Chapter 6

"I'm so sorry. Please, yell at me all you want! Just don't be upset."

Olivia grabbed his hand nervously. "I was talking nonsense. I deserve to burn in hell for saying that."

Joshua tried to pull his hand free, but her grip was too tight. Tears spilled over and hit the floor.

Yet deep down, he knew that Olivia hadn't just slipped up. She was actively pinning all the blame on him.

It was her way of constructing a convenient justification for her affair.

Olivia lowered her tone even further. "I'll have a serious talk with Mom. Once she learns how to treat you with proper respect in the future, you can decide whether you want to unblock her, okay?"

Through his tears, Joshua let out a lifeless smile.

There wouldn't be a future between them anymore.

Over the next two days, Olivia stayed home to keep him company.

Even though Joshua barely acknowledged her, she spent hours in the kitchen preparing all his favorite dishes herself.

Meanwhile, Damien's Instagram feed kept accumulating new posts.

There were photos of homemade meals delivered by Olivia's driver, a custom-tailored suit and luxury sports car she'd gifted him, and screenshots of their flirtatious texts.

Olivia liked every single post.

That evening, as they were sitting together watching TV, Olivia's phone rang.

"It's Jessica. She says she just locked in a big brand endorsement deal and is hosting a small celebration. She wants us both to come over."

She put the call on speaker, and Jessica's voice echoed into the room, "Joshua, I feel like I haven't seen you in forever! You and Olivia have to come!"

With only two days left before his departure, he had no idea when he would ever see her again.

When it came to his only sister, Joshua simply couldn't bring himself to say no.

"Alright. We'll be there."

…

Jessica had gathered a few close friends for a backyard barbecue at the Bennett residence.

The moment Joshua and Olivia stepped into the yard, Jessica walked right over to greet them.

"Joshua, I know how much you hate the smell of smoke, so I made everyone clear out the cigarettes before you got here. Pretty thoughtful sister, right?"

As soon as she said that, one of their friends exposed her. "Come on, Olivia literally sent a message to remind you! You can't take credit for that."

"Olivia really spoils Joshua down to the bone, doesn't she?"

Jessica laughed right along with them. "Well, she's my sister-in-law! Who else is she supposed to spoil if not my brother?"

Olivia led Joshua over, her eyes crinkling with a bright smile. "He deserves every bit of it.

"Honey, sit over here so the smoke doesn't blow your way. You just recovered from your gastritis, so go easy on the grilled food. I'll get you some fresh fruit instead."

Joshua remained completely silent throughout, devoid of any energy to play along with her show.

Jessica suddenly piped up, "Olivia, I just picked up a collection of really amazing red wines. Want to head down to the cellar with me and pick out a couple of bottles?"

Olivia smiled softly. "Honey, wait for me here. I'll go check it out."

The moment the two of them walked inside, Joshua received a location pin from Damien.

The latter was actually here at the Bennett residence.

Joshua's heart leaped into his throat. Fearing that Jessica might act recklessly, he immediately got up and followed them inside.

Yet the tense confrontation he anticipated was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Joshua found all three of them standing together, chatting and laughing casually.

Damien hooked his finger around Olivia's. "I missed our son."

"Olivia, you guys take your time. I'll grab the wine. Wouldn't want to play third wheel." Jessica offered with a sly smile, backing away.

The second Jessica left, Olivia took Damien's hand with a flirtatious smile. "Is it really just our son you miss?"

"You're asking what you already know."

Olivia smiled, leaned in to kiss Damien, and pulled him into a room.

The room they walked into was the very bedroom Joshua had lived in before his marriage.

Joshua felt the blood drain from his body, and he nearly lost his balance.

When their parents died in an accident, he was only 13 years old.

He had juggled school and multiple grueling jobs just to raise Jessica. For his little sister, he had taken on every dirty, exhausting job imaginable.

On his wedding day, Jessica had cried her eyes out.

She had held his hand and said, "Joshua, your room will always be kept exactly as it is. Any time you want to come back, it'll be waiting for you."

But now…

The two people he cared about most in this world had joined hands to drive a knife straight into his back.

By the time he snapped out of his daze, Joshua found himself back out in the yard. Jessica was just coming out of the house holding two bottles of wine.

When their eyes met, Joshua forced a smile. "Where's Olivia?"