Chapter 13
Olivia almost rolled her eyes at the girl’s saccharine tone. She could see right through the barely concealed smugness and challenge in the girl’s eyes.
Neil quickly chimed in, “Why should we give it up? If you love this place, we’ll sign the lease on the spot. And I’ll help you make it perfect.”
As he spoke, Neil stole a glance at Olivia, expecting some kind of reaction. Back in the day, she’d have lost it if he even glanced at another woman.
His words hit Olivia like a punch. She was suddenly flooded with memories of their house. She had taken care of everything herself–from house hunting and signing the contract to handling all the renovations and decorations.
Every time she called him, he was “occupied“. She had swallowed every excuse, trying to be the “understanding girlfriend.” Now she saw the truth: he had time for everything except her.
“Neil, you’re the best!” The girl threw her arms around his neck, her voice bubbling with excitement.
Neil smiled and gently touched her cheek, “Isn’t that what I’m here for? To take care of you?”
Olivia bit her lip, trying to hold it together. But her eyes stung, and her heart ached. Letting go of him wasn’t as easy as she’d thought. And she wasn’t nearly as tough as she’d convinced herself she was.
Olivia quickly composed herself. “I’ll head out now, Mike.”
Mike offered an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that.”
“No big deal,” Olivia said, and without another word, she started to leave.
But Neil’s voice cut through the air, dripping with sarcasm. “You seemed so sure of yourself when you left me. Now you don’t even have a place to stay?! thought you’d be doing great after breaking up with me. Guess I gave you too much credit.”
His eyes followed her retreating figure as he thought, ‘Olivia, I’ve given you enough chances. How much longer are you going to keep this up? Just turn around and apologize, and we can put this behind us!‘
Olivia’s chest tightened, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. But she didn’t turn back. She just kept walking, determined not to give Neil the satisfaction of a response.
Then Neil’s voice rose sharply. “Olivia! You really think you’ll find someone who treats you better than I do after leaving me?”
Olivia let out a mirthless laugh with deep sorrow and resignation. She knew that real love made one feel like they were never doing enough. But Neil clearly wasn’t operating on the same wavelength–he was the perfect guy in his world.
“Who else is going to care about you?” he sneered, pacing restlessly. “Your stepfather who never even spares you a glance? Or your mother, who holds no real power at all?”
The words hit like a punch to the gut. After all these years, he knew exactly where it hurt. And yet, what he said was undeniably true.
Since Maribel remarried, Olivia had become an afterthought. Maribel’s new family got all of her. Olivia had learned to live alone, to make peace with it. That was why when Neil came into her life, she clung to him with everything she had. Finally, she had someone.
All the memories flooded back, and her eyes began to sting and tears welled up.
Neil’s voice cut through her thoughts. “If anyone actually cared about you, you wouldn’t be apartment–hunting by yourself.”
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10:46 Sun, 22 Jun G
Cha
