Ophelia povWorried about Olivia, I could barely sleep. I kept on tossing and turning all through. At one point, I went to the kitchen to get water and then to the living room to watch a movie, but none of it helped.Ryder hasn't called me yet and I was worried. Was she fine? Why did she slump? Is she okay now? I wanted to ask him many questions but he hasn't phoned me yet.I dialed Mum's number and called her. Her phone rang for a few minutes before she picked up.“Ophelia, why are you calling me at this hour of the time?” Her sleepy voice came from the other side. It was obvious I woke her with my call. But I knew she ought to know. I know she avoided seeing Olivia even when she was dying too.But she was scared. She was tearing apart knowing Olivia's condition. I know she wants to see her daughter but she was waiting for the right time.Now isn't the right time but she has to go see her. I wouldn't have known this if I hadn't forgotten my bag in her office on my last visit and I h
Ophelia's pov “Mr. Smith, your wife is fine now. She just needs sleep and care.” The doctor, who had just come out of Olivia's room said, standing with Mum and Ryder.Adjusting Ryan very well on my waist I left the elevator and went to meet them. Mum was the first to see me before Ryder and the doctor. Ryder's eyes grew wide as he made contact with me but I ignored him and faced the doctor, whose face was also in shock.It was like they weren't expecting me to come to the hospital.Mum collected Ryan from me, who was excited to meet his granny.“Good morning, doctor please, is my sister fine?” I asked, knowing fully well I heard the doctor say she was when he was talking to Mum and Ryder.The doctor composed himself before talking, “She suffered a panic attack and emotional stress. I have placed her on a medication which might have effects on her for the next few days but she is good to go”Ryder recovered from my surprising appearance and asked the doctor a question, “What kind of
Ophelia povThe door opened allowing the both of us to snap our eyes to the door. Ryder entered the room, followed by Mum and Ryder behind him.Ryan left Mum's hold and came to me, hugging my feet. I looked at Olivia again, but her expression had changed. Instead of the fear in her eyes, she was now with a smiling face.“The doctor selected some foods for you to eat until you are fully discharged,” Mum said, sitting beside her on the bed and opening the food Ryder brought.“You don't have to feed me, Mum; I can eat myself,” Olivia said, sitting upright on the bed. “I know but I want to feed you like old times. Whenever you are sick, I always feed you like this.” saying that she took a spoon of the food and brought it close to Olivia's mouth.Olivia opened her mouth, eating the food, and Mum continued, and the rest of us watched their interaction.I moved my eyes to Ryder who stood by the other side of her bed. His eyes were fixed on Olivia, with a little smile playing on his lips.I
Ophelia pov.I kept the pictures back in the folder and hid them between my clothes. No one should get their hands on it.But I still didn't understand how I could be standing In front of the burning car. Why was I still staring at the burning car and doing nothing? And who took those pictures?My head was in a mess, and a headache started to form. My phone buzzed from the bed and I jolted in fear. After seeing that it was my phone with Ryder's name across the screen.I answered the call, “Are you alright?” I heard his voice from the other side.“Yes, I just needed to rest. How is Ryan?” I asked, after not hearing his voice from the phone call.“He is sleeping beside Olivia,” at the mention of Olivia, I remembered how our conversation went this morning.I should ask him about what she said. “Ryder about last night, did you—” the phone made a loud sound from his end.I looked at the screen and saw that he had placed the phone on hold.I waited for a few minutes for him to remove it fro
Ryder pov Seeing Olivia sleeping peacefully I slipped out of the room quietly. I couldn't get the sad look on Ophelia's face when I had to leave her to go to the hospital when Olivia called.I wasn't going to leave her, but Olivia was crying over the phone, and I just had to go meet her. I didn't tell Ophelia because she has been blaming herself lately and punishing herself over little things.She has a big heart and that is why she always tries to fix things and people. But she has to know she can't fix everybody.She was able to fix me and change me because I wanted to be fixed and I am glad I gave her that chance to. I need to make her know she can't fix someone who doesn't want to be fixed.I went to the receptionist and told the nurse I was stepping out. In case the doctor wanted to see me, and Olivia woke up. I went to the parking lot where my car was.I slipped into the car and drove off to Victoria's Secret. I liked the lingerie Ophelia was putting on last night and it took
Ophelia I stared at my reflection in the mirror, my hands nervously smoothing over the simple black dress I chose. It hugged my body, bringing out my curves. My heart raced with excitement as I brushed my hair, leaving it behind my back. I hummed, my mood light the ruined night between Ryder and me.Ryder’s words from this morning replayed in my head, “Just the two of us. No interruptions, no distractions.” It had been so long since we had shared something so intimate, just us. The last time we were so intimate without any worry was our lovemaking in his office.I heard a knock on the bathroom door which I ran into after Ryder left the bathroom after me. Due to excitement, I dressed in the bathroom, not wanting Ryder to see any part of me till tonight. “Ophelia, are you ready?” Taking a deep breath, I opened the door. Ryder stood there, looking effortlessly handsome in a crisp white shirt rolled at the sleeves and dark trousers. His intense gaze swept over me, and for a moment,
Ophelia povI looked at Ryder when I didn't get a response from him.His eyes were fixed on me, but I knew he was far from his thoughts. Was he going to reject me? Is he going to tell him he was back with Olivia? Or is he going to tell me he loves me too? There were a lot of things going through my mind that I didn't know what to think anymore. “Ophelia, I—” Before he could say anything further, I placed my finger on his lips.“You don't have to give me your response now. I just wanted to let you know” I said, laying back in his arms. He tightened his hold around me and kissed my forehead as we both stared forward, our wine long gone.Should I tell him about the baby now? Will it make him accept me? What if he does not want the baby, what will I do? I thought long and hard over it and I decided to keep it from him until I was sure of how he felt about me.I can't let my child suffer for my sake. I have to do everything I can to make my child experience the right love he/she needs.
