Olivia’s POVThe sheets still clung to my skin, warm and tangled around my legs like his touch hadn’t left me. My breath had evened out, but my heart hadn’t slowed. It still beat with the rhythm of what we’d just done… of him… of us.“Jesus,” I whispered, blinking up at the ceiling. “I love that man.”The words slipped out before I could catch them, but they didn’t scare me. Not this time.Because for once… it didn’t feel like I was loving someone who had forgotten me.He remembered.“I didn’t think I’d ever get this moment,” I whispered, blinking slowly as I stared at nothing. “I didn’t think he’d come back to me. That we’d ever be this close again.”My voice trembled.“I hated him, you know,” I murmured. “God, I hated him so much for what he did… for how he made me feel like I was nothing. Like I was just a substitute. An accident he regretted.”I pressed my hand over my heart, breathing through the sting in my throat.“But I still loved him. Even when I didn’t want to. Even when it
Olivia’s POV I was just trying to surprise him. Leonard had left early that morning, quiet, soft, like he didn’t want to wake me. He kissed my cheek gently, lingering just long enough to make me believe the moment meant something. Then he was gone, leaving behind the scent of his cologne. So I decided I’d make him lunch. His favorite, homemade pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and cream. Something warm. Something that said, I’m here. I’m yours. We’re okay. I was humming to myself as I padded barefoot down the hallway, still in my robe, the fabric brushing my legs. My phone sat in my pocket. One hand cradled my abdomen without thinking. It had become second nature. A quiet, instinctive gesture. Protective. I turned the corner toward the pantry, already thinking about the spices. And stopped. She was there. Elena. Standing just outside the guest room, her cane resting lightly against the floor. Perfectly still. Like a statue. Like she’d been waiting. Her head turned sl
Olivia’s POV “He’s giving me my eyes back. From you.” These words were consuming my thoughts as I pressed the heel of my hand against my chest like I could stop the ache there. Like pressure might make it go away. I heard their voices in the foyer. Elena’s light and delicate. Leonard’s deep and warm. I wanted to scream. Rip something off the wall. Shake him. Make him see what I’d just been through. What she just did. Instead, I walked forward like I was fine. Like I wasn’t about to come apart at the seams. Elena sat by the door, legs crossed neatly, her cane resting gently against the bench. She looked angelic. Calm. Dressed in soft blues and whites like she was heading to heaven. Her hands were folded in her lap. Like she hadn’t spit poison into my soul less than thirty minutes ago. Leonard stood near the front door, fixing the collar of his jacket. He looked up when he saw me. “Hey.” He smiled. “Everything okay?” No. I nodded. Too fast. My voice was thin. “Yeah. Just tire
Leonard’s POVI could still see her.Olivia.The way she looked at me, eyes glistening, lips quivering, her whole body trembling like she was barely holding herself together.Like if I looked too hard, she’d crack and fall to pieces at my feet.That look would haunt me for the rest of my life.And yet here I was, driving Elena to her hospital appointment, while Olivia stood in that house, bleeding silently.Beside me, Elena sat like ice.Perfect. Poised. Fragile.Her white blouse was buttoned to the collar. Her cane rested gently against the console. And her face? Calm. Like she hadn’t just been accused of gutting the woman I loved with her words.But I couldn’t leave it alone.Not with the way Olivia had looked at me. Like I’d just let her drown.My hand tightened on the steering wheel, thumb flexing over the leather. The silence pressed against my ears.“Elena,” I said.She turned her head slightly, lashes fluttering as if I’d just roused her from thought. “Hmm?”I swallowed the lum
Leonard’s POVThe doctor sighed, folding his hands in front of him. “We’re doing what we can to slow the progression. We’re monitoring the damage carefully.”“Have you found a donor?” she asked. Her voice cracked. “For Olivia, I mean. You said once she gets a match, Leonard would reverse the transplant, and I could…”Her voice broke completely.“I could see again.”She was crying now. Not the quiet kind.The ugly, painful, shoulder-shaking kind. Her face crumpled, mouth twisting as sobs ripped from her throat uncontrollably.Leonard, do something.I reached for her hand. She pulled it away.“Elena, please….”“No!” she cried, her whole body curling forward as she pressed both palms against her face. “This isn’t fair! I gave them to her. I gave them. You promised!”She wasn’t just crying anymore.She was breaking.She collapsed forward in her chair, a sob ripping from her chest like it had been trapped inside her lungs for years. Not a single tear, an avalanche. Her shoulders buckled.
Leonard’s POVThe doctor sighed, folding his hands in front of him. “We’re doing what we can to slow the progression. We’re monitoring the damage carefully.”“Have you found a donor?” she asked. Her voice cracked. “For Olivia, I mean. You said once she gets a match, Leonard would reverse the transplant, and I could…”Her voice broke completely.“I could see again.”She was crying now. Not the quiet kind.The ugly, painful, shoulder-shaking kind. Her face crumpled, mouth twisting as sobs ripped from her throat uncontrollably.Leonard, do something.I reached for her hand. She pulled it away.“Elena, please….”“No!” she cried, her whole body curling forward as she pressed both palms against her face. “This isn’t fair! I gave them to her. I gave them. You promised!”She wasn’t just crying anymore.She was breaking.She collapsed forward in her chair, a sob ripping from her chest like it had been trapped inside her lungs for years. Not a single tear, an avalanche. Her shoulders buckled.
