gone to my ears."Olivia pressed her palm to the back of Everly's hand and said gently, "Eve, you have to face reality."Everly stopped what she was doing and looked up at Olivia through blurry eyes. "You're kidding, right?"However, Olivia's eyes were dead serious. "You know I never joke around. I was going through chemotherapy when I cut my hair short last time."Everly fought back her tears to no avail. She grabbed Olivia's hand tightly, still unable to fathom it. "It must be a misdiagnosis! You're so young and strong as a bull. How could you have stomach cancer?!"Olivia sat her down and explained everything.Everly's face was covered in tears. With them both being so young, she had always taken their good health for granted. She couldn't comprehend that such a terminal illness had hit so close to
As a former medical student, Everly was very aware of the side effects of chemo, and she expressed her understanding of Olivia's decision. Moreover, a lot of patients died from the side effects rather than the cancer itself, which was a torturous way to go. She could never selfishly request Olivia to endure the pain. She hugged the latter from behind before she started to weep. "Okay. I'll stay by your side."Olivia's pajamas were soaked with Everly's tears. Everly said, "You must have been through so much pain. Sorry for not knowing this earlier.""I've been doing better in the past two days. Eve, thank you. I don't want to leave the world alone. I had wanted Ethan to keep me company, but look at how things turned out. He and I are probably done for."Everly fumed at the mention of Ethan. "Liv, you said that someone damaged his sister's grave, and there was footage of you with a hammer in your hand. Could you have been framed?""Marina must have been behind this. No one else c