Ophelia pov I stared at her long and hard as she finished talking and laughed hard, taking her by surprise. Tears threatened to fall but I held it in even when the situation was enough to make me cry.“You are mistaken Olivia, if you think I was going to believe that. You couldn't sleep, and you called him to come to the hospital, and he left very early to get me a present. You can try to fool me but I won't fall for your tricks,” I shook my head.“Then you should have heard me crying to your husband that I needed him and he ran back here to take me in his hands. His firm strong arms round around me comforting Mr until he—” “Enough,” I shouted, unable to hear any more nonsense she was spilling. The image of Ryder doing everything he did to Mr last to Olivia caused my heart to ache so much that I was afraid it was going to start bleeding.“You should know this because you deserve to. Didn't you stop to reason why Ryder just came with the thought of taking you out, out of the blues? I
Ophelia's PovI sat in the interrogation room waiting for the officers to bring Olivia out.The sound of the door opening reached my ear, and I saw Olivia enter the room.My eyes met mine immediately, and I offered a little smile, which she returned forcefully.“Hi,” I said as she took her seat.“How are you doing?” I asked and she shook her head.“Shitty,” she replied and I nodded, looking down my fingers.“I know. It isn't the best place to be in,”“Are you finding means to get me out?” She asked.“Not yet—,”“Why?” She interrupted me with her voice harsh. I looked into her eyes, and for the first time, I saw something I had not noticed before.Anger.“Olivia, why?” I asked, maintaining eye contact with her. I watch her eyes transition from anger to confusion.“What?”“Why did you do all of these? Why did you hurt your family? Why did you hurt me?” She didn't reply to me; she only held my gaze for a few seconds.“Do what, Ophelia. You and Ryder should find out how to get me out of
Ophelia's Pov Three million dollars.The amount kept ringing in my head. The amount was huge. Why did she take a loan of that amount and what did she use it for?“Got it,” Dave said and gave me his phone.I read through her information, and every line I read got me more confused.I looked up from the phone back to Ryder. “How is this all true?”“There are pictures to prove it; scroll down,” Dave said, and I did as he said.There were a few pictures of her, from old to recent, but a picture caught my eye, and I zoomed in on the picture.The cloth. It looks familiar. I went to the search bar and typed my name. Many articles popped up, but I went to the videos and searched for the video of that day's accident. There was no video of the accident on the web. But I saw it while I was in Brazil.At that moment, Ryder came down and I turned to him immediately.“Ryder, the accident video is not on the web anymore,”“Yes, I took them all down,” he said, sitting down next to me. “Why?” he a
Ophelia's Pov As I watched the video, I felt a strangling knot in my stomach.Paul was on the call with someone as he placed about.“Did you do everything I asked you to?” He asked the person on the other side.“Listen to me. Go to my place and do exactly as I instruct you unless the boy dies,”“Talk to you later, Olivia. I have to feed the boy,”On hearing Olivia's name, the knot in my stomach tightened.I turned to Ryder.“She knew,” I said and he nodded.“That is the only evidence we got that the kidnapping is tied to Olivia,”Wow.“I need time to process this,” I stood up and walked to our room.I lay on the bed and closed my eyes, wishing that what I saw would disappear, but it only got clearer.I knew Olivia was tied to it one way or the other but confirming it now was hurting me more than I thought.After some time, I felt fatigue slowly kicked in and I slept off.******Waking up from the bed, I stood up and went to the bathroom to wash my face before leaving the room.I went
Ophelia's Pov Desmond and Ryder were checking all the CCTV cameras around the side where we found Ryan.They are looking for any connection with Olivia.I was with Ryan as he played with his toys. His little fingers moved busily as he stacked colorful blocks on top of each other. His soft giggles filled the room.I felt my phone vibrate beside me and I removed my eyes from Ryan to my phone.I saw 5 missed calls from Dave. When did he call that I didn't pick up? My brows furrowed. I looked at Ryan to make sure he was alright before calling him back.“Hi,” “Ophelia, are you alright?” He asked directly.“Yes, I am. How is Lily?” I asked.“She is fine. We are married,” the line went silent after that.The words settled in, a strange tightness forming in my chest.“Erm,” I cleared my throat. “That is good; I am happy for both of you,” I said, my voice coming out tighter than I intended.“Ophelia, I—”“It is okay.” I cut in, forcing a small smile even though he couldn’t see it. “You are