Laughter filled the grand hall, clear and bright. It bounced off the chandeliers, surrounding the guests. But to me, it wasn’t lighthearted. It was painful. The sound twisted in my guts, reopening old wounds. I stood by the window, fingers tightening around the edge of my glass, watching small figures darting through the courtyard, their feet slapping against the cobblestone, their giggles bursting like firecrackers into the night air during festival periods. An orphanage. Fitting, isn’t it? I’ve always loved children and wished to have lots of kids when I become a woman but it would seem life has a way of laughing at one's face. And now? Now, I stand here. In a charity event with my husband. But not one of them is mine. Because life is cruel like that. Because fate has a twisted sense of humor. I forced my gaze away, swallowing the lump rising in my throat. But before I could take a step…. I heard these heart wrenching whispers. “Five years of marriage and
Olivia Later at night, I stepped out of the bedroom, lost in thought, my damp hair wrapped in a towel. The cool air kissed my skin, sending a shiver down my spine as I pulled my robe tighter around my body. I need to speak to him about my pain. I need him to know how desperately I want a child. I was so lost in thoughts when I heard a knock on the door. I exhaled slowly, steadying myself. Great. What now? “Coming,” I called out, forcing my voice into something that didn’t betray my exhaustion. When I opened the door, Mrs. Roger stood there, her face impassive, a silver tray balanced in her hands. “Madam, your tonic.” A bitter taste filled my mouth before I even took a sip. My stomach twisted violently, recoiling at the mere sight of it. Lord Have Mercy. This. Again. That damn concoction-dark, murky, reeking of herbs that never failed to churn my insides. I didn’t need to ask who had sent it, but I did anyway. “Did my mother-in-law send this?” Mrs. Roger hesitated, an
Leonard’s POVThe doctor sighed, folding his hands in front of him. “We’re doing what we can to slow the progression. We’re monitoring the damage carefully.”“Have you found a donor?” she asked. Her voice cracked. “For Olivia, I mean. You said once she gets a match, Leonard would reverse the transplant, and I could…”Her voice broke completely.“I could see again.”She was crying now. Not the quiet kind.The ugly, painful, shoulder-shaking kind. Her face crumpled, mouth twisting as sobs ripped from her throat uncontrollably.Leonard, do something.I reached for her hand. She pulled it away.“Elena, please….”“No!” she cried, her whole body curling forward as she pressed both palms against her face. “This isn’t fair! I gave them to her. I gave them. You promised!”She wasn’t just crying anymore.She was breaking.She collapsed forward in her chair, a sob ripping from her chest like it had been trapped inside her lungs for years. Not a single tear, an avalanche. Her shoulders buckled.
Leonard’s POVThe doctor sighed, folding his hands in front of him. “We’re doing what we can to slow the progression. We’re monitoring the damage carefully.”“Have you found a donor?” she asked. Her voice cracked. “For Olivia, I mean. You said once she gets a match, Leonard would reverse the transplant, and I could…”Her voice broke completely.“I could see again.”She was crying now. Not the quiet kind.The ugly, painful, shoulder-shaking kind. Her face crumpled, mouth twisting as sobs ripped from her throat uncontrollably.Leonard, do something.I reached for her hand. She pulled it away.“Elena, please….”“No!” she cried, her whole body curling forward as she pressed both palms against her face. “This isn’t fair! I gave them to her. I gave them. You promised!”She wasn’t just crying anymore.She was breaking.She collapsed forward in her chair, a sob ripping from her chest like it had been trapped inside her lungs for years. Not a single tear, an avalanche. Her shoulders buckled.
