“What do you think I’m afraid of?”Lucian’s expression softened as he tightened his hold around her.
“You’re my wife,the woman I swore to spend my life with.I’m afraid of you being angry,of you being sad,of something happening to you while you’re out,of you no longer being happy,of you not being the joyful,carefree Mrs.Rhodes you used to be.”
Happiness?She had known it once.
Before today,she had been happy,so much so that she had swallowed even the things she did not want to stomach with joy.
However,the moment her words slipped and the truth came out,that happiness vanished like a fleeting dream,leaving nothing behind.
Olivia blinked,the corners of her lips curving into a mocking smile.“If you care about me so much,then why did you doubt me so easily?Why did you turn on me just because of Miss Winslet’s words?”
“I was wrong,I was wrong,I know I was wrong.”Lucian held her even tighter as if that could undo everything.“All right,my dear wife,you’ve bought so many things and you’ve scolded me.No matter how angry you were,it should be gone by now,right?”
“There’s still a little left.”Olivia pulled a contract from her bag and held it out to him.“Sign this,Lucian.I don’t want a future where,if I ever have a child,you turn against me for another woman,leaving me and the child with nowhere to go.”
“How could that ever happen?”Lucian muttered,yet he signed his name without hesitation.
She did not know if he was simply too eager to appease her or if he truly was that guilty.Either way,watching him sign without a second thought,Olivia could not tell if she was the foolish one or if he was.
In the end,he did not even bother to read it carefully.With a swift stroke of his pen,Lucian unknowingly signed the divorce agreement hidden within the house purchase contract.
Something she had merely contemplated during the day was now effortlessly set in motion.Olivia found herself in a surprisingly good mood.
She did not refuse the elaborate spread of liver-nourishing dishes prepared for dinner.Even when Lucian got the urge to initiate intimacy later that night,she politely declined him politely without making things too difficult for him.
She had been so clear-headed that she wanted nothing but money and had no interest in anyone else.Yet,somehow,that alone was enough to be an eyesore to Cassie.
Two days passed.
After breakfast,as usual,Olivia went back to bed for some extra rest.
Out of the blue,Cassie called.“Mrs.Rhodes,I’m at Silvercrest Sanctuary right now.I wanted to get a peace charm for you and Lucian as my apology,but my car broke down on the way and I’m stuck here.Could you come pick me up?”
Olivia had no intention of going.
She was not stupid.
When they left the hospital,she and Cassie had been at odds.How could she possibly risk being alone with a woman so full of deceit?
However,Cassie was persistent."I understand.There was a misunderstanding between us that day at the hospital.It’s only natural that you wouldn’t want to come pick me up,Mrs.Rhodes.If you really don’t want to,I can find someone else.How about I just send the peace charm to your house later myself?”
Just send it to her house?
The surgery date had not arrived yet and the divorce agreement remained unsigned for the time being.She had no desire to taint her final days with the presence of a woman who despised her.
Reluctantly,Olivia agreed."Send me your location.I’ll head over now."
When she arrived,she spotted Cassie sitting leisurely in a pavilion on the mountainside,enjoying the scenery with a relaxed,contented expression.
Seeing that Olivia had actually come,Cassie’s eyes gleamed and her tone dripped with mockery.“You must really love Lucian if you’re willing to treat his half-hearted gestures as something precious and hold onto them like a lifeline.”
Olivia feigned ignorance."Where’s the peace charm?Didn’t you say you were getting one for us?”
Cassie pulled out the charm but did not hand it over.Instead,she held it tightly in her palm."Drop the act,Olivia.You’ve known about my relationship with Lucian all along,haven’t you?You know I’m his first love,his first kiss,his first night.You were just a stand-in,a temporary distraction for him while I wasn’t around.Now that I’m back,he doesn’t need you anymore,does he?”
Olivia had already prepared herself for anything,so her expression barely wavered."Well,now I know."
“Still pretending,”Cassie sneered,then suddenly tore the peace charm to pieces,raising her voice.
“Since you’re so aware,do you also know that I’m the one with liver cancer?Your so-called kindness?It’s nothing more than him treating you as the perfect,willing donor.He’s only putting up with you for now.But once the surgery is done,he’ll discard you like a stray dog without the slightest bit of mercy.”
Olivia had imagined countless possibilities,but she had not expected Cassie to expose everything so bluntly without even waiting for the surgery in four days.
Olivia’s expression shifted."You…do you want to die?”
“You mean about your liver?”Cassie let out a cold laugh and suddenly lunged,grabbing hold of Olivia.
Sensing danger,Olivia instinctively stepped back.
But it was too late.
Cassie charged forward,dragging Olivia with her as they tumbled toward the pavilion’s guardrail,perched on the edge of the cliff.
Realizing Cassie’s intent,Olivia’s eyes widened in horror."You’re insane!"
"I’m not the crazy one.You are."Cassie’s smile twisted into something vicious as she shoved even harder.
A sharp crack split the air,the sound of splintering wood,followed by the sickening noise of a body crashing through the broken guardrail.
Her body struck jagged,uneven rocks,each impact tearing through her clothes,slicing into her delicate skin.Warm,sticky blood smeared across the sharp edges,leaving behind burning,stinging trails.
She had no sense of time.Seconds stretched into an eternity,the relentless pain making it impossible to grasp how long she had been falling.Then,finally,everything stopped.
