Chapter 003

Over the following months, they saw each other constantly.

One date became three.

Three became ten.

Before long, Ryan was calling every morning.

Texting throughout the day.

Checking in every night.

And somehow Olivia found herself looking forward to every message,every call and every moment with him..

One evening they sat on the beach watching the waves roll onto the shore.

The sun was beginning to set.

The sky glowed with shades of pink, gold, and orange.

Ryan sat beside her with his shoes kicked off.

For a while neither spoke.

The silence felt comfortable.

Then Ryan turned toward her.

"Can I ask you something?"

Olivia nodded.

"Sure."

Ryan hesitated.

"Why do you always put yourself down?"

The question caught her by surprise.

She looked away.

The ocean stretched endlessly before them.

"I don't know."

"Yes, you do."

Olivia sighed softly.

Years of memories rushed through her mind.

Comments from relatives,classmates and even strangers.

People who thought their opinions mattered.

"I guess after hearing certain things for long enough, you start believing them."

Ryan frowned.

"What things?"

Olivia shrugged.

"You know."

"No."

She hesitated.

Then laughed awkwardly.

"That I'm not pretty enough. Not good enough. Not whatever enough."

Ryan stared at her.

For several seconds he didn't say anything.

Then he shook his head.

"That's ridiculous."

Olivia smiled sadly.

"Maybe."

"No."

His voice was firm.

"It's not maybe."

She looked at him.

Ryan held her gaze.

"You know what I see when I look at you?"

Olivia's heart skipped.

"What?"

Ryan smiled softly.

"I see someone kind."

She looked away.

"I see someone who makes people feel safe."

The wind lifted strands of her hair.

"I see someone who always worries about everybody else before worrying about herself."

Olivia swallowed hard.

Ryan's expression softened.

"And I think it's a shame that you can't see yourself the way everyone else does."

For a moment she couldn't speak.

No one had ever looked at her the way Ryan was looking at her now.

Like she mattered.

The sun disappeared beyond the horizon.

The sky darkened.

And somewhere between the sound of the waves and the warmth in Ryan's eyes, Olivia felt her heart quietly surrender.

She was falling in love.

And for the first time in a very long time, that didn't scare her.

***

The first time Ryan invited Olivia to meet his family, she spent three days worrying about it.

Three entire days.

By the time Saturday arrived, she had already imagined every possible disaster.

Maybe his parents wouldn't like her.

Maybe she'd say something embarrassing.

Maybe she'd spill another drink on someone.

Knowing her luck, it was a real possibility.

"You've changed your outfit twice already," Emma said from the couch.

Olivia looked down at her dress.

"Only twice."

Emma laughed.

"It's nine in the morning."

Olivia groaned and dropped onto the chair beside her.

"This is a mistake."

"No, it isn't."

"What if they hate me?"

Emma lowered her phone.

"What if they love you?"

Olivia gave her a look.

"Let's try to stay realistic."

Emma threw a cushion at her.

It hit Olivia square in the face.

"Hey!"

"Stop talking about yourself like that."

Olivia smiled despite herself.

Emma had always been her biggest supporter.

Even when Olivia couldn't see anything good about herself, Emma somehow managed to find it.

The doorbell rang.

Olivia's stomach immediately twisted.

Emma stood up.

"Too late now."

Ryan was waiting outside with that familiar smile.

The moment he saw her, his face lit up.

And somehow that still surprised her.

After six months together, it shouldn't have.

Yet part of her still couldn't quite believe someone like Ryan looked at her that way.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Yes"

Ryan laughed.

"Good."

He opened the passenger door for her.

"Come on."

Olivia climbed into the car.

As they drove toward his parents' house, Ryan talked about work, a difficult passenger he'd dealt with during a recent flight, and a funny argument between two pilots.

Olivia listened gratefully.

He was distracting her.

Whether intentionally or not.

By the time they reached the gated community where his parents lived, her nerves had returned.

The houses looked like something out of a magazine.

A big mansion full of servants with a perfect lawns and garden.

Olivia suddenly felt very ordinary.

Ryan parked the car.