Leonard’s POVI could still see her.Olivia.The way she looked at me, eyes glistening, lips quivering, her whole body trembling like she was barely holding herself together.Like if I looked too hard, she’d crack and fall to pieces at my feet.That look would haunt me for the rest of my life.And yet here I was, driving Elena to her hospital appointment, while Olivia stood in that house, bleeding silently.Beside me, Elena sat like ice.Perfect. Poised. Fragile.Her white blouse was buttoned to the collar. Her cane rested gently against the console. And her face? Calm. Like she hadn’t just been accused of gutting the woman I loved with her words.But I couldn’t leave it alone.Not with the way Olivia had looked at me. Like I’d just let her drown.My hand tightened on the steering wheel, thumb flexing over the leather. The silence pressed against my ears.“Elena,” I said.She turned her head slightly, lashes fluttering as if I’d just roused her from thought. “Hmm?”I swallowed the lum
Olivia’s POV “He’s giving me my eyes back. From you.” These words were consuming my thoughts as I pressed the heel of my hand against my chest like I could stop the ache there. Like pressure might make it go away. I heard their voices in the foyer. Elena’s light and delicate. Leonard’s deep and warm. I wanted to scream. Rip something off the wall. Shake him. Make him see what I’d just been through. What she just did. Instead, I walked forward like I was fine. Like I wasn’t about to come apart at the seams. Elena sat by the door, legs crossed neatly, her cane resting gently against the bench. She looked angelic. Calm. Dressed in soft blues and whites like she was heading to heaven. Her hands were folded in her lap. Like she hadn’t spit poison into my soul less than thirty minutes ago. Leonard stood near the front door, fixing the collar of his jacket. He looked up when he saw me. “Hey.” He smiled. “Everything okay?” No. I nodded. Too fast. My voice was thin. “Yeah. Just tire
Olivia’s POV I was just trying to surprise him. Leonard had left early that morning, quiet, soft, like he didn’t want to wake me. He kissed my cheek gently, lingering just long enough to make me believe the moment meant something. Then he was gone, leaving behind the scent of his cologne. So I decided I’d make him lunch. His favorite, homemade pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and cream. Something warm. Something that said, I’m here. I’m yours. We’re okay. I was humming to myself as I padded barefoot down the hallway, still in my robe, the fabric brushing my legs. My phone sat in my pocket. One hand cradled my abdomen without thinking. It had become second nature. A quiet, instinctive gesture. Protective. I turned the corner toward the pantry, already thinking about the spices. And stopped. She was there. Elena. Standing just outside the guest room, her cane resting lightly against the floor. Perfectly still. Like a statue. Like she’d been waiting. Her head turned sl
Olivia’s POVThe sheets still clung to my skin, warm and tangled around my legs like his touch hadn’t left me. My breath had evened out, but my heart hadn’t slowed. It still beat with the rhythm of what we’d just done… of him… of us.“Jesus,” I whispered, blinking up at the ceiling. “I love that man.”The words slipped out before I could catch them, but they didn’t scare me. Not this time.Because for once… it didn’t feel like I was loving someone who had forgotten me.He remembered.“I didn’t think I’d ever get this moment,” I whispered, blinking slowly as I stared at nothing. “I didn’t think he’d come back to me. That we’d ever be this close again.”My voice trembled.“I hated him, you know,” I murmured. “God, I hated him so much for what he did… for how he made me feel like I was nothing. Like I was just a substitute. An accident he regretted.”I pressed my hand over my heart, breathing through the sting in my throat.“But I still loved him. Even when I didn’t want to. Even when it
Leonard’s POVShe had turned to leave, her cane tapping slowly toward the hall, when she suddenly stopped. Her back stiffened, and her head turned slightly in my direction.Her voice was quiet. Almost broken.But before I go…” Elena said, her back still turned, her fingers clenching around her cane. “I’d like to ask you something.”I didn’t answer. Couldn’t. My heart was already pounding like a warning drum in my chest.She turned slightly, just enough to tilt her pale, sightless face toward me. Her brows were tight. Her lips quivered.“When am I getting my eyes back from Olivia?”Silence collapsed over the room. And for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.She wasn’t crying. Not yet. But there was something far worse behind her voice, exhaustion. That deep, soul-suffocating kind that makes your bones feel like they’ve aged decades.“Elena…” My throat tightened around her name.“I’m not trying to be cruel,” she said, her voice trembling like a cracked violin string. “I’m not trying to
Leonard’s Point of View. The second time I came inside my wife that morning left me a little too smug for my own good. Olivia’s moans were still etched into my memory, her scent lingering on my skin. I hadn’t planned on going another round, but the way she’d looked at me after mocking Elena? I couldn’t help myself. But now I had to deal with her. I dragged a hand through my hair, buttoning the top of my shirt as I walked into the living room, already dreading the conversation. Elena sat stiffly on the edge of the couch, her cane resting against her leg, her fingers clenched so tight in her lap they’d gone pale. “Elena.” “I didn’t like what you did. What you did this morning was very disrespectful Elena and that I would not take from you” She flinched. “You didn’t knock. You just barged into the room..my bedroom, as if you belonged there. As if Olivia wasn’t right beside me in my bed.” I took a step forward, my tone low and hard. “You came in uninvited, asking for me, demand
Olivia’s POV I yanked the closet door open, pretending like I wasn’t flushed, like my lips weren’t still tingling from Leonard’s kiss. I needed to get dressed. To get away. Away from him… from whatever this was turning into. But the moment I reached for my robe, I felt him. That familiar heat. That shift in the air. “Don’t,” I warned without turning around. He yanked me back like he was done pretending, slamming the closet door shut behind me and caging me against it. His body pressed into mine, hard and hot, and I felt it, every inch of him, ready, throbbing. “You really think you can walk away after that little stunt?” he growled, his voice like gravel and sex. I smirked, even as my pulse pounded between my legs. “Watch me.” His hand slid up the back of my thigh, under the shirt I was barely wearing. His touch was fire, hot, possessive, brutal in how much I needed it. “No panties?” he whispered, dragging his fingers between my legs. “Fuck, Olivia…” I gasped, m