Chapter 18
Olivia recovered from her heart transplant.
The new heart beat strongly in her chest.
She was discharged from the hospital, expecting to resume her place as
Ethan’ s fiancee, as the queen of his world.
She arrived at Ethan’ s mansion, a triumphant smile on her face.
She was shocked to find Sarah there.
And Lily.
Living in the guest suite.
Clearly comfortable. Clearly … at home.
Ethan was there too, not fawning over Olivia, but sitting on the floor,
playing a game with Lily.
Sarah was watching them, a small, hesitant smile on her face.
A domestic scene. A family scene.
Olivia’ s world tilted.
“Ethan!” she cried, her voice shrill. “What is she doing here? What is
that … that child doing here?”
Ethan looked up, his expression calm, unreadable.
“Olivia,” he said, his voice polite but distant. “Welcome home. This is
Sarah. And this is Lily, my daughter. They’re staying with me.”
Olivia stared at him, her face paling.
“Your daughter? Staying with you? Here?”
“Yes,” Ethan said simply.
He stood up, placing himself subtly between Olivia and Sarah and Lily.
A protective stance.
Olivia’ s eyes, wild and jealous, darted between Ethan, Sarah, and Lily.
She saw the change in him. The change in the atmosphere.
She was no longer the center of his universe.
“But … but our wedding, Ethan!” she stammered. “Our future!”
Ethan looked at her, a flicker of something like pity in his eyes.
“Olivia,” he said gently, “we need to talk.”
He led her into his study, closing the door behind them.
Sarah could hear raised voices.
Olivia’ s, shrill and accusing.
Ethan’ s, calm but firm.
After a long time, the study door opened.
Olivia emerged, her face tear-streaked, her eyes blazing with fury and
hatred.
She looked at Sarah.
“You!” she spat. “You did this! You bewitched him! You stole him from
me!”
She lunged at Sarah, her hands outstretched like claws.
Sarah flinched, instinctively shielding Lily.
But Ethan was there.
He caught Olivia’ s wrists, his grip like iron.
“Enough, Olivia,” he said, his voice cold, hard. “It’s over.”
He escorted a screaming, struggling Olivia out of the mansion.
He returned, his face grim but resolute.
He looked at Sarah.
“She’s gone,” he said. “She won’t bother you again.”
He had made his choice.
He had chosen them.
Sarah looked at him, at the man who had caused her so much pain, the
man who had also, impossibly, saved her daughter’ s life.
The man who shared her impossible secret.
A fragile truce had been forged in the crucible of Lily’ s illness.
Now, something else was beginning to grow.
Something tentative.
Something that felt dangerously like hope.