Lucas' POVI parked my car in the garage, my mind still swirling with thoughts of Olivia. The message she sent earlier replayed in my head: cold, distant, and completely unlike the Olivia I knew.“No, I’m fine, Mr. Preston. I don’t need any assistance.”Mr. Preston? When did I become just “Mr. Preston” to her? My grip tightened on the steering wheel, and before I realized it, I banged my hand against it in frustration.I sat there for a moment, staring out the windshield, trying to make sense of everything. This wasn’t the Olivia I fell in love with, the Olivia who used to light up at the sight of me. She was always warm, always kind. How could she change so much overnight?With a deep sigh, I stepped out of the car and walked into the house, hoping to find some peace. But as soon as I opened the door, I was greeted by the sight of my mother and Amelia sitting in the living room.My mother was the first to speak, her voice sharp. “Why are you just coming home now? And where’s Am
Olivia’s POVEarlier that day,The soft touch of a kiss on my forehead woke me gently. I blinked my eyes open and found Ethan leaning over me, a warm smile on his face. “Good morning, Liv,” he said, his voice as soothing as ever.“Good morning,” I mumbled, stretching lazily. I smiled up at him and pulled him into a quick hug.“You’re leaving already?” I asked, my voice laced with disappointment.“Yes,” he said, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. “I have to catch my flight. But I wanted to see you before I left.”I sat up and gave him a playful pout. “Have breakfast with me before you go.”He laughed softly. “I don’t have much time, but for you, I’ll stay.”We moved to the dining room, and over breakfast, Ethan’s concern surfaced again. “Are you sure you’ll be okay here all by yourself?” he asked, his brow furrowing slightly.I waved off his concern. “Ethan, I’m fine. You’ve already left me with a small army of maids and everything I could possibly need. What could g
Olivia’s POVI was typing furiously on my laptop. The work I hadn’t finished yesterday loomed over me, demanding my attention. I sipped my coffee, trying to drown the persistent ache in my ankle. I had barely made any progress when a knock came at my door.“Come in,” I called, not looking up.One of the maids stepped inside, her voice gentle. “Ma’am, the family doctor is here to check on your ankle.”I closed my laptop with a sigh. “Alright, I’ll be down in a minute.”Rolling my wheelchair to the living room, I greeted the doctor with a polite smile. He was an older man with kind eyes, someone who had been treating our family for years. “Good morning, Doctor.”“Good morning, Olivia,” he said, his tone warm. “How are you feeling today?”“Better, I suppose,” I replied. “The pain isn’t as sharp as before.”“That’s good to hear. Let’s take a look, shall we?”The session began with him asking me a series of questions about my ankle. As he gently massaged the area, I winced but kep
Olivia’s POVAfter Lucas and I finished dinner, he insisted on cleaning up the dishes. I tried to tell him it wasn’t necessary, but as usual, his stubbornness won. So I let him. The sound of water running in the kitchen filled the house as I sat back in the living room, staring at the candle I’d lit earlier.Soon, Lucas returned, wiping his hands on a towel. He looked more at ease than I’d seen him in years. “All done,” he said with a faint smile, settling onto the sofa opposite me.I watched as he reached for the stack of magazines and books on the center table, his fingers pausing when he picked up Wuthering Heights. A familiar nostalgia tugged at me as I saw the worn-out cover in his hands.“Wuthering Heights?” he said, glancing at me. “You’ve read this?”“Of course I have,” I replied, leaning back against the cushions. “It’s one of my favorites. Though I have to admit, it’s not the easiest story to love.”Lucas flipped through the pages, his brows furrowed. “I read it years
Lucas' POVThe vibration of my phone startled me awake. My neck was stiff from sleeping awkwardly on the couch in Olivia’s living room. Groaning, I rubbed my face, trying to blink away the remnants of sleep. It was still dark outside; the rain from last night had stopped, leaving a cool, damp quietness in its wake.The phone buzzed again. I reached for it, squinting at the screen. Amelia. My jaw tightened, and for a second, I considered ignoring the call. But something about the time—5:42 a.m.—made my thumb hover over the answer button.I sighed and pressed it. “What do you want, Amelia?”Her voice came through the line, high-pitched and frantic. “Lucas, it’s an emergency! It’s your mother—she’s not well. You need to come home right away!”My heart dropped. “What happened? Is she in pain? Did she fall?”“She... she just woke up feeling really bad, and I think it’s serious. Please hurry.” Her voice cracked, and any lingering doubts I might’ve had dissolved in an instant.“I’m on
Lucas’ POVThe city buzzed around me as I drove to my office, but all I could hear was Olivia’s voice echoing in my head.“How am I supposed to believe that? You cheated on me, Lucas. You lied to my face for months. What’s stopping you from taking something else that doesn’t belong to you?”My hands tightened on the steering wheel, my knuckles turning white. The memory of her words cut deeper than I wanted to admit. I had made mistakes—plenty of them—but stealing? That wasn’t me. How could she think so little of me?I pulled into the underground parking lot of my office building and slammed the car door shut behind me. The anger burning in my chest didn’t ease as I rode the elevator up to my floor. My pride was wounded, sure, but it was the hurt in Olivia’s eyes that haunted me.She thought I was a thief.The soft ding of the elevator pulled me out of my thoughts. I stepped into the cool, sterile air of my office and made my way to my desk. Tossing my keys onto the surface, I sl
