Chapter 25
Olivia’s words chilled the party atmosphere. Under the weight of every stare, she downed it in one smooth swallow.
With a practiced smile, she looked at the crowd and said, “I’ll leave you to your celebration. Have a wonderful evening.”
Neil had been watching Olivia closely, his expression hardening with each word. By the time she finished, his face had turned stormy.
As Olivia turned toward the exit, Neil couldn’t hold back his anger anymore. He shoved Jessica aside and snapped, “Don’t you dare walk away!”
A stunned silence followed his explosion. Half–spoken words hung in the air as their entire group exchanged nervous looks.
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Neil rose to his full height, his glare pinning Olivia in place. “You think tossing out a half–hearted toast is worth thirty grand? Since when did making money become so easy for you, Olivia?”
He remembered how she used to cling to him, always asking, “Neil, who’s your forever person?” or “Promise we’ll never split up, okay?” Now, seeing her calmly wish him happiness with someone else made him furious.
‘So she’s really leaving? What, does she want me to lose control before she’ll stay?‘ he thought.
Olivia’s hands clenched at her sides. She turned with a hollow smile. “What else would you like, Mr. Hartley?”
Neil held her gaze without blinking. The entire room had gone still, every eye tracking his movements.
One by one, he popped open every beer bottle on the table. “Finish these,” he said coolly, tilting his chin. “Then you’re free to go.”
Olivia glanced at the row of bottles with apparent calm, while inside, something vital shattered. The disappointment settled like lead in her chest.
After seven years together, she finally understood the truth–he had never truly cared about her. If he had paid even the slightest attention, he would have remembered that she couldn’t drink beer at all.
While she could handle wine or spirits without any issue, even a single sip of beer would make her break out in hives. She had told him this countle times over the years, and yet he had never once remembered.
Olivia simply lowered her eyes. “Alright,” she murmured. Taking the first bottle, she began to drink in steady gulps.
Halfway through the second bottle, a fiery ache spread through Olivia’s stomach. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe just the bitterness in her heart–either way, her skin burned and her vision swam.
Yet she kept drinking, mechanically emptying one bottle after another.
The room fell completely still. No one had ever seen her like this before. To them, she’d always just been Neil’s quiet little follower–agreeable, never making waves. They never thought she had it in her to stand up for herself.
“Neit, come on…” Jason grabbed Neil’s arm, voice strained. “This has gone too far.”
Neil shook him off before he could finish. “What? You yolunteering to take her place?” The icy threat in his voice made his friends shrink back.
Neil’s gaze never left Olivia. Five bottles down and her fingers were still closing around another.
This stubbornness was new. The Olivia he knew would have surrendered by now. ‘Why can’t she just apologize like usual? What’s different this time? How much longer will she keep this up?‘ He clenched his fists, frustration boiling inside.
Olivia’s body wavered, but she steadied herself and reached for the sixth bottle. This wasn’t just drinking anymore—each swallow seared away another thread binding her to him.
Someone in the crowd shouted, “Mr. Hartley, look at her neck! You have to stop her.”
23:51 Mon, 23 Jun MGO
Chapter 25
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All eyes snapped to Olivia’s neck. Even in the dim light, they could see an ugly red rash spreading across her skin. The crowd shuddered at the sight.
The realization hit Neil like a punch to the gut. He lunged forward, wrenching the bottle from her grasp and smashing it to the floor.
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Shards sliced his palm, but he barely registered the pain. “Why didn’t you mention you were deathly allergic to beer?” he roared, his voice raw with fury. “What the hell were you thinking, Olivia? Have you gone completely mad?”
Olivia’s chest tightened as he yelled at her. She looked up, meeting his angry stare. “Seven years together,” she said quietly. “And you never even remembered I was allergic to beer?”
The quiet question hit Neil like a punch to the gut. He opened his mouth but no words came out.
“You never really knew me at all,” Olivia laughed bitterly. “Not that it makes any difference now.”
She turned toward his friends, then back to Neil. “Since we’re all here, let me make this perfectly clear. Neil and me, we’re over, completely.
“You live your life, and I’ll live mine. No more calls. No more texts.” Olivia wobbled as she turned to leave, her unsteady hands struggling to find balance.
Neil seized her arm, his grip burning. “Listen carefully,” he growled, “you can’t take back words once they’re spoken.”
His voice turned razor–sharp as he said through gritted teeth, “But I’m giving you one last chance to swallow every damn word.”
A wild panic hit him out of nowhere. His hands trembled as he grabbed Olivia’s arm. There was no hiding his desperation now.
‘Olivia, say something. Tell me you regret it,‘ Neil begged silently. But the silence between them only grew until she pushed his hand away with finality. Her cold stare cut deeper than any winter wind.
“I mean what I say,” she stated, her voice devoid of emotion. Without another word, Olivia turned and stumbled out, steadying herself against the wall as
she went.
The room remained deathly quiet long after her exit.
Finally, Sean spoke up from his dim corner. “Neil, if this is killing you, go after her. Seven years… that’s not something you just walk away from.”
C
