Olivia ~•~I felt a surge of frustration and anger run through my veins. “You’re not going anywhere with me and there’s nothing to fix,” I said, my voice steady. “I’m done trying to please you, I’m done letting you control me. I’m getting a divorce and there is nothing you can do about it.”The words rolled off my tongue like a train with no brakes. From their puzzled expressions, I could tell they were stunned by my response. Without giving them a chance to say anything else, I turned around and walked out of the room, banging the door behind me. Amanda and David rushed out of the dining room to meet me when they heard me walking out. They both had worried looks on their faces. “What happened there?” David asked, his voice laced with concern. “What did you say to them? What did they say to you?” I didn’t want to stay in the house any longer. “I’m going back home, you’ll hear it from your parents.” I dismissed them and picked up my bag from the table before making my way out of t
Alexander ~•~I thought keeping the divorce papers away from Olivia and still staying together would change everything for the better. I hoped she would realize our marriage was at stake and act right. But I was totally wrong. Even if we had known each other for years, the past few weeks felt like we were strangers living under the same roof. No matter how hard I tried to tell her I had no idea Tricia was in town, she didn’t believe me and I had no way to convince her. It was as if we were in a cold war. We couldn’t have a normal conversation anymore because she ended up bringing up the fact that I gave her divorce papers because of my ex-girlfriend. It was getting out of hand and I wanted to be sure if she truly didn’t love me. At first, I thought she would protest against signing the divorce papers and try to be a better wife but it just made everything worse. I asked my assistant to set up a meeting with Tricia. I knew the implications of what I was about to do but I needed t
Olivia ~•~“Diana invited me to hang out at the bar earlier, do you want to go there to unwind?” Sandra asked as I lay there on her lap. Diana was our friend but I wasn’t as close to her as Sandra was. Going to the bar was going to be a good distraction from everything. “Yes, I’ll go,” I replied without hesitation. “That’s my girl.” Sandra’s lip curled into a soft smile. “Let’s get ready.” She said and I stood up from her and sat up straight. Sandra and I were practically the same size so most of her clothes fit me. We went into her bedroom and I began to scan through her closet, searching for the perfect outfit. Suddenly, Sandra threw me a sleek black dress. It was the perfect dress for a night out with friends at a bar. We spent the next hour getting ready, laughing and chatting as we did our makeup and hair. For a moment, I had forgotten that my husband was spotted with his ex-girlfriend. Soon enough, we were ready to leave. I ordered an Uber because Sandra and I were going
Olivia ~•~The next morning, I woke up with a bad migraine. As I tried getting up, my head started pounding. I looked over to the side to see Alex sleeping peacefully. I was a little bit confused because we had been sleeping in separate rooms for the past nights. The events of the previous night were a blur. The last thing I remember was seeing Alex’s car pull up in front of the bar. “You’re finally awake,” Alex said and I turned back to look at him. I thought he was deep in his sleep. “Yeah,” I let out a loud yawn. “What happened yesterday?” I asked. “Nothing, you just slept until now.” He answered, making his way out of the bed. “I’ll make you something to help with the hangover.” I nodded my head. “Okay, thank you.” I desperately needed something because I couldn’t live with a pounding headache. I remained in the room while Alexander went downstairs. I looked around to search for my phone and luckily enough, it was in the side drawer. I reached out to take it and dialed Sand
Alexander ~•~“I don’t fucking care about all those years and I can never believe you.” Olivia’s words were like a slap in the face. It was like she never even cared about me from the beginning. I never should have given her the divorce papers. I didn’t know it would turn her into an entirely different person. I made a mistake and I wished I could go back in time to fix it. I understood her concern about the necklace. It was meant to be for her but I got disappointed when she gave me those mediocre presents, so I held on to her gift instead of giving it to her. “Olivia, I know you’re hurting and I’m sorry for everything I did to cause it.” I could see her eyes blazing with hurt and anger. “I’m sorry about the divorce papers and I’m sorry about meeting up with Tricia.” The room fell silent for a few seconds. “I just need some space,” Olivia said as she made her way out of the bed. “Just stay away from me, I don’t want to see you right now.” With that, she left the room, leaving
Olivia ~•~I knew what I said to Alex was very hurtful but I was driven by anger. I didn’t know when it left my mouth. I could see the hurt in his eyes, so I couldn’t look at him any longer. I had to leave the room.My head was still aching so I went downstairs to get a glass of water. I met the cook preparing breakfast in the kitchen. When she saw me, she chuckled softly and I paused for a second. “What is funny, Emily?” I asked with an arched brow. She hesitated for a while before she finally spoke. “Yesterday night, you were so drunk and couldn’t walk by yourself. Alexander had to carry you upstairs.” She started laughing. I was upset but I couldn’t help but join her. I had a good relationship with Emily even if she was just a cook in the house. “Silly girl.” I laughed as I gulped down the glass of water. Her next question caught me off guard. “Is everything okay between you and Alexander?” Her voice was filled with concern and curiosity. Emily was a cool person to talk to b
