MasukOLIVIAI didn’t go back to my apartment.I went to Axel’s room, sobbed next to him on the hospital bed, and drifted off to sleep afterward.By the time I woke up, it was already evening. He still wasn’t awake. My eyes were throbbing, and I felt a sharp sting in them.The door opened, and a nurse walked in. I turned to face her, my stomach churning.“Ma’am?” She called softly. “There are other people outside who want to see the patient. We weren’t sure if you’d want them to come in.”I stared at her confusingly.“People?” I thought it was only Rosa. She was the only one I was expecting.The nurse nodded.I glanced back at Axel, squeezed his cold hand gently, and darted my attention back to the nurse.“I’ll be out soon.”She gave a subtle nod and turned around to leave. I felt the tears forming again in my eyes. One would think I would stop after crying for hours. But I didn’t.The tears never stopped flowing. And I wasn’t aware of how alone I was until I saw Axel in this condition.I
OLIVIAI brushed my fingertips over my lips, struggling to accept the fact that someone had tampered with Axel’s medication.It wasn’t even made for humans.“Who did this?” I whispered, my fingers tightening around the bottle.I forgot for a second that he was still waiting for me to return with his medicine. And until I heard a loud thud and sounds of glasses breaking from the kitchen, I didn’t stand up.My fear increased. I tossed the bottle back onto the couch and rushed back into the kitchen.I got to the entrance and froze instantly. Axel had collided with one of the cups of coffee. The glass had shattered around his body on the floor.He’d collapsed and drifted into unconsciousness.“Axel?!” I shrieked, panting as I rushed to his side. “Axel, please get up.”He lay face down on the cold floor, the already warm coffee trickling down his face. I grabbed him with all the strength I’d mustered and managed to pull him away from the liquid.“Axel?” I patted his face gently, growing s
OLIVIAI woke up the next morning feeling like my head was going to split into two. It took more than five minutes to sit upright. The windows were already open, and rays of sunlight peered into the room, threatening to make me go blind.Everything that occurred last night felt like a dream. I caught a whiff of his scent, and my stomach churned. My eyes glanced around the space, searching for something… anything that could make me believe he was there.I recalled Axel storming out after a heated argument. Something sharp tore through my body, reminding me also that I’d been attacked and bruised.My fingers raked through my tangled hair. My body felt weak like I’d been beaten with something heavy. Getting out of bed was like a difficult task. I had to hold several things to keep my balance as I walked to the bathroom.Ten minutes later, and I was done washing up. I wrapped my towel around my body, wincing at the slightest bit of pain. My right foot was wounded, and I kept leaping.N
AXEL SALVATORE ROSSI.“Olivia…”“What were you expecting?” she snarled, tears glistening in her eyes. “That I’d run into your arms the moment I saw you?”Yes. I expected that. I wanted that more than anything, and I was so sure she’d be less upset after one week had passed.I deluded myself that it was the alcohol speaking. My Olivia would never do what she is doing right now if she were in her right frame of mind.“You’re drunk right now." My voice was raspy as I remained calm, reaching for her again. “I’ll take you to bed. And tomorrow morning… we’ll talk about everything.”She scoffed, pulled away from me the second time, and pointed her finger at my face.“Stay away from me.”That was never going to work.“Let’s go to bed.”She slapped my hands away. “Stay the fuck away from me!”I retreated, my eyes staring at how unevenly her chest rose. My fingers stroked my chin, my jaw tightening at the violent glance she gave me. She stepped forward, and I noticed her leaping on her right
AXEL SALVATORE ROSSI.The moment the lights came on, Olivia froze. Her heels slipped from her fingers and hit the floor with a soft thud. She stood there, staring at me like she couldn’t decide if I was real or another effect of the alcohol clouding her head.I could smell the strong stench of alcohol on her, and noticed how hazy her eyes looked.Then my eyes finally dragged over her properly, seeing the bloodstain and bruises that made my stomach churn. I’d imagined finding Olivia a thousand different ways, but none of them ended with blood on her dress.Her mascara was smeared beneath red, exhausted eyes, and strands of her tangled hair clung messily against her damp skin. The short dress she wore exposed the angry marks around her arms. Her smooth thighs were smeared with mud and it left something violent twisting inside my chest.I’d spent the last few hours imagining where she was.Who she was with.Whether she was safe.But seeing her like this?It was worse than anything my
OLIVIAMy fear returned once again—they'd found me for the second time that day.I dared to glance over his shoulders and noticed the others standing behind him. Three men with the same neck tattoo, their eyes fixed on me like they were waiting to attack.They were scattered around the bar like they’d been watching me the entire time without me noticing.Watching the bartender quietly step away reminded me that nobody was going to help me.I was all alone.“I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else,” I muttered, slowly stepping away from the counter.The broad-shouldered man only smiled, his fingers moving through my hair in a manner that irritated my stomach.Without thinking twice, I hurled the empty glass straight at his face. He cursed loudly, staggering backward as alcohol and blood splashed across his shirt.I ran as the music drowned out the chaos behind me. Shoving recklessly through the crowd, bodies crashed against mine. Someone yelled, another cursed, but I kept pushing
AXEL SALVATORE ROSSI.Two hours had passed since Olivia left. And I couldn’t stop thinking about everything that had transpired between us.I wanted to go after her, to talk to her and make her stay a little longer. But Rosa had held me back from doing any of that.She said time was what Olivia nee
AXEL SALVATORE ROSSI.Olivia.She’d grown mature. Her curves were more pronounced, and her eyes were void of the innocence I once knew. Her hair was darker, fuller, and a bit shorter than I’d remembered. She didn’t appear like the naive girl who once cowered in my presence. Standing in front of m
OLIVIA“Make sure the flowers are properly placed at the entrance, Marina.”“And Zoey? Tell the chef not to make the sauce too spicy, okay?”I paced around in my heels, dishing orders to various workers who were busy setting up the place.It was my one-year anniversary of being Red—the queen of the
OLIVIADarren continued to kiss me. His hands tightened around my waist, guiding me towards the bed behind us.At first, I didn’t reciprocate. Then, it got intense, and I could barely breathe from the roughness of his lips against mine.“Darren…” I moaned in his mouth, my chest tightening.He didn’







