Chapter 4

Wade's hand froze midair, and the warmth in his expression vanished.

"Olivia, are you still angry with me?" he asked, his voice turning cold.

My heart skipped a beat. Fear took over, and I immediately lowered my head.

"I'm sorry," I sputtered. "It's all my fault."

Wade's voice sharpened. "Why won't you look at me when I'm talking to you?"

"I…" I opened my mouth, struggling to find the right words. "I didn't mean to," I finally said. "I just…"

To put it simply, I was used to it. In the slums, any sudden movement toward me could mean danger.

The shoves from drunkards, the slaps from factory supervisors, and the unwelcome hands that crept toward me, testing how far they could go…

"I'm sorry, Wade." I looked up at him and forced a smile, though I knew it must've looked awful. "I'm just not used to this yet. It won't happen again."

Wade stared at me, his gaze unreadable.

"Wade, you're scaring Olivia," Renee said gently, speaking up at just the right moment. "She's only just come home. She needs time to adjust."

Isaac also rose from his seat and walked over to me. He didn't touch me but simply stood there, positioning himself between Wade and me.

"Take it slowly," he said quietly.

The tension in the room eased.

Wade glanced at Isaac, then at me.

"It's my fault for rushing things," he said at last. "Olivia, I'm not blaming you."

"I know," I replied quickly. "I'm sorry."

…

Since coming home, I'd spent most of my time in my room and rarely went out.

One day, a maid knocked on my door.

"Ms. Nelisse, Ms. Sablich called. She'd like to meet you for coffee this afternoon."

I immediately felt uneasy. My first instinct was to refuse, but I was afraid of upsetting Renee. I didn't want them to think I was ungrateful or had forgotten my place.

We were meeting at a quiet cafe.

The moment I walked in, I knew I shouldn't have come.

Renee wasn't alone on the couch. Laura Quimby sat beside her, dressed in the latest designer clothes, her makeup flawless. She raised an eyebrow when she saw me enter, but she said nothing.

"Olivia, you're here!" Renee exclaimed, smiling as she waved me over. "Come sit down. Laura happened to be nearby, so I invited her to join us."

I took the single seat opposite them, trying to make myself as small as possible.

Everyone in our social circle knew Laura had always been interested in Isaac. Five years ago, she'd gone out of her way to make things difficult for me more times than I could count.

"I heard you're getting married to Isaac," Laura said bluntly, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Olivia, you really know how to play your cards. You couldn't make it in the slums, so now you've come crawling back to cling to Isaac again?"

I kept my head down and said nothing.

"Laura, don't say that," Renee chided.

"It's not like I'm wrong." Laura scoffed. "Everyone knows what happened back then. She was the one who did something shady, and then she turned around and accused you of it. Olivia, you've got some nerve showing your face around here again."

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms.

"Oh, right!" Laura suddenly exclaimed, as though she'd just remembered something.

"I heard your hand was ruined. You lost two fingers, didn't you?" she asked, clicking her tongue. "I guess that's karma."

I jerked my head up.

Laura was staring at me, her eyes full of disdain and smug satisfaction. Beside her, Renee sipped her coffee with effortless elegance, saying nothing.

Suddenly, I felt utterly exhausted.

I had spent five years hiding, afraid, and barely scraping by. Ever since I'd returned, every day had felt like walking a tightrope. I had to think carefully about every word before I dared to speak.

I began to wonder if I'd endured all those years of suffering just to come back here and let them humiliate me, treating me as though I were worthless.

Slowly, I unclenched my fists and looked at the two women before me.

"Ms. Quimby, Ms. Sablich," I began, my voice so calm that it surprised even me. "I know neither of you wants me around."

Laura paused, caught off guard by my bluntness. Renee set down her coffee cup and looked at me.

"How about we make a deal?" I asked.

"A deal?" Laura echoed, letting out a derisive laugh.

"Yes." I nodded. "I'll sell the two of them to you."

"What did you just say?" Laura demanded, as if she hadn't heard me correctly.

"Wade and Isaac," I replied. "Ms. Quimby, you want Isaac, and Ms. Sablich, you want to be Mrs. Cafferty, don't you? I'll step aside, disappear completely, and never show my face again."

Both women stared at me in disbelief.

"It's a bargain, isn't it?" I continued with a smile. "2.5 million dollars each. Five million dollars in total. That's nothing to either of you, but it's enough for me to start over somewhere else. So, what do you say?"

The moment the words left my mouth, the private room's door swung open.

Wade and Isaac stood in the doorway, their faces drained of color. Shock and hurt were written all over their faces.

A heavy silence fell over the room as I met their gazes. Neither of us said a word.

"Olivia." Isaac finally spoke, his voice painfully hoarse. "What did you just say?"