Olivia ~•~Before the call ended, Amanda asked me to spend the day with her and David. She wanted me to relax and take my mind off things. I was skeptical about it at first but it was going to be a good distraction from everything. I didn’t have anything else planned for the day, so I decided to agree. I spent a little more time in the bedroom watching TV. I wanted Alex to leave the house for work before going down for breakfast. After about an hour, I went downstairs to eat because my stomach was rumbling as I hadn’t had anything to eat. Emily was still in the kitchen when I got down but the table was already set. I noticed Alex had barely eaten a thing. That was rare. He must’ve been in a hurry. I mean, he wasted most of his morning arguing with me. Without spending much time, I was done with breakfast. It was already late in the morning so I just decided to get ready for my day with my siblings. I had a long and relaxing shower. I took my time to wash my body with my favorit
Olivia ~•~“What the fuck?” I seethed angrily through gritted teeth, making my siblings turn around in shock. “What the fuck?” I repeated in a slightly cracked voice. David turned back because he was driving and needed to focus on the road. But Amanda was still staring at me with a confused expression registered on her face. “What is the problem, Olivia?” I didn’t know what to say, so I just passed her my phone. “What the actual fuck?” She said and passed the phone to David. I honestly didn’t know how to feel. I just had a conversation with him in the morning and he said there was nothing between them. They were just old friends. Old friends, right? Old friends, who kiss each other? This time I wasn’t even angry, I was hurt. I felt like I had been betrayed because I almost brought myself to believe him earlier. “I’m so sorry, Olivia,” David said as he handed my phone to me. “I’m so sorry you have to go through this.” His voice was laced with sympathy. I didn’t respond. I just
Chapter 269Riley Burke ~•~I wanted everything to be perfect! For the past two weeks, I’ve been looking forward to this day. Mason and I were finally going on our date. I had no idea why I was nervous. It wasn’t like it was the first time I was going out with him. Maybe I was just having PTSD from our last date. But I knew I had nothing to be worried about. My father had assured me that he was okay with me being with Mason. He wanted me to be happy, even if my happiness included being with someone who had hurt us in the past. It wasn’t Mason who hurt us but I just didn’t focus on that part. As long as he was ready to move past the whole situation, I didn’t care to correct him anymore. “The makeup artist is here!” Rowan yelled loud enough for me to hear after knocking on my room door. Yes, I had to ask for a professional makeup artist because I was hellbent on making everything perfect. “I’ll be downstairs soon,” I replied as I wore my hair bonnet to protect my hair while getti
Chapter 268Mason Craig ~•~Ever since Riley’s father picked her up from the restaurant and interrupted our date, I had this lingering feeling of sadness inside me. But I acted like everything was fine and normal. I didn’t want to put too much pressure on her. I felt hurt because every day I woke up, I was reminded that she wasn’t my girl and could easily give another boy a chance. I didn’t want that to happen but at the same time, I didn’t have any control over it. Every day felt like torture but I was glad that it had finally come to an end. Riley’s father had finally approved of our relationship. A wave of excitement surged through me but I tried my best to remain calm when she told me about it. I would finally be able to be with the girl of my dreams. I had a feeling that he changed his mind because my father agreed to help when Riley had gone missing. I also had my father to thank. He finally fixed the mess he had caused earlier. Everything was finally going smoothly. I h
Chapter 267Olivia ~•~“Are you sure you don’t mind seeing them together?” I asked Alexander for the umpteenth time when he said he wanted to tell Riley that she could be with Mason. I didn’t want a situation where he would second guess his choice and regret his decision. Or a situation where he wouldn’t be nice to the boy later in the future. It wouldn’t be fair on Riley. Alexander nodded his head as he parked the car in the driveway. “Yes, I’m sure.” He assured me. “I shouldn’t be the one to take away my daughter’s chance at teenage love.” He added, smiling at me. I shrugged. “Okay, if you say so,” I replied as I loosened my seatbelt. “I hope you don’t have any secret animosity towards him that will reveal itself later.” Alexander laughed. “Don’t you trust me?” He asked, raising a brow at me. “I’m not holding anything against the boy. Not even his parents.” “Fine.” We stepped out of the car and made our way into the house. On our way back home, we stopped at the mall to get