Olivia’s POVThe sun casted thin lines of light across my bedroom walls. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying last night’s argument with Lucas over and over in my head. Each time, the scene ended the same way: with him walking out, furious, and my heart feeling like it was caught in a vice.I rolled onto my side and groaned. Why did I have to accuse him?But the necklace was gone, and he had been the only one here. The logic felt airtight last night when I was caught up in anger and fear. Now, in the harsh light of day, doubt crept in. Lucas might have been a liar, even a cheat, but was he really capable of stealing from me?I couldn’t shake the guilt gnawing at my chest. There was only one way to settle this once and for all.Throwing off the covers, I got out of bed and headed for the kitchen, where Marcy, one of the housemaids, was busy wiping down the countertops.“Good morning, Miss Olivia,” she greeted me with her usual chipper tone.I offered a weak smile. “Mo
Lucas’ POVThe moment I stepped into the house, I could feel the tension clinging to the air like a heavy fog. My chest was tight, my jaw set. The confrontation I’d been replaying in my head on the drive here felt inevitable now, and I wasn’t sure how much restraint I had left.My mother was in the living room, lounging on the cream sofa with a cup of tea in hand. She looked up as I walked in, her face lighting up in a way that made my stomach churn.“Lucas, sweetheart! What a pleasant surprise,” she said warmly, setting her cup down.I didn’t return her smile. “Where’s Amelia?”Her brow furrowed slightly. “She’s upstairs. Why? Did something happen?”“Yes,” I said curtly. “And I need to talk to her. Now.”“Lucas,” my mother said, her voice taking on that warning tone she used whenever she thought I was being unreasonable, “I don’t know what’s got you so upset, but—”“Don’t,” I snapped, cutting her off. “Not this time, Mom.”She pursed her lips, a flicker of irritation crossin
Olivia’s POVDinner was warm, lively, and exactly what I needed. Sitting at the table with Vivian and Aiden filled the emptiness that had been lingering in my house for weeks. It had been so long since I felt this kind of joy—simple, uncomplicated happiness. Watching Aiden’s tiny hands struggle to cut his food while Vivian helped him, laughing at his exaggerated expressions, made me realize how much I missed moments like this.“You’ve barely touched your food,” Vivian pointed out, eyeing me as she fed Aiden a piece of chicken. “Are you okay?”I blinked, realizing I had been lost in thought. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just... happy you’re both here.”Vivian smiled warmly. “We’re happy to be here too, right Aiden?”Aiden nodded enthusiastically, his cheeks stuffed with food. “Mhm! Aunty Liv, your food is the best!”I chuckled, reaching over to ruffle his curls. “I’m glad you like it.”Just as we finished dinner, Vivian’s iPad rang from the table. The screen lit up with Marcus Calling. Befo
Lucas’ POVLying on my bed, I stared at the ceiling. My mind was in turmoil as the past few days had turned my entire life upside down.My company was facing an inevitable downfall. My contract with Nexus had been terminated. The board members were furious, and shareholders had been calling non-stop, demanding an explanation. My inbox was flooded with emails, each one screaming the same thing: What the hell is going on?I didn’t have an answer.I had switched off my main phone hours ago, hoping for some peace, but it never came. The feeling of failure pressed down on me, threatening to crush me entirely. Not having the biggest share in my own company meant that, at any moment, I could be voted out as CEO. The thought alone made my stomach churn.For the first time in a long while, I felt entirely powerless, and I hated it.A knock.I wasn’t in the mood for visitors. I just wanted to be alone. But, as expected, the door creaked open anyway."Lucas," my mother’s voice filled the
OliviaMy fingers were lingering over the trackpad. The proposal to Robert Miller had been sent, and now all I could do was wait. I exhaled slowly, rubbing my temples as exhaustion started to creep in.Across from me, Vivian sipped her iced coffee, watching me with that familiar knowing look. “You need a break, Liv.”I shook my head, barely glancing at her. “I’ll rest when Nexus is stable.”She rolled her eyes. “You keep saying that, but when will it ever be stable enough for you to stop running yourself into the ground?”I sighed, leaning back in my chair. She wasn’t wrong. Lately, I had been drowning myself in work, using it as a distraction. But the weight of today’s decisions—the tension in the boardroom, the confrontation with Lucas, and my father’s call—still lingered in my chest.“I just need to stay ahead,” I murmured. “I can’t afford to be careless.”Vivian set her cup down, leaning forward. “Olivia, you’re burning out. You already sent the proposal. Trust that you’ll
