Olivia’s POV
There I was, basking in Sam’s attention after not seeing him for almost a week. Ms. Priya was away from the office and so, she instructed Sam to visit the studio to discuss some details with the photographers. The minute I walked through the door, Sam practically ran towards me before he stood in front of me with a smile on his face. We moved to the back of the studio and I leaned my back against the wall as Sam looked down at me as we caught each other up with our respective week.
Pure joy and calmness filled me as I giggled uncontrollably in Sam’s presence and when he placed his hand on my lower back, a pleasant shiver ran down my spine as my cheeks reddened. Not a single worry crossed my mind and everything seemed to be going perfectly well. But, as usual, my fate hated to see me happy and this time, it sent the devil himself to shatter my bubble of joy.
Olivia’s POV My head pounded loudly in my ears and a sharp pain jolted through my forehead. Reaching my hand up to pinch my forehead, I groaned in pain. Slowly, the realization of my surroundings started becoming more evident to me. Whatever I was laying on did not feel like my bed and pillow, while the usual sound of the New York traffic didn’t echo in my ears. Instantly my eyes flew open to find a brown ceiling above me, further convincing me that I was not in my apartment. Without delay, I pulled myself up and sat up straight before my gaze fell on the familiar figure in front of me. My mind tried to process what was happening but everything felt so hazy. Even as Joshua placed a pillow behind me, all I was trying to figure out was my location and how I got there in the first place. Then, when Joshua touched my hand, a jolt went through my body and worry filled
Olivia’s POVSunday morning felt different when I woke up alone in my bedroom after waking up to Joshua carefully observing me yesterday. There were no flowers on my bedside table and my bedroom didn’t smell like his cologne. There was no denying that the mugging and the events that transpired after that had really affected me physically, mentally, and emotionally.Damn It! Do I actually miss him being around? What am I saying?Groaning out loud, I pulled myself up from the warm mattress, sat up straight, and leaned back against the wall behind me. Picking up my phone, I looked at the lifeless screen as my fingers trailed the cracked phone case.I had spent the whole day yesterday contemplating whether Joshua deserved a second chance from me. It was not an easy decision but eventually, I was a hypocrite if I didn’t give him a fair
Olivia’s POVThe bustling café was far from quiet. The sound of people chatting, cutlery clanging, soft jazz music, and coffee machines bounced off the walls of the quaint café and filled the air. Yet, Joshua’s words sounded crystal clear and continuously echoed in my ear on a loop.Did Joshua Taylor just confess that he has feelings for me? This has to be a joke!Instead of feeling flattered or shy, I was enraged. For a split second, the guy in front of me was the 16-year-old bully who placed a note in my locker asking me to meet him in the cafeteria to have lunch together. Even though I should have known better, I still blindly did as was requested on the note and when I did, I was humiliated in front of the cafeteria as someone so desperate to have lunch with “The Joshua Taylor” that I wrote a note and placed it in my ow
Joshua’s POVMy eyes fixated on Olivia’s as she shook my hand with a smile. Somehow when she smiled at me, my mind and body were washed over with a feeling that everything will be okay. In fact, I was glad we were starting fresh. Judging by the way she has been around me and the way she reacted when I confessed my feelings, it was clear that my old self didn’t have a good relationship with her and she didn’t trust me.I was such an idiot to not treat such an amazing woman with respect and kindness.But, I meant everything I said to her. I was falling for her, not for the way she looked but because she radiated beauty from within. Basically, it was just something in her that kept drawing me to her like a magnet. Was she out of my league? Hell Yes! Did I think she would probably settle for someone better than me? Damn Straight! But, that d
Olivia’s POVThe photo studio was in full swing when I entered on Thursday morning. The usually quiet, half-dead studio bustled with people around. Make-up artists touched up models, designers held up outfits for a dress change and the photographers shouted out instructions. There was no doubt that it was the last day of the photoshoot for the campaign.“There you are, Olivia. Go check on the models for the group photo. We are trying to fit everyone into one picture for the billboard advertisement,” Ms. Priya instructed before running off with a clipboard in her hand.“Okay?” I replied but there was no reply.Inhaling a deep breath of air and puffing my chest with positivity, I headed to the group of models preparing for their shoot. After checking every model and the accessories they were wearing, I finally arrived at the annoying hottie I was
