Chapter 3

(Olivia's POV)

I swore I saw the look of desire in Mark’s eyes as his lips parted to say something, but the door to my hospital room burst open, and my foster mother, Nancy, walked in, accompanied by her daughter, Emily.

Their eyes locked on Mark and me, who were so close together on my bed.

'Oh no, not again,' I thought as I felt my heart beating loudly in my chest.

To my shock, Nancy didn’t yell at me like I had expected her to.

I remembered Dr. Sam’s warning to Mark that he would have my foster mother arrested for my sake. But that didn’t stop her from peering at me contemptuously.

“What’s going on here, Mark? Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be in the basketball court, preparing for today’s match?” Nancy asked as she glared at her son.

“Good morning, Mom. I already called my coach, and he said the match will not start until 12 p.m. today,” Mark replied calmly, but his mother frowned.

“Hmm. So why are you here to check on Olivia? You should stay away from her. You can have any girl in this pack that you want. Why are you hovering around this wolf-less girl? Do you want to bring shame to our family?” Nancy demanded as she stood glaring at Mark.

My head was aching, and I held it as I remembered every word Nancy used to insult me every day of my life.

I wasn’t the only child born on a moonless night, but I was the only one whose parents rejected her, and I ended up being adopted by a family that never failed to taunt me with it.

“Mom, you have no right to tell me how I should treat Olivia. She is still my sister, and I grew up having her around. If you don’t have anything good to say, then leave!” Mark spat, pointing at the door, and my jaw dropped.

“What? You are sending me away because of this girl that I adopted? You will surely bring her home, and I will deal with her myself. Let’s go, Emily! We shouldn’t have come here to check on the slut!” Nancy shouted, reaching for her daughter’s hand and dragging her away.

Emily wore a short black dress and a pair of brown shoes. She glared at me as our gazes met, but seeing her older brother in the room, she was afraid of Mark, so she held her tongue and ran out after her mother.

“You don’t have to be scared of them,” Mark said, his deep voice breaking my chain of thought but not enough to calm my rapid heartbeat.

“But they’re your family and right! If you keep causing problems for me and your parents, how do you expect me to cope? Just stay away from me!” I cried, yelling at Mark and sending him away too. He could not be acting like he cared for me when he was obviously making his mother hate me more.

“Hey, relax. I am still here, and I haven’t gone,” Mark said, refusing to leave, and I ended up shedding tears and screaming at him, “Get out! Leave me alone!”

Doctor Sam and another female nurse came rushing into the hospital room where I had been admitted.

“What’s going on here? Mark, you have to take your leave. You’re not helping your sister recover by staying here. Do you want her to suffer more strain on her head? Leave!” Dr. Sam’s voice was harsh as he pointed at the door for Mark to leave.

Mark looked at me, then at Dr. Sam. “Fine, I will leave,” he replied calmly as he walked toward the door.

Once he reached it, he pulled it open and exited the room, and I burst into tears on the bed.

“It’s okay. Everything will be fine,” Dr. Sam said in a soothing voice, but I didn’t want to hear him out.

“Everything cannot be fine, Doctor. What do I do if my family sends me away? I have no family or friends to accommodate me,” I sobbed on the bed. I could feel Mark’s presence behind the door.

Dr. Sam heaved a sigh and asked, “Can you come and stay with me? I can offer you accommodation at my home.”

“No…” Before I could finish my response, Mark stormed back into the room and grasped Dr. Sam by his shirt, lifting him off the ground with a level of strength I didn’t know he had.

“You fụcking ásshole. Why are you trying to snatch my adopted sister to come and live with you?” Mark growled.

“Mark, let go of Dr. Sam!” I yelled at him, shocked by his entrance.

Mark glared at Dr. Sam and let go of him. “You shouldn’t listen to him. I am sure he has ulterior motives for asking you to come to his house. Do not worry. I will speak to my parents when I get home, and they will not hurt you again, alright?”

Mark’s eyes locked with mine, and something in the way he looked at me made me want to believe that he would be able to speak to his family. But wouldn’t that worsen the whole situation?

I looked between Mark and Dr. Sam, who adjusted his shirt after Mark had grabbed him.

Dr. Sam spat, “Mark, I do not understand why you are not allowing Olivia to move out of your parents’ home. She is almost 18 years old. Or already 18, because we are not so sure of her real date of birth. So you cannot be a controlling freak of a brother. I am only trying to help her, and your threat won’t prevent me from offering her help. As a doctor, my duty is to save lives. So my offer is still open.”

“Olivia,” Dr. Sam turned to face me and said, “Whenever you’re ready to move out of your foster parents’ home, you can come to my place. My sister spoke so much about you and your academic performance. I wouldn’t want your intelligence to go to waste, so when you feel the need to move out, you can reach out to me.”

“Mm…” Mark glared at Dr. Sam, who stood unfazed as he spoke to me softly.

“Okay, Doctor. I will consider your offer later. Thank you,” I said, feeling relief.

Dr. Sam smiled, glared at Mark, and walked out of the room with the nurse.

As the door closed, Mark looked at me intensely and asked, “You are not serious about moving to his house, right? He’s a man. What makes you think he doesn’t have any ulterior motives against you?”

I pouted my pink lips, unable to reply, and Mark drew near me on the bed, suffocating me with his wild mushroom scent as he said, “Trust me, Olivia. I will speak to my parents.”

“Fine, but if they don’t change, I will move out,” I replied, shifting my gaze to his face. We were so close that I could feel my heart beating faster.