Then he noticed she hadn't moved.

"You okay?"

"No."

Ryan smiled softly.

"They're just people."

"Easy for you to say."

"They're my family."

"Exactly."

Ryan reached across the console and squeezed her hand.

"Trust me."

Olivia looked at him.

His eyes were calm.

"Okay," she whispered.

The Walker family home was enormous.

Olivia tried not to stare as Ryan led her inside.

The entrance alone was bigger than her entire apartment.

Family photographs lined the walls.

Large windows overlooked the water.

Everything looked expensive.

Very expensive.

"Ryan!" a voice called.

A woman appeared from another room.

She was elegant.

Beautiful.

Perfectly dressed.

Olivia instantly knew who she was.

Victoria Walker.

Ryan's mother.

Victoria kissed her son's cheek before turning toward Olivia.

For a moment her smile remained.

Then it changed.

Only slightly.

Most people wouldn't have noticed.

Olivia did.

"Mom," Ryan said. "This is Olivia."

Victoria extended her hand.

"Lovely to meet you."

The words sounded polite.

The tone didn't.

Olivia smiled anyway.

"You too."

Before anyone could say anything else, another voice interrupted.

"There he is."

A tall man walked into the room.

Unlike Victoria, he immediately smiled.

A genuine smile.

"Olivia, right?"

She nodded.

The man shook her hand.

"I'm Charles."

Ryan's father.

"It's nice to finally meet the woman who has my son smiling at his phone all day."

Ryan groaned.

"Dad."

"What?"

Charles laughed.

Olivia couldn't help smiling.

At least one parent seemed happy to see her.

Lunch started well.

Charles kept the conversation moving.

Ryan helped whenever things became awkward.

For a while Olivia almost relaxed.

Then Victoria began asking questions.

"So, Olivia," she said, setting down her glass. "What exactly do you do?"

Olivia swallowed.

"I work for a marketing company."

Victoria nodded slowly.

"Interesting."

The word felt strange.

Like it wasn't really a compliment.

"She's very good at her job," Ryan said.

Victoria smiled.

"I'm sure she is."

Olivia looked down at her plate.

Something felt off.

She couldn't explain it.

But she felt it.

Every smile.

Every question.

Every glance.

It was all perfectly polite.

Yet somehow she felt like she was being examined,measured and judged.

"How did the two of you meet?" Victoria asked.

Ryan laughed.

"She spilled coffee on me."

Charles burst out laughing.

Victoria blinked.

"Coffee?"

"A whole cup."

Olivia covered her face.

"It was an accident."

"The best accident of my life," Ryan said.

The words slipped out naturally.

Olivia looked up.

Ryan wasn't joking.

He meant it.

The warmth in his eyes made her forget everyone else in the room.

Because Victoria's expression hardened slightly.

So slightly most people would've missed it.

Olivia didn't.

Later that afternoon, while Ryan helped his father with something in the backyard, Olivia found herself alone with Victoria.

The silence stretched between them.

Uncomfortable.

Heavy.

Finally Victoria spoke.

"You seem like a nice girl."

Olivia smiled politely.

"Thank you."

Victoria folded her hands.

"Ryan has always had a bright future ahead of him."

Something about the statement felt strange.

Olivia waited.

"He worked very hard to build the life he has."

"I know."

Victoria nodded.

"Then I'm sure you understand why I'm worried."

Olivia frowned.

"Worry?"

Victoria offered a small smile.

"The people we choose to spend our lives with influence our future."

The words hung in the air.

Olivia suddenly understood completely.

Victoria wasn't talking about life.

She was talking about her.

Before Olivia could respond, Ryan walked back inside.

The moment he entered the room, Victoria's smile returned.

As if the conversation had never happened.

But Olivia hadn't imagined it.

She knew exactly what she'd heard.

And for the first time since meeting Ryan, doubt crept into her heart. Not about him.

About whether his family would ever truly accept her.

She didn't know it then, but that small crack would eventually grow into something much larger. when everything fell apart, she would remember that afternoon.

The polite smiles.

The hidden judgment.

And the feeling that trouble had already begun.