Olivia’s POVMy stomach somersaulted and my heart skipped a beat at the sight before me. In less than a second the dark room turned bright, revealing the crowd of people inside, beaming with joy as they all looked at me with pride.“Surprise!” they all screamed again.Still stunned by everything, it took me a while to process what was happening. “What is all this?”“It’s a party for you!” Maria replied before blowing on a paper horn.Then, my eyes fell on Ms. Priya who was also among the crowd. “Yes, Olivia. It’s a party for you to celebrate your debut project.”“Are you serious? But I’m just an intern,” I replied as I choked back a sob.“Nonsense. You are one of us!” Ms. Priya replied and raised her cup in the air. &l
Olivia’s POVMy heart dropped when I heard Joshua’s broken voice. He sounded bad and the way he pleaded for me made my heart clench. I had never been called ‘Via’ before yet, he made it sound like he had been calling me that for years. Then, it hit me that he said that he did something stupid, and worry started overcoming me. My mind urged me to ignore him and focus on my date with Sam, but my heart couldn’t bear to leave Joshua hanging like that when he needed me.F*ck! What should I do?“Please, Via,” Joshua’s painful voice echoed again in my ear followed by the sound of something falling.“What was that?” I demanded immediately, panic filling my veins.Joshua’s heavy breathing filled the call. “N…nothing.”It was obvious that it was not n
Olivia’s POVMy hand remained in Joshua’s grasp as he looked up at me pleadingly and requested me to stay with him that night. It was definitely not part of the plan I had constructed in my head when I first saw him on the sidewalk. We were not close, we were not lovers and we were barely friends, still, I couldn’t help but recall how he saved me and took care of me through the night. As a decent human being, I owed him to repay that favor and keep an eye on him through the night, but that was all.My loud sigh echoed through his bedroom that I had grown familiar with. “Fine.”“Thank you, Via.” His grip around my hand loosened and he patted the spot on the bed next to him.Holding up my finger, I pulled a chair close to the bed just like he did when it was me on the bed. Before I could sit on it, Joshua pouted his lips at me.
Olivia’s POV About five years had passed, yet Westminster High School was still standing strong but the only difference was that it was now an elementary school. The place I used to call my own personal living hell was now about to have a new student, Nia Marie Jamerson-Taylor. “Mommy, will it be scary?” my Nia asked as her little hand held onto my hand as we got out of our car. Letting out an exhale, I knelt down and adjusted her brunette hair. “Yes, at first. But then you’ll start to enjoy it so much.” Despite having my own unpleasant experience, the last thing I wanted was to unload that burden on my daughter. So, the day I said ‘I do’ to Joshua Taylor, I buried all my bitter memories away and vowed to look forward. To be honest, it felt like just yesterday I agreed to marry him and then, six months later, I walked down the aisle with Nia to Joshua as our friends and family witnessed us. Adrina took some time to warm up to Joshua but she eventually did and stood as my maid of h
Olivia’s POV “You’re doing great, Olivia. Keep pushing for five seconds,” Dr. Kingsley instructed as Joshua held onto my hand tightly in the delivery room. Shaking my head, I leaned back against the head with a grunt. “No, I can’t. I can’t push anymore, I can’t.” “You’re going to have to if you want to see your baby girl. So, push for me, Olivia!” Dr. Kingsley ordered, patting my thighs. Joshua kissed my forehead and gripped my hand. “You are doing great, baby. Just a little while longer, okay?” “Okay, Olivia. I see her head. Now, you’re going to have to push even harder. Go! Push!” the doctor yelled, but I couldn’t take it anymore. Tears streamed down my face and sobs escaped my mouth at how guilty I was feeling that I was unable to push my own baby out easily. I felt useless and unfit to be a mother before my child even came out of me. “Via, no. I know that look. Listen to me, I know you can do this. You endured my bullying, you gave me the middle finger proudly, you moved t
Olivia’s POV I slowly opened my eyes to a blue hospital room and a pounding headache that echoed in my ears. I fluttered my eyelids as I desperately tried to remember what happened but I was so confused and I couldn’t remember how I got there. The last thing I remembered was being in the cab and the light changing green, and then, there I was, in horrifying pain as I lay motionless on the hospital bed. Then, I recalled why I was in the taxi in the first place and my hand immediately reached out to my belly as an indescribable feeling of fear paralyzed me. But, as soon as my palm touched my swollen belly and felt the faint movement inside, relief washed over me, making me finally release the breath I didn’t know I was holding in. Gently moving my neck to look around the room, I caught sight of a few flower bouquets, balloons, greeting cards, and finally, a head resting by my hand. At once I knew who the head belonged to, but just as I was about to lift my arm and touch the head, I f