OliviaThe moment I stepped into my office, the weight of my decision finally settled over me like a heavy blanket. I had just made a move that would alter Nexus’ course, cutting ties with Lucas’ company without hesitation. My heart pounded with the realization that there was no undoing what I had done. It was final.For the sake of my peace and the integrity of Nexus, I had to do it. I needed Lucas out of my life in every way. There was no way I could run this company while constantly dealing with him. Business and personal life had to stay separate.Vivian sat on the office couch, gently rocking Aiden in her arms. His tiny hands were curled into fists, resting against her shoulder as he slept soundly. His little chest rose and fell rhythmically, undisturbed by the chaos of the world around him.I let out a deep breath, walked over to my desk, and placed my laptop and files on the table. My body felt drained, as if all my energy had been zapped away in that boardroom. I pulled ou
OliviaThe boardroom was silent as everyone took their seats. The air was thick with anticipation, the kind of tension you could almost feel physically. I sat at the head of the table, my gaze fixed on Lucas as he prepared to present the figures. The chart he was about to show us would give us all a glimpse into how well Nexus had been doing with its recent investments. It was supposed to be a victory, a moment of pride for the company, especially for Lucas.The projector hummed to life, and the numbers appeared on the screen. Lucas's voice filled the room as he explained how Nexus's little investment had grown. The graph was steady, showing a positive trend. The board members leaned forward, their eyes widening as they saw the results. It was impressive—there was no denying that.But as I watched them react, something inside me stirred. This wasn’t about numbers or growth anymore. It was about me, about Lucas. It was about what I had learned over the past few weeks, what had becom
Lucas"How? Just how did it happen?" Vivian asked again, her voice filled with disbelief.I exhaled sharply, rubbing the back of my neck. I didn’t know how to answer that question—not in a way that made sense, not in a way that didn’t make my chest tighten."Vivian, it’s… complicated."She raised an eyebrow, clearly not satisfied with that answer, but she didn’t push me further. Instead, she reached down and grabbed Aiden’s hand. "Come on, sweetheart, we need to get going."I nodded, turning back toward the shelves. "Give me a minute. I just need to grab a few more things."I walked a few aisles down, picking up a head of cabbage, though my mind was barely on what I was buying. My thoughts were still tangled in the unexpected reunion, in the way Vivian had looked at me—so full of shock and questions I wasn’t ready to answer.I returned to them at the checkout line, setting my items on the counter. Aiden stood beside his mother, swinging his little legs, humming some tune under
LucasThe past week had been a slow kind of torture.I had thrown myself into work, hoping it would drown out the thoughts that kept creeping in—thoughts of Olivia, of our last conversation, of the way she had looked at me like she had finally given up on us. I told myself that I had accepted it, that I was moving on, but even as I pulled into the parking lot of Nexus Mall, I knew I was lying to myself.The moment I stepped out of the car, I inhaled deeply, trying to shake the heaviness that had settled in my chest. I was here to restock on essentials—coffee, cereal, and water. Just the basics. Nothing more.As I walked into the mall, the buzz of people moving around barely registered in my mind. I grabbed a shopping cart and started moving down the aisles, picking things up without much thought. Everything felt mechanical—grab, toss, move on. I wasn’t even paying attention to where I was going until—Thud.Something small and fast slammed into me, catching me off guard. Before
OliviaThe past week had been relentless.I threw myself into work the moment I woke up, filling every spare second with reports, calls, and planning sessions. It was the only way I knew how to cope. If I stopped, even for a second, my thoughts would spiral in directions I didn’t want to go.So I didn’t stop.I focused on Nexus, on regaining control, on proving that I could handle everything that had been thrown my way. I worked late into the nights, reviewing projections, updating strategies, and ensuring that no detail went unnoticed.And yet, no matter how hard I tried, no matter how much I buried myself in my responsibilities, one thought kept creeping in.Had I made the right choice?I clenched my jaw, shaking my head. I didn’t have time for doubts.Letting go of Amelia’s betrayal had been easy in comparison—she wasn’t worth the effort, and the necklace was just an object. But Lucas… Lucas had been harder. Cutting him off completely, refusing to let him back in, had taken
LucasI barely remembered the drive home. My hands were tight on the steering wheel, my mind spinning with everything Olivia had said. The anger in her voice. The finality in her words.She was done with me.That truth hit harder than I wanted to admit. I should have fought harder, should have explained myself better, but instead, I left. Like a coward.When I pulled up to the mansion, the sight of it made my stomach turn. It was the same house I bought when I got married to Olivia, the same place I had always returned to—but now, it felt suffocating, knowing Mother would be there. I sat in the car for a moment, gripping the wheel, trying to steady my breathing.Then, with a deep breath, I got out and walked inside.The moment I stepped through the doors, my mother’s sharp voice cut through the silence.“Where have you been?”I clenched my jaw, not in the mood for this. “Out.”She was sitting on the couch in the grand living room, her posture perfect, a glass of wine in her h