Chapter 4

Olivia went downstairs, where Caleb was waiting because it was already seven o'clock. She knows he hates her more than ever now that she agreed to go to this party with him, but only if he knows it's not true.

“Are you going to the party wearing this?” Caleb cocked his brow.

Olivia examined her clothing and found nothing wrong with it. She was dressed in black jeans and a hoodie. She knows it’s not appropriate attire for a party, but she’s not going to one anyway, so it doesn’t matter.

“Uh, yeah,” She said quietly.

“Okay. Whatever! I just wanted to let you know that I will not be your babysitter for the entire night.” He growled.

This made her flinch, but she still nodded politely. They drove for fifteen minutes in silence until she told him to pull over.

“What?” He asked, perplexed.

“I told you to stop the car,” Olivia said again.

Caleb stopped the car, and she got out of it.

“I know you don’t like me, and I don’t even expect you to, and I would definitely not ruin your night with my presence. So, you are free to have the time of your life.” She said from the window before leaving.

He was taken aback at first but quickly covered himself up. This is the most he has heard her say so far.

“Whatever. When do I need to pick you up?” He asked, clearly uninterested.

Olivia let out a sigh.

“You don’t have to. I will reach your house no later than twelve.”

Caleb drove away without saying anything. ‘Well, the conversion went well.’ Olivia pondered.

Olivia took out her earplugs and turned on her phone’s music. It takes roughly forty-five minutes to walk from here to her final destination, and it is now 7:20 p.m. So she starts walking and, true to her word, she arrives exactly in due time she had stipulated.

She drew a deep breath and pressed the doorbell. The door swung open.

“Oh my god, Oli... wonderful to see you,” Madison said as she engulfed her in a hug.

Madison is one of those people to whom she is indebted.

“I am sorry for showing up unannounced.” She apologized sincerely.

“Nonsense, we love you. You are always welcome to visit us.” Madison assured her.

Olivia entered the house. She sat down with her on the couch, and Aaron arrived a few minutes later. He is Madison’s husband, and they make an adorable couple. They couldn’t have their own children, so they adopted Cameron. He is a delightful child, and she loves him. Cameron is now four years old, and they adopted him when he was only two years old.

She sat with both of them and informed them of her current situation. They are the only people who are aware of her previous life. Not all of history, but snippets of it. Olivia also spent some time playing with Cameron. He has a special place in her heart. He is the one who gives her the will to live. And she has no idea where she would have given Cameron if it hadn’t been for Madison and Aaron. Olivia’s life in her previous home was abysmal, so she had no choice but to drive here and give her son Cameron to these couples. But she is glad she did because he deserved all the love and affection she knows she couldn't give him.

She didn't even realize it was eleven o'clock at night when she decided to leave. Both of them insisted on staying, but she was adamant about going, so she did. Olivia was running late, so she took the shortest route possible. The area was deserted, but she didn't have much choice but to keep walking.

Some random stranger whistled, “Hey, baby.”

She, on the other hand, ignored him and sped up her pace.

Someone took her arm. “Hey, I am talking to you,” he said menacingly.

Olivia continued to ignore him and tried to free herself from his grasp. But his grip was too tight, so before he could make a move on her, she slapped him across the face and tried to flee. But he was too fast for her liking. He grabbed Olivia, beat the crap out of her, and dumped her in an alleyway corner.

He was about to hit her again, but she lay motionless in the corner. Olivia learned a long time ago from her experience that the abuser will not stop hitting until the target is tortured to death. So she pretended to be unconscious and waited for him to leave. She tried to get up as soon as he left, but she fell. So she tried a few more times before dragging herself to her new home. It took her another hour and a half to get to her house.

Olivia attempted to open the door, but it was shut. She looked at the clock and saw that it was almost one o’clock. Eliana, Caleb’s mother, informed her that whoever enters the house last locks the door for safety reasons, and it was after midnight. She assumed Caleb had locked it because she had told him she would be there by twelve o’clock, but it was one o’clock in the morning. Eliana told her she would give her the keys later because they didn’t have any spares.

As a result, she proceeded to the backyard. There was a bench nearby, and she sat down on it. It was a little chilly, but it was tolerable. Olivia hugged herself to sleep. She had learned to bury her emotions a long time ago. She didn’t want to cry this time. She was used to it all. Hitting, sleeping on the bench in the cold. But when she returned here, she thought it was all over.

But guess what? She was mistaken. ‘No matter where I go, my life will be the same.’ Thinking about this, she drifted off to sleep.

Caleb was concerned. He didn’t want to be, but he was. He couldn’t even enjoy the party. Mason and Sia, his best friends, kept asking him why he was distracted. But he kept avoiding the subject.

Where the hell did Olivia go?

Why didn’t she come to the party?

Is she alright?

But somewhere along the line, there was only one answer coming to his mind. She might have gone to get high or something.

He wasn’t having fun at the party, so he left early and got home by twelve-thirty. However, Olivia did say she’d be home by midnight. So he locked the doors from the inside and went to bed. He was tempted to check on her, but he refrained himself from doing so.

First, he was hesitant to leave her alone on the street and felt guilty about it when she told him she didn’t want to ruin his night. He didn’t want her to go on her own without him. He didn’t want to care about her, but he did, and he couldn’t make himself like her. But he can’t hate her at the same time. Caleb cannot show her that he does not hate her. He cannot make himself stand in a similar situation where he has been hurt before.

He has to hate her because she is a replica of his brother.

He went to bed after a few more minutes. Caleb was bothered by a nagging feeling, but he chose to ignore it and drifted off to sleep.