Chapter 266Riley Burke ~•~It was fun having my friends over for the weekend. And it was a total flop trying to pretend like I was surprised when they first arrived. They saw right through my pretense. Even if we hadn’t been friends for so long, they knew me well enough. I barely even thought about what I had gone through while they were around. Having them around was a good distraction. I was sad that they had to leave. But I couldn’t do anything about it as I walked them to the car. During their stay, I realized that it was actually my mother’s idea to invite them over. Now it made sense why she was so welcoming. My mother didn’t usually like it when I had my friends over. I mean, my friends from high school. Our family was always under scrutiny, so she didn’t trust anybody. It was nice to see her giving my new friends a chance. The weekend was over and it was a new school week. I hadn’t completely healed but even when I assured my parents that I would be okay, they claime
Chapter 265Riley Burke ~•~As soon as my dad handed me a new phone, I found my friend's phone number and called them immediately. It was already noon and on the weekend, so I was confused about why none of them answered their phones. I mean, those girls were literally always with their phones. I really wanted to speak to them, but I guess I had to wait until later to try calling them again. Maybe they were busy with something. I spent most of my time inside my room and I was getting bored. Normally, my mother didn’t like it when l took my food upstairs but this time, she brought the food to my room by herself. I hadn’t gotten any reason to go downstairs. I needed a change of environment, so I decided to freshen up and head downstairs. I was pretty sure Rowan and Jason were playing video games in the living room. After spending about thirty minutes in the bathroom, I dressed up in my comfortable sweatshirt and shorts before making my way downstairs. “Hey,” Jason said as soon a
Chapter 264Olivia ~•~I wanted to accompany Alexander when he was going to see Maxim, but he refused. I knew that he didn’t want me to see him, but still, he said I was going to see him later. After helping Riley with dinner and giving her medication, I went back to the room to meet Alexander. I hadn’t talked to him since he came back from the station. “Hey, what happened at the station?” I asked him as I walked into the room. He was standing in front of the closet and searching through it. “I have something to tell you,” Alexander muttered under his breath. My interest became piqued. “I’m listening,” I responded as different thoughts ran through my head. Alexander sounded so serious and I couldn’t help but wonder what he wanted to say to me. He took a deep breath and turned around. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.” He cleared his throat and continued. “You remember when you found out that Maxim was a fraud?” He asked and I nodded, anticipating what he had to say next. “Y
Chapter 263Riley Burke~•~When we finished at the restaurant, my father asked my mother to drive me back home. He wanted to go to the station to see Maxim and the other men who kept me hostage. My mother wanted to accompany him but he refused, saying she would see him later. As soon as my father left, I followed my mother to the car. I couldn’t wait to go back home and see my brothers. I was so excited to see everyone. Being free felt so good. “Riley, I’m inviting the doctor over, so she can do a checkup and give you the necessary treatments you need.” My mother said as I settled down on the passenger’s seat. I hated anything related to hospitals or medical care, but I couldn’t protest against it. I actually needed medication because I was still in pain. My legs and my head were still hurting and I needed the pain to stop. “Sure,” I responded with a smile and my mother nodded. A few minutes later, we arrived at the house. My heart leaped for joy as the security guards open
Chapter 262 Rowan Burke ~•~I loved my sister but I had no idea that her absence would affect me so badly. Ever since I realized she was missing, I couldn’t even focus on anything else. My mind was always racing with different thoughts. What if something bad had happened to her and my parents took so long to search for her? Everyone thought Riley had willingly disappeared but that wasn’t the case. My sister was missing. I couldn’t even talk to anyone or go anywhere. I shut everyone out, including my girlfriend, Belle. Until Riley was found, I was certain that I would be restless. While my parents were at the station, I kept on blowing their phones with constant calls. Most of the time, they didn’t respond. A part of me felt bad because I wanted to be kept in the loop, I wanted to know what was going on, or even if they had gotten a lead. But I knew that they were busy and my calls were distracting them from doing their work. When my mother finally answered her phone, she a
Chapter 261Olivia ~•~Different waves of emotions rushed through me as I saw Riley running in our direction. Relief, joy, and gratitude swirled together, overwhelming me.I was so happy to see her. For a moment, I thought we were at a dead end. I thought she had left the house or the men they caught were probably lying about her whereabouts. She looked so scared but also excited to see us. Before I could even move, Alexander rushed and pulled her in a tight hug. I was still in shock as I watched them reunite. After a few moments, I joined them, turning the hug into a group hug. “Oh my baby, um happy to see you.” I smiled at Riley as we broke the hug. Riley looked like she was struggling to hold back her tears. I could only imagine what she had gone through at the hands of those people. Alexander stepped aside to call the detectives. He wanted them to know that we had seen Riley. While he made the call, I led Riley to the car. As soon as we got into the car, I began asking her