Ophelia's Pov A heavy silence fell over the room. The implications of what we had just uncovered were unsettling. Could Olivia have orchestrated Ryan’s kidnapping? Why would she do that if she did?I glanced at Ryder, his jaw tight, his hands clenched into fists. His expression was unreadable, but I could sense the storm brewing beneath the surface. Gina sat stiffly on the couch, her fingers twisting together. “I— I don’t want to believe it,” she whispered. “But if she could do this to Ryan, what else is she capable of doing?” Ryder exhaled sharply, running a hand down his face. “If Olivia did this… If she put our son in danger…” His voice trailed off, but the quiet fury in his tone was unmistakable. “She faked her death and framed me, what else can she not do?” I asked aloud, trying the grasp the realization we just made.A cold shiver ran down my spine. Olivia had always been manipulative, but would she really go that far? To harm an innocent child? Her biological child?
Ryder's Pov As I drove back home, the ride home was quiet, but not in an uncomfortable way. It was a silence thick with unspoken emotions, a silence filled with thoughts and neither of us knew how to voice out yet.Ryan had fallen asleep in the backseat, his small head resting against the car seat, his little chest rising and falling in steady breaths. I glanced at him through the rearview mirror before shifting my gaze to Ophelia who was sitting in the passenger seat. She was staring out of the window, her fingers gently tracing her belly, lost in thought. The breeze from the window fanned against her face making her hair cover her face.I gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. I had seen my child today. I had heard the heartbeat. The heartwarming and rhythmic heartbeat.It was not just a concept or just an obligation, it was an actual tiny human, with a heartbeat strong and steady, with little hands that had moved.It was the life growing inside of Ophelia. I swallowed
Ophelia's Pov The air in Joe’s office was thick with tension as the two of them had a stare-down. Ryder’s grip on Joe’s hand was firm, too firm and while Joe maintained a professional posture, I could see the way his jaw tightened ever so slightly.I shifted uncomfortably, moving Ryan in my lap to adjust him as I glanced between them. "Joe was a great help to me when I had no one else," I said quietly, attempting to ease whatever silent conflict was occurring between the both of them. Ryder was the first to release Joe's hand but didn't lean back to his seat. His expression was still stoic, his eyes fixed on the doctor as though looking for something.Joe, though, just nodded and leaned back in his chair. "I can understand why you would this way, Mr. Smith. But Ophelia was in a difficult spot at the time. I simply did what I thought was best to keep her and the baby safe."Ryder's jaw tightened, but he said nothing, his eyes still trained on Joe.I coughed to clear my throat becaus
Ophelia's Pov I snuggled closer to Ryder but found the bed empty. I sat up from the bed rubbing my eyes. The last I could remember was in Ryder's arms in the bathtub. I must have fallen asleep and he carried me to the bed. I looked down to my body and I was wearing his shirt and boxers.I flung my feet to the floor and stood up from the bed. I went into the bathroom and did my business. I went inside the closet and chose the clothes to wear. Standing in front of the mirror, I stared at my reflection.I looked better than the nights before and my bump was bigger. I put a reminder in mind to visit the hospital. I would be due in a few weeks time and I needed to be very careful. I dressed and left the room, closing the door behind me. Before getting to the living room, I could smell something coming from the kitchen. The smell was faint at first but it grew stronger as I moved closer to the living room. It wasn't until I reached the living room and looked into the kitchen that I di
Ophelia's Pov The silence of the moment enveloped us, and for the first time in days, I could finally breathe. Ryder's presence was an anchor, it was grounding me in the center of the hurricane I could feel brewing inside. I leaned back against him, allowing the warmth of the water and the strong beat of his heart to fill the empty spaces in my head. The weight of my worry didn't lift from me, but for a moment, it was easier to carry."I don't know what to do, Ryder," I panted, the words tumbling out before I could catch them. "I keep thinking about Olivia most of the time, I keep thinking about all of it. I don't even know her anymore."Ryder's arms wrapped me close, pulling me more against him, giving me the unspoken reassurance of his presence. I attempted to steady my breath, keeping my eyes shut, but uncertainty within me was cruel. Olivia was changing before my own eyes, and I was uncertain how to relate to her anymore.The woman who spoke to me wasn't the Olivia I grew up w