Chapter Ninety-sevenA Wife?Olivia“Shall we welcome on stage the best team leader of the year, Edie Williams!”A loud cheer and clap erupted as Edie walked to the stage, with a big smile on his face. It was already time for the awards and I had heard that he had won several awards in the past, I was happy for him for winning this award too, but what happened before crowded my mind.I couldn’t tell what Sebastian was trying to proof by holding Liz’s hand and walking out with her, he wasn’t even bothered about me, if I was hurt or not.With the way Liz handled me, the way she pulled my hair like she was going to pull it out of my scalp, I could have fallen and eventually lose my baby, that could have happened to me but I wondered if Sebastian would still care if this happened.He only clarified and proved all Liz whispered to me, he proved that I was nothing to her and she was the only one he felt calm with. Sebastian would find it difficult to hold my hand, he would always have one e
Chapter Ninety-eightFever OliviaI didn’t have it easy through the night, my head kept banging and my heart didn’t stop raising, my whole body burned and I thought it was because of what happened, that it was because I was in pain and was still finding it difficult to get over what happened back there, but I was wrong. I had fever.I shook under the duvet and my eyes went to the wall clock in the room, it was early in the morning already and I couldn’t wait to go to the hospital to get myself checked up because it felt as if my whole body was going to explode if I didn’t do something about this fever.My lips felt dry and bitter whenever I tried to wet it, I could feel my own hot breath against my body, and my hotness of my body emanated from the duvet that was covering me.Even when the room heater was on, it still didn’t do much, I was still cold and my whole body could boil a water as it was very hot.Edie had turned on the room heater the night before as we got home as he could
Chapter Ninety-nineThe Confrontation Olivia I stood right in front of him, my heart racing with intensity, I wasn’t sure of what to say to him, I wasn’t sure of the answer to give him if he asks me questions.Looking at his fierce and contorted eyes made my legs shook and I immediately hang my head, I couldn’t keep looking his eyes, it made me want to beg the earth to open up and take me in for some minutes.“Olivia.” His voice came at me again, and if sounded so close, different from before.My heart continued to pound in my chest, that I could even hear the sound, my head banged and it felt so heavy that I thought it could explode, what do I say to him?No matter what he does or asks me, I vowed silently that I would never tell him about the baby, I would keep that a secret from him till my last breath, I had to protect my baby from him because I wouldn’t be able to deal with it if he takes my baby away from me.“Look up, Olivia.” He stated, but I couldn’t look up, I couldn’t say
Chapter HundredI Love YouSebastian“Because? Why do you think I should forgive you?” She asked.“Because..because.” I stopped and sighed, it was finally the time to tell her how I felt, I wouldn’t be able to cope with losing her, I wouldn’t be able to beat the guilt. “Because I love you.” I finally said and pulled her closer to myself. “I love you so much Olivia that it has become very hard for me to get the thoughts of you off my mind.”“Then why did you treat me that way,” she continued to cry, and it broke my heart so much to see her in that condition. “Why did you make me go through so much pain and torture? You didn’t care about me or how I feel, you clearly told me that I had no place in your life or home, and now you claim to love me? How do I believe you?”“I would say I do not need you to believe me, but what I want you to know is that I am telling the truth, and I really do love you.” I murmured and pulled her closer.If I was in her shoes, I wouldn’t believe it too, I wou
Chapter Hundred-and-oneA New WaveOliviaThe crooking of the morning birds and the morning sun shining on my face woke me up.My whole body felt warm from the aftermath of our lovemaking, I moved my hands around the bed, hoping to come in contact with Sebastian’s body, but he wasn’t there. I opened my eyes widely and sat up from the bed, covering my naked body with the duvet. I felt so light and excited, unlike other days.All that happened the night before raced through my mind, his words echoed in my ears, that he loved me and he wanted to be with me.I screamed silently and covered my face with my palm, my cheeks burned from blushing, I really didn’t imagine that a day like this would come. I didn’t know that I would ever be loved by him, that he would ever give me a space in his life.I stood up from the bed, still covering myself with the duvet and dragging it with me. I walked to the small corridor and looked out into the heavens, everything felt so different, every singe thin
Chapter Hundred-and-twoAlive Olivia(A Month Later)I rolled to one side of the bed, hoping to stopped my his body after an emotion filled night, but he wasn’t there. I rolled to the other side, still with my eyes closed and I almost fell off the bed.I was quick to open my eyes and gazed around, he wasn’t anywhere around, he has probably gone down to cook just as he had been doing for over a month now. It has really been a new wave for the two of us, I experienced the love I had been hoping for, the love and I had been looking forward to.Since mom’s death and my friends going away from me, all I experienced was pain after the other, I was unable to feel loved like I wanted, all I got was torture and maltreatment from everyone I was with.I sat up on the bed, Sebastian had made sure that we follow every of the doctors rules, we never missed the twice to thrice in a week instruction the doctor gave me us, and even with my now big baby bump, he still rocked every part of my body.I f