Joshua’s POVEverything happened so fast that I couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. A couple of hours ago I was introducing Olivia as my girlfriend and the mother of my child, and everything felt fine, perfect even. Then, one minute I was looking around for Olivia who had suspiciously disappeared then, and the next minute the hospital was calling me.Am I dreaming?The minute the nurse’s words reached my ears about an accident, I felt a thundering echo within me. Part of me felt a gut-wrenching pain knowing exactly who she was calling me about, but another part of me refused to believe it.Terrified to hear her answer to my question, I stuttered out my question, “W…who is it?”“According to her ID in her purse, it’s Olivia Jamerson,” she answered.&nb
Joshua’s POVAdjusting my suit, I strolled into the hall majestically as the sound of my shoes tapping against the marble floor echoed through the noisy hall. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Olivia following me secretly, but I didn’t get a chance to call out to her when people started huddling around me.“Joshua Taylor, as I live and breathe! F*ck! Look at you, you beautiful b*stard! You cleaned up nicely, a*shole!” Will, one of my football team members exclaimed as he patted my back strongly.Were these really the kind of people I was friends with?Almost everyone in attendance approached me to hug me and shake my hand, which was expected given how popular I was back when we were in high school. But, as much as it was interesting to see how they had grown up in a matter of a few years, I quickly dismissed them and headed further into the h
Olivia’s POVMy hand glided across my lips as I appeared a layer of red lipstick on it before my lips chapped together. Letting out a long exhale, I looked at my reflection in the mirror and smiled. Joshua had bought me an off-shoulder red dress that curved around my pregnant bump perfectly and that had a mid-thigh slit, making me feel both comfortable and sexy at the same time.“Are you sure about this, Oli?” Luke asked as he leaned against my door frame.Turning to look at him, I nodded as my eyes scanned him dressed sharply in a blue suit. “Yes, Lukey. It’s going to be super awkward for sure, but I promised Joshua and myself that I would do this since I missed prom.”“Alright then. I and Raina will swing by after her friend’s engagement party. Will you be okay till then?” he questioned, adjusting my twisted earring.
Olivia’s POV A smile curved my lips as I watched the big and proud businessman, Mr. Joshua Taylor, pick up a pink strawberry onesie and place it in front of his chest as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. “So, what do you think? I can totally pull this look off, right?” he asked, turning towards me as he danced his eyebrows playfully. Narrowing my eyes at him as I scanned him from top to bottom, I nodded my head. “One size bigger and it would be perfect for you. Though you may have to fight with our daughter over it.” “That’s the plan,” he replied with a wink before turning towards the store employee. Folding the onesie carefully with his big brawny hands, he passed it to her. “Here, pack a set of this onesie in every single color available and send it to the car.” “Yes, Mr. Taylor,” she responded and disappeared to the back. After pushing me towards the exit of the store, Joshua walked beside me as I waddled slowly like a penguin. “You practically bought the whole stor
Olivia’s POV The air in my hospital room turned tense and Luke glared daggers at Joshua. His jaw locked and his palms balled into fists at the mere sight of my ex-bully in my hospital room, about to kiss me. All the sugar-coated story I had created about my pregnancy had been shattered in just a second and now I owed Luke an explanation. “What the f*ck, Olivia? Are you insane?” Luke shouted as he stormed towards me, reacting the same way Adrina did when she found out I was dating Joshua. Pulling myself up to sit upright, I reached out to Luke to calm him down. “Lukey, I can explain. Just calm down and listen, okay?” “What possible explanation can you possibly have, Oli? He’s the father, right? And don’t you dare lie to me again?” Luke snapped at me, gritting his teeth. But, instead of de-escalating the situation, his response made Joshua furious. “Hey! Don’t shout at her, Luke!” “You! Don’t you dare poke your nose in this. Haven’t you done enough to her already? Yet, you impregn
Olivia’s POV Two weeks had passed since I found out that my little bean was a girl, well technically ‘we’ found out, since Joshua had barged into my consultation room. To be honest, seeing him so upset and angry that I hid his child from him twisted my insides with guilt, making me realize that it was wrong on my part to do that to him after I realized that he didn’t leave me on purpose. Things between us were just borderline normal but, I was warming up to him. Annoyingly, I didn’t know if it was the after-effects of falling in love with another version of him, or if Joshua was indeed turning into the version of him that I loved, but there was something about him that I couldn’t hate. Although, I detested every time my office phone rang with instructions for me to see him in his office. “What now?” I blurted out as soon as I walked into his penthouse office. Joshua arched his eyebrow at me from behind his huge table. “Do I need a reason to see my two favorite girls?” “Yes, Joshu