Chapter 3

Olivia. 

The next morning I woke up with a pounding headache. For a moment I forgot everything. 

I looked around and realized I was in Maya's guest room. Then all the memories of yesterday started coming back. Nate’s cheating, Lisa’s betrayal and my turning a blind eye to it all. 

I stood frozen in the doorway while my entire world crumbled before my eyes. 

I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping it had all been a nightmare. 

But it wasn’t. 

With a heavy sigh, I pushed the blanket outside and climbed out of bed. 

The cold wooden floor sent a shiver down my body as I walked towards the mirror. 

I barely recognize the woman staring back at me. My eyes were swollen and red from crying myself to sleep. 

My hair was a tangled mess and my skin looked pale. 

I looked exhausted. 

For five years, I imagined waking up next to Nate someday as his wife, instead, I was standing in my best friend’s guestroom, trying to convince myself that my world hadn’t completely fallen apart. 

I stared at my reflection for a while before forcing myself to look away. 

Then I walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. 

My heart might be broken, but my hands were perfectly capable of creating beautiful clothes. Maybe that was exactly what I needed now, because if I couldn’t stitch my life back together, I could at least stitch together fabrics. 

After taking a shower, I slipped into the clothes Maya had laid out for me the night before, it was a pair of black colored trousers and an oversized white T-shirt. 

It was comfortable, cozy, and exactly what I needed. 

She knew me too well to know that no matter what happened. I’ll still insist on going to work.

Fashion wasn't just a career, it was the only place where my mind became quiet.

I dried my hair, forced on the smallest amount of makeup I could manage, and walked into the living room. 

The smell of coffee filled the air. 

I spotted Maya curled up on the couch, staring intensely at the TV. 

She looked mad, really mad. 

The moment she spotted me, she quickly took the remote and switched off the TV. 

I frowned. 

“ What’s wrong?”. 

She looked anywhere but at me. 

“Nothing”. 

“Maya”. 

She forced a smile. 

“Did you sleep well?”. 

I folded my arms across my chest. 

“Maya”. 

She signed and rubbed a hand over her face. 

“It’s nothing you need to worry about”. 

“You’ve never been able to lie to me”. I said to her. 

A heavy silence settled between us.

Finally, she stood up and walked towards me. 

“Promise me you’ll try to stay calm”.  

My stomach immediately tightened at her words because if she was telling me to stay calm, it meant something was wrong. 

“What happened”

“Liv”

“What happened”. 

She looked down at the remote in her hand before reluctantly pressing the button. 

The television flickered back to life. 

At first, I only recognized the Familiar Logo of a morning entertainment show. 

The image changed and my world stopped.

Nate was standing in front of dozens of cameras, wearing the same smile I once fell deeply in love with, beside him stood Lisa. 

She was dressed in a fitted white dress, one hand wrapped possessively around Nate’s hand. 

The other rested lightly against her stomach. 

They looked…happy. 

The headline stretched across the bottom of the screen. 

CEO OF NEXORA TECHNOLOGIES ANNOUNCES ENGAGEMENT TO HIS SECRETARY. THE LOVE BIRDS ARE SAID TO BE EXPECTING THEIR FIRST CHILD. 

The reporter's cheer was echoed across the room. 

“ Sources close to the couple report that the wedding preparations are already being made, with family and friends describing the couple as deeply in love. 

I stared at the screen, unable to move, unable to breathe, unable to blink. 

Just twenty-four hours ago Nate had been telling me he loved me, less than twenty-four hours ago his promise ring was still on my finger, and now he was publicly confessing his Love to Lisa. 

He’d insisted on keeping our relationship private because he didn’t want public attention, and now the entire world was watching him smiling with another woman who happened to be my stepsister. 

A loud ringing filled my ears.

The room blurred.

My knees gave out. 

Before I could hit the floor Maya caught me. 

“Liv”. Her voice sounded far away. 

“I’m okay”. I whispered, but I didn’t believe it. 

Somewhere on the television, the reporter kept talking. 

I reached for the remote with shaky fingers and turned it off.

The silence lasted only a second before my phone started ringing. 

It was an unknown number. I stared at the screen , every instinct told me to ignore it. But something deep inside me urged me to answer it.

I wiped my face and pressed the green screen. 

“Hello?”. I whispered. 

“Good morning am I speaking with Miss Olivia?”. 

“Yes”. 

“Good morning ma, my name is Sarah and I am calling from Nexora Technologies”. 

My grip on the phone tightened. 

“I'm calling on behalf of Mr Nate Kingsley”. 

At the mention of his name, my stomach twisted. 

“ he has instructed us to tell you that all personal belongings must be removed from the fashion house by or before 6pm today”. 

For a moment I couldn't process what she just said. 

“I'm sorry…..what?”. 

“The property ownership is being transferred”. 

My heart began to race. 

“Transferred?, To whom?”. 

They were a brief pause. 

“To Mr Kingsley's fiancée, Miss Lisa”. 

My world seemed to stop, all I could hear was my own breathing. 

Amongst all things he's gifted me, he chose to take away the one thing that never belonged to him. 

My dream. 

The place where I spent countless nights sketching till dawn. 

The place where I felt closer to the little girl who used to sew with her mother. 

Five years. 

I'd given that man five years of my life and in less than twenty-four hours, he managed to take everything away from me. 

I closed my eyes and swallowed the lump in my throat.

“Okay”. I whispered, surprised by how steady my voice sounded. “I'll come get my things”

“Thank you for your understanding ma”. She said politely before ending the call. 

The line went dead. 

For a Long moment, I simply stared at the black screen of my phone.

Then something inside me shifted. I didn't feel like crying, not this time. The pain was still there but beneath it something colder began to grow. 

If Nate and Lisa thought they could take everything away from me and expect me to disappear quickly…

They were about to learn just how wrong they were. 

“Oh my gosh”. Maya stared in disbelief. “Those two are just horrible”. 

I didn't answer, I just kept staring at my blank screen. 

“Liv”

I slowly looked up. 

“Maya”

“Yeah”

“Do you know who Nate hates the most in this world?”. 

A small frown appeared on her face. 

“What kind of question is that?”. 

“Just answer the question”. 

She hesitated for a while as if checking if have gone crazy. 

“Everyone knows the person Nate hates the most is his older brother she pauses.  Damian Kingsley”. 

“Liv, what are you thinking”. Maya asked.

I picked up my handbag and stood, a strange calm settled over me. 

The tears were gone and all that remained was the ache in my chest and the fire burning beneath it. 

I looked Maya straight in the eye.

“Revenge”.