OLIVIA’S POV

“Tell me, Olivia, would you like going back to that life?” my dad pressed, his eyes. narrowing slightly as if he was trying to convince himself more than me. “Even though you were too small to realize what was going on back then, I knew you hated it- barely eating three meals a day, struggling every moment.“”

His words hit me like shards of ss, but I refused to let him twist this into something noble. My voice rose, trembling with emotion. “You were doing this for the family? No,” I said sharply, my eyes burning with tears, “you were doing this for yourselves. Don’t pretend it was ever about me.”

I took a shaky breath, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. “You im you were doing this for the family, right?” My voice cracked, but I forced myself to go on, my chest tightening with every word. “The day I came to you and Mom, telling you that Adrian had a psycho woman in his life, the same woman he was cheating on me with… what did you say?” My voice rose, echoing in the room. “You took his side! You told me I was being childish, that I was overreacting, and then – then you had the nerve to tell me to go back to him!”

I could feel the lump in my throat as memories flooded in, raw and painful.

“This same woman had a hand in my child’s death,” I spat, my voice trembling as my eyes welled with fresh tears. My vision blurred, but I kept going. I had to. “I was lying there in the hospital, broken, devastated, andpletely alone. And when I came back to you, desperate forfort, for something–anything–you told me to go back to Adrian.” My voice cracked again, and I felt my knees weaken, but I stood firm. “You bboth /bpletely ignored my pain, and neglected my feelings like they were meaningless.”

My mother, who had been silent until now, let out a long, exar

sigh. She lowered herself into a seat, her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose as if she were the one suffering. Not a single trace of remorse crossed her face. Not even a flicker.

–

It was like I was an inconvenience to her like my pain was an annoying fly buzzing around her head.

Was that it?

Had I be nothing but a disturbance to them?

The thought pierced me deeper than anything else. All these years, I had tried so hard to be the daughter they expected, to make them proud, to earn their love. But now, I saw it so clearly – I had been no sessfully unlocked! I, something to be used and

discarded.

“Look, Olivia, you’re just overreacting,” my dad scoffed, waving his hand dismissively as he walked toward the kitchen, probably to fetch himself a ss of water as if we

EFL

were just having an everyday argument about dinner ns. His casualness made my stomach turn.

“You’re not the first orphan, okay?” he added coldly from the kitchen doorway, not even looking back at me. “I expected you to act a bit more mature about this situation. You’re acting like a teenager throwing a tantrum.”

or maybe he did,

His words sliced through me like a de. He still didn’t understand and he just didn’t care. Either way, the pain felt unbearable.

There he goes again with the same tired, dismissive remarks. Calling me childish, telling me I’m overreacting. It was always the same with them. They never once stopped to actually listen to me, to see me. And now I finally understood why.

It’s all clear to me now.

My dad strolled back into the living room, a ss of water in his hand, as if nothing had happened, as if my entire world hadn’t juste crashing down around me. He took a casual sip, then continued like he was giving me life advice I had asked for.

n this world likes poverty, certainly not this family, yes we never asked you ow you felt because your opinion was bad for the family, if everyone asked one how they felt we wouldn’t be here.” My dad said taking a seat, his voice firm.

Why did you adopt me exactly, if you knew you were just going to use me,” I asked.

“I was doing your true parents a favor by taking you in, and you are to repay that favor by remaining with your husband Adrian.” My father said..

His words hurt me so much, yes I was never close with them but they were my family, well I considered them as one, the only people you could fall back on when everyone turns their backs on you, but I guess I was wrong

I

I stared at him, my chest heaving. I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry out that all I had

I

ever wanted was their love, their eptance, their protection. But now, I saw that was never going to happen. No matter what I did, it had never been enough, and it never

would be.

“You act like we’re the viins in your story,” my mom chimed in, her voiceced with annoyance. “But maybe you should think about all we did for you before you start pointing fingers,”

A bitterugh escaped my lips, surprising even myself. “Viinsb?/b” I repeated, my voice low and shaky. “No, you’re not viins. Viins at least own what they’ve done.”

I stood up, my legs steady now, as if fueled by a newfound resolve. I wiped the tears from my cheeks, no longer willing to let them see me broken.

“You’re not viins,” I continued, my gaze hardening as I looked between them. “You’re cowards hiding behind the excuse of sacrifice, ming me for feeling the pain your caused.” I paused “I guess it’s true then? Everything I found on Adrian’sptop about you people is all trueb.” /bI said.

CHAPTER 06G

My dad and mom got up with an unease, their tough attitude all changed when I said. that, and it looked like they knew what they did.

“What are you talking about Olivia?” my mom asked me as she stood. olliup. /li/ol

“Why do you bguys /balways like to y dumb, acting like you don’t know anything at first, you know what am talking about, what you did many years ago,” I said to them.

They gave each other a worried look, and I knew that look, even though I mentioned Adrian’s name they didn’t remember, have they done so much harm to other people that they couldn’t remember what they did to his mother? I mean it hadn’t been that long

“why don’t you stop with this and tell us what you found on Adrian’sptop about us.” My dad said.

A small smirk appeared on my face, at first I came here to find out if it was true then I found out about other things, and with their reaction and everything my dad had said I knew it was true, even though they didn’t remember.

1 wiped the remaining tears off my face and took a small breath before saying “It’s so funny how you don’t even remember, but it’s ok, am not going to tell you, soon enough. you will find out, and that soon is around the corner.” I said to them

“Olivia please why don’t you.”

care, am sick and

I didn’t even wait for her to finish, I turned and left the house immediately, when they want something they try and y nice but after that, they no longer tired of it, they should handle their problems themselves,

As for me, am done with that marriage and it’s all up to Julian to find those people.

Just as I was about to leave thepound I heard a loud noiseing from inside

the house, it sounded like arge ss broke.

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