Chapter 11: The Phone Call Aftermath

Nathaniel glanced at his phone screen and waited for a few minutes. Without a word, he turned and hurried out of Olivia’s room, his footsteps clipped and urgent as he pressed the phone to his ear.

Olivia didn’t bother to ask who it was. She didn't need to. Whether it was Kate—the arrogant woman parading around with her fake pregnancy—or some other shadow from Nathaniel’s dark past, she didn’t care.

The damage was done. Her heart has become emotionally unstable. What mattered now was her freedom.

The thought of staying another day under the same roof as Nathaniel became her worst nightmare.

Each day with him felt like a slow drowning—silent, painful, and unavoidable. A one-and-a-half-year relationship had become what felt like a decade of emotional bruises and bitterness.

Lying on her back, Olivia stared at the ceiling, her arms limp at her sides, her eyes dry but burning. The white ceiling looked endless, like a blank page she desperately wanted to rewrite. Divorce. The word was a lifeline which will bring an end to her physical and emotional pain.

Suddenly, a name drifted through her mind–Kelvin.

She sat up slowly, her pulse quickening as she remembered their last conversation—she had told Kelvin to connect her with a discreet lawyer, someone who could cut through the red tape and help her vanish from Nathaniel’s life like smoke.

Without hesitation, she grabbed her phone from the nightstand and dialled his number, but it was not available at that moment.

She frowned. She tried again, still nothing.

Letting out an annoyed breath, she typed a message instead:

Hi Kelvin,

Just a quick reminder regarding the divorce process we discussed.

I need to get out of this place before I completely lose my peace of mind and sanity.

Please speak with your lawyer and update me as soon as possible. Hope to hear from you soon.

Olivia

She hit send and tossed the phone aside.

For a second, she just sat there. She pulled her knees to her chest, holding them close, rocking slightly like it might somehow ease the ache inside.

 As Olivia sat in silence, her thoughts drifted back to the recently concluded event where she had crossed paths with Luna and John.

The way they spoke to each other, with soft laughter, struck Olivia deeply. She had watched them with quiet admiration, envying the tenderness they shared.

In that moment, she wishes her marriage could be like theirs—warm, respectful, and safe. But that hope was quickly crushed by the harsh reality she lived in. Life hadn’t given her a partner like John. Instead, it had handed her heartache in the form of betrayal, lies, and cold indifference.

Her marriage felt like a prison sentence—one filled with tension, loneliness, fake smiles, and emotional bruises no one could see. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she let the painful truth settle in.

Then she stood slowly. She needed a drink. Something cold. She slowly moved toward the door, determined to at least find a moment of peace in a glass of chilled wine.

But the moment her hand touched the knob, she froze.

Suddenly, she heard Nathaniel's voice as he blew out of rage while still in the phone conversation.

“I told you not to call me during dinner,” he snapped. “I’ll take care of it. Just shut up!”

Olivia’s heart skipped a bit.

She eased the door open just a little and peeked through the gap. She hides as her heart starts racing while she tries to make sure Nathaniel doesn't catch her eavesdropping on him. 

Nathaniel stood with his back to her, phone pressed tightly to his ear, his other hand balled into a fist at his side. His tone wasn’t just angry—it was panicked.

”I will look into it before I accept what you are saying right now. However, I must warn you that if this goes in a different direction, you will see a side of me that you will never forget in a hurry," he snarled in a low terrified voice. "Avoid calling me once more. I will give you a call if necessary.”

Something about the way he said it made goosebumps rise along Olivia’s arms.

She studied his face—what little of it she could see from her angle, and she caught a glimpse of something strange. Not arrogance. Not rage but fear.

He was visibly angry as he hung up, the phone slipping into his pocket with a trembling hand. Without glancing toward her room, he stormed past, the scent of his cologne lingering long after he left.

Olivia's mind raced.

Who was he talking to?

Why was he so disturbed?

She backed away from the door and collapsed on the bed, her mind spiralling into question after question.

The drink was forgotten now. The chill she wanted wasn’t in the wine—it was already seeping into her bones.

Could he have meant what he said about having a baby with her? Was there something real in Kate’s claim after all?

And what if she was pregnant? Was that even possible?

Her hand instinctively went to her stomach.

She shook her head.

No. That was insane.

The ceiling no longer looked like a blank page. It looked like a ticking clock. And every second that passed sounded louder than the last.

Nathaniel wasn’t just hiding lies anymore.

He was hiding secrets.

Dark ones.

And Olivia was no longer sure if escaping him was just about her peace anymore…

It might be about her safety too.