CHAPTER 8.

Two days ago…

Alex sat in silence, his elbows resting on his knees, reminiscing of the past. Olivia’s chat displayed on the screen of his phone, the messages below untouched. Some were short. Questions she’d asked, check-ins she used to send without expecting much back. Others were longer. Apologies. Updates. Bits of her life she offered him.

He locked the phone and set it down beside him on the couch.

The apartment felt colder than usual. Quieter. For three years, Alex had lived with his lie, carrying it so discreetly that the thought of it ever being revealed never scared him. But now that Olivia knew, now that the truth was out, the weight of it all has been lifted. And another has been placed on him. Because, even beneath the wreckage of deception, one thing never changed. He loved her. Deeply.

Footsteps echoed on the hardwood. Taylor rounded the corner with a mug of tea in hand. She didn’t say anything as she sat across from him in her black socks and black hoodie.

He watched her for a moment. Then, eyes still on the floor, he spoke.

“Did you ever know Olivia?”

Taylor blinked. The mug paused halfway to her lips.

“Huh?”

“Olivia said you two have met.”

She set the mug down slowly. Carefully. “There’s a lot you don’t know, Alex.”

“I’m sat. Tell me.”

Taylor exhaled loudly through her mouth. “Yes. I knew Olivia. I’ve known her for a long time.”

A silence cracked open between them.

“I took care of her,” she said. “For a while.”

Alex’s head turned toward her. “You’re saying it like you were her nanny or something. She told me you’re her real mum. But I know you can’t have kids unless you’ve been lying about that, too. So I told her you weren’t.”

Taylor’s jaw tightened. “I’m not her mother. I can’t bear children.”

“So why does she think you are?”

She stared past him. “Because… I was.” She swallowed. “For a while.”

“What do you mean for a while? You were either her mother or you were not.”

“Can you please let me finish.”

“Okay.”

“I used to take care of Olivia when she was a baby.” Taylor’s voice dropped. “Back when….Daniel….my husband. While he was still alive, we didn't know about my…..condition. So, we kept trying, and it never worked.”

She stared at him for a while and looked back down, eyes glossy.

“He was so loving and caring and understanding and patient, and he wanted a child, and I co…..I……I couldn't…….gi…..I couldn't give him what he wanted.”

“What’s all of this information? How did you know Olivia?” Alex asked, brows furrowed.

“Alex, please. Just stop interrupting.” She swallowed hard. “Let me talk.”

He nodded, quieter now.

Taylor wiped beneath her eye.

“Olivia was my daughter… and I wasn’t always like this.”

Her voice cracked as she continued. “There was a time I could get pregnant. And I did. Many times. But I kept losing them. Every single one.”

She took a deep breath, steadying herself.

“Then I got Olivia. The cutest little baby you’ve ever seen. And for the first time, I felt complete. Daniel was over the moon. We finally had someone to raise. We were so happy.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I still remember the first time she called me ‘mama.’ My heart almost exploded. It was one of the happiest moments of my life.”

Her voice dropped to a whisper. “But then Daniel died. And I collapsed.”

“I couldn’t care for her. I could barely care for myself. I was drowning. So I left. She was five. I didn’t want to, but I had to. For both our sakes.”

Alex’s voice was low. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

She shook her head slowly. “Some things are better left in the past. Buried. It’s not something I like to talk about.”

He leaned forward. “Wait… you said got Olivia. Not had. Didn’t you give birth to her?”

A long pause. Her eyes darted toward the floor.

“Like I said…” she whispered. “Some things are better left in the past.”