Chapter One Hundred and ThreeKarmaSebastianMy heart was filled with so much excitement. It had been over a month since I confessed my love to Olivia, and it really felt like the heavy burden and weight that were on my mind before had been replaced with joy and continuous excitement.Every single day was always filled with excitement. Seeing her and having her by my side filled my heart with happiness. Sometimes I wondered what took me so much time before getting to know how I felt and telling her because I have deprived myself of this happiness.It was her birthday, and I wanted to make it a very special one for her. I had asked her friend, Edie, and he was the one who told me about Olivia’s birthday and things she loved to do on that day. I promised him that I would make the day one of the best for her.“I got a really beautiful dress for you. I’ll go get it now, and you’ll go change into it and join us for the party later.”I smiled and kissed her softly on her forehead, my hand
Chapter One Hundred And FourGiving UpOlivia"Bert? I wasn’t sure if I was seeing right, if it was because of what was happening to me or something else, because it’s been long years since I saw Bert last.I was still wondering until I heard him call me by the pet name he gave me. “Vivi?” He moved closer to me. “Is that you? Is this really you?” He held me by my shoulder.I nodded at him, sure that the one standing in my front was Bert, my stepbrother. Bert had been deployed for years and I have had to deal with Sara and Mitchie all by myself. When he was still here, he would help and support me whenever Sara and Mitchie tried to maltreat him.I had it hard when he was gone, but he was back now and I just couldn’t contain my happiness.“Bert.” I murmured.“I have been looking for you since I got back, Olivia, but mom never told you where you were, I tried to ask dad, but you know.” He held my hands. “Where have you been?”I sighed. “Sara got me married.” I began, “it is really a long
Chapter One Hundred And ThirteenThe Perfect Family 2Olivia“I am glad to finally meet you, father-in-law,” Sebastian bowed.I had never seen him bow for anyone except his parents.“By the time your survey is done and you’re back on your feet, you’ll have to share a drink with me for taking good care of your daughter.”Dad smiled again; his struggle to speak continued.“We should leave now; I can see that you’re heading out,” Bert said, and I nodded at him. “I will see you when you get back.”“You should keep this with you till we see again.” I handed the box over to him.“But you…”“No but, Bert. Keep it with you. We will also head out now.” I responded and turned away immediately because I knew he might want to argue.We got into the car with the kids and headed for the beach resort, which was only known to him. The kids and I sang along with the song that was playing on the radio, and Sebastian eventually joined us. It was such a happy journey to the beach. When the kids stopped si
Chapter One Hundred And TwelveThe Perfect Family 1OliviaThe chirping of the morning birds woke me up from my quality sleep. I opened my eyes one after the other and lay there on the bed for minutes, remembering how sweet and loving my life has been since the past few days.It’s been over a week since all that happened, and we have watched Sophia getting the deserved punishment for what she did to us; she was sentenced to years in jail. I was glad that I got what I wanted at the end of everything, the perfect and loving family I prayed for.I thought I had already lost the child I gave birth to years ago; I thought I was never going to see him. Still, I never knew that the heavens were preparing something special for me. It was just as if these kids came into Sebastian’s world to secure a place for me before bringing me in. Now, I was with my kids and my loving husband, one who would do anything for me.After the ordeal at the hospital, we never heard from Sara and Mitchie again, an
Chapter One Hundred And ElevenThe Biological MotherOliviaThe distant echoes and cries seemed to call me back from a long sleep. I gasped and jumped up; my head made a loud noise as my eyes were hit with the sunlight.Slowly, I laid back on the bed, trying to remember and understand what had happened. My ears were still so blurry, and I could still hear my name like it was being called from a distance. I could see people staring right at me in the face, fanning me and calling on me, but I couldn’t tell who they were; the blurriness in my eyes wouldn’t let me.I closed my eyes back, trying to chase away the blurriness, and when a hand grabbed mine, the warm touch made me open my eyes again, and I could see clearly now. Sebastian and the kids, they were the ones there.“Thank goodness, thank goodness,” I heard him murmur.“Olivia!” The kids chorused.I couldn’t say anything; I tried to remember it all, how I got here and what happened to me, but it was hard. I closed my eyes back, try
