HAPTER 073
OLIVIA’S POV
I stepped into the bathroom, the cool tiles beneath my feet doing little to steady the whirlwind inside my chest. I stood in front of the mirror, and for a long moment, I just stared at the reflection staring back at me. My eyes looked tired, almost hollow, as if the weight of the last few days had drained every ounce of life from them. I let out a shaky breath, the sound echoing softly against the walls. So much had happened, far too much for me to process in such a short time.
onto my
Turning on the tap, I cupped my hands under the cold running water and splashed it
face repeatedly, as if I could wash away the storm of emotions inside me. The chill of the water sent a jolt through my nerves, but it wasn’t enough to clear my head. Nothing could, not right now.
Just then, the bathroom door opened. I stiffened, immediately sensing her presence before I even turned around. My mom or rather, the woman I had called my mother all my life, though she was only my adoptive mother–stood there, blocking the exit. Her eyes were sharp, almost accusing, as if she’d been waiting for this moment.
“What’s this about?” she asked, her tone edged with terision.
I frowned slightly, puzzled by her question. “What are you talking about?” I replied, my voice colder than I intended.
She stepped closer, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. “It’s obvious you don’t want Adrian to know what you discovered about us,” she said, her voice dripping with suspicion. “So why haven’t you told me about it yet?”
Ah, so that’s why she’d followed me in here. Her soul wasn’t at rest–she needed answers, needed to ease the growing fear inside her. She was terrified of what I knew, and it showed in her eyes.
A bitter smile tugged at the corner of my lips as I turned back to the mirror, avoiding her gaze.
“I have my reasons for keeping this from Adrian,” I said calmly. “As for you, I already told you back at the house. You’ll find out soon enough.”
But she wasn’t satisfied with my answer. Before I could react, she lunged forward and grabbed my arm tightly, her fingers digging into my skin with an unexpected force. I gasped, not from pain, but from sheer disbelief. In all the years I had known her, she had never laid a hand on me like this. Not once.”
“Now you listen to me carefully,” she hissed, her face inches from mine. “You’re not going to play these mind/games with me. You’re going to tell me what you found out right now. Or else.”
Successfully unlocked!
Her threat hung heavily In the air, but I had had enough. I jerked my arm free from her grasp, glaring at her with a newfound fire burning in my chest. “Or else what?” I snapped, my voice rising. “You’re scared, aren’t you? You’re terrified of losing your
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CHAPTER 073
precious son–in–law.”
I took a step closer, not backing down this time. My heart pounded, but my resolve hardened like steel. “Well, here’s a little news flash for you,” I continued, my tone sharp as a blade. “Now that I know the truth about you and Dad, I’m done. I’m leaving Adrian for good, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
I didn’t give her the satisfaction of seeing me hesitate. Without another word, I walked past her, my chest tight but my steps firm. Let her stew in her fear. Let her wonder what I found out about them.
As I stepped out of the bathroom I spotted Adrian making a call in the hallway and I didn’t bother looking in his direction, I walked into the ward and grabbed my phone from my purse, I hadn’t checked my phone since I left Adrian place and I was supposed to call Julian.
As I opened it up there were almost 20 messages and 10 missed calls from Julian.
Was something wrong or was this just him being too caring as usual, I opened up the message and started reading.
Since I got to my parents‘ house, my whole mood had been miserable. Every conversation felt like walking on a tightrope, every glance from my so–called mother twisted a deeper knife into my chest. But as I read the message it felt like a small crack of sunlight breaking through the storm clouds hanging over me.
Julian had done it. He managed to catch the driver that Adrian had paid off to hit the
eporter that day. My heart skipped a beat, a spark of hope igniting in the middle of my bad mood. This was huge. Finally, a thread I could pull.
I couldn’t waste a second. I needed to call Julian back immediately. My fingers trembled slightly as I dialed his number, Without thinking, I stepped out of the hospital room, not wanting anyone to overhear the conversation. I also needed fresh air, and space to think clearly.
As I made my way toward the exit, my eyes–despite my best efforts–found Adrian’s. It was like my gaze was drawn to him against my will. We were both holding our phones to our ears, locked in our separate calls, yet somehow frozen in the same moment.
The way he looked at me stopped me in my tracks for a brief second. His stare lingered longer than usual, different from the usual glare of annoyance and frustration that had become so familiar/over the past few months. There was no irritation this time. Instead, there was something softer, almost like… pity.
It didn’t make sense. Adrian had never pitied me before, not once. If anything, he loved watching me under pressure. So why now? Why this sudden shift in his eyes, like he wanted to say something but the words were caught in his throat? His expression gnawed at my mind, but I forced myself to shake it off. I couldn’t afford to get distracted by him now.
Julian’s voice crackled through the line, pulling me back to reality.
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CHAPTER 073-
“Liv,” he said.
“Hey, sorry I missed your calls. I’ve been swamped all day,” I replied
I took a deep breath, walking further away from Adrian and out through the hospital
doors.
But even as I spoke, I could feel Adrian’s eyes still fixed on me, as though he were trying to read my mind. His gaze burned into my back, heavy and unrelenting. I didn’t turn around. If he wasn’t going to say anything, then I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing he had gotten under my skin.
“I’ve been waiting for your response for a while now, Liv,” Julian continued, his voice lined with concern. “I thought you went to see your parents. What kept you so busy?”
I let out a quiet sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose as exhaustion tugged at me. “Like I said, a lot,” I admitted, my thoughts still tangled in knots. “But I read your messages just now though and am glad that you found him, I knew I could trust you,” I said to
him.
“From your tone, I know something is up, and something was already up before your went to see your parents so start talking,” Julian said.
Then the tears came rushing down my eyes as I could not hold myself “I found out that I was adopted.” I said sobbing.
As I expected Julian was silent, I’m sure even he couldn’t have expected that too.
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