Chapter One Hundred And Ten The Surrogate MotherSebastianI could no longer hold back; I had to see her, I had to see for myself that the doctors were saying the truth because I still couldn’t believe it. I jumped up from the floor and pushed the door to the ward room open. I met one of the nurses there who was trying to cover her up.“Stop!” I yelled and pushed her away. “She’s not dead; she can’t be dead. She is just sleeping; she is just trying to scare me.” I fell beside her and held her hand.The coldness of her head, the now stiff limbs and closed eyes, her pale face and dry lips, the flat and steady tone of the pulse rate monitor, all of that was a testament to my emptiness. She was gone like they said, and I was left to figure myself out.“No! Olivia!” I screamed out, tears gushing down my eyes.I shook my head multiple times, I pinched myself countless times; it couldn’t be true. It was just a terrible nightmare that I could still wake up from.“Please don’t punish me this
Chapter One Hundred And NineSorrows. Prayers.SebastianI shook my head, struggled, and pinched myself. I closed and opened my eyes, blinked several times just to be sure that I wasn’t seeing and making up things, that what I watched was real, that what I heard was the truth, but it was hard.How could Sophia do this to me? I felt more miserable than before, I felt dumb and used. How could I have believed all that she showed me for love? I could remember how she was so persistent, how she kept on asking the pins and passcode of everything I possessed; I thought she was just curious.How could I have been so dumb? I hung my head; I thought I possessed so much authority, I thought I was a man people looked up to, but I was nothing. I was just an empty barrel, someone who would mistake obsession for love, one who could be easily manipulated.I had never felt vulnerable in my entire life, but watching all that, I realized that I had been more than vulnerable; I also played dumb. After I
Chapter One Hundred And EightThe Final HearingOliviaBert had refused to go home the previous night, he stated that he wouldn’t be calm after leaving me all alone. I was glad that he was here, because it wouldn’t have been easy or even the same without him, I was grateful to him.He was always there for me, unlike my stepmom and stepsister, they weren’t even bothered about what was going on in my family, they didn’t even call me once to ask how it was all going. I hope that someday they would realize their mistakes and apologize for it.“Good morning, Vivi.” Bert came out of the room and pulled me into his embrace.I felt so calm and safe with him. Even though Bert was much more younger than me, he had that leading ability and aura that made him feel like an elder brother to me, maybe because of his gender, but he had always been protective and supporting.“How are you?” He asked and I nodded at him. “Are you sure you don’t want to eat anything before we leave? You know you have to
Chapter One Hundred And SevenThe Truth Behind The Night 2OliviaGetting back to the quiet and empty home, I left Edie and Bert standing in the main room and rushed up, not considering my condition.There was no importance of my condition and life is Sebastian wasn’t there, I had grown too fond of him that living without him seemed so impossible, I couldn’t imagine that. After we made up and began to live a happy and fulfilling life, I never imagined staying without him, it never came to me that there might be a time I wouldn’t be able to be with him, I would have planned and thought about how to deal with it.But who would wish bad on themselves? I got to the room and stopped for some minutes, resting on the door as I tried to catch my breath. Even though my life or my baby would be of no importance if Sebastian wasn’t there because he was the one made me, I still had to look after myself and the baby.I knew I would get something that would help him out from there, I knew I would
Chapter One Hundred And SixThe Truth Behind The Night 1Olivia“Sebastian!” I stood up and rushed to him as soon as he was brought into the waiting room.I didn’t know he kept avoiding eyes contact with me throughout the trial, he didn’t even look at me once and that kept tearing my heart apart.“Why did you do that, Olivia?” He asked and I could see the pain and hopelessness in his eyes. “Why did you have them adjourn the case?” He asked.“We did it because of you, we know there is something suspicious about this case and we need to find that.” Attorney Fred said.“He is right, Sebastian, we need to bring you out of here.” I added.“You shouldn’t have done that, Olivia.” He shook his head and took his seat. “It wouldn’t change anything, I will still get the same judgment and sentence.” He shook his head again. “Doing this won’t change my fate, Olivia.”“But we still have to try, you can’t just let you get punished for what you didn’t do.”“I did it.” He said briskly. “I did it all,
Chapter One Hundred And FiveThe First TrialSebastianStepping out of the van and standing in front of the courtroom made my heart raced, it felt like I had seen this before, like I had seen this scene before, just like I saw it all coming but didn’t act well enough to avoid it.I knew there was no other way out now, I would have to face the truth and accept whatever punishment they give to me, because I deserve it all. I stared at my handcuffed hands, this was what I was scared of, this was the reason I tried to stay away from any other woman and even Olivia for those months after our marriage.Now, I was face to face with my fear, I was facing my reality and there was no escape for me. If only I had told everyone the truth about what happened then, if I had told them what happened that night, maybe it would have been easier to get away from this, but now, there was no way out.“Come on.” The cop said and grabbed my hand, dragging me into the courtroom.At the door, we met with Sop