Chapter 2

OLIVIA

After having difficulty sleeping, I woke up the following morning with a bang in my head. I saw Ethan hitting his daily squats and push-ups. His physique always turned me on whenever he did his morning workout, even though he wouldn’t let me touch him.

He caught me gawking at him.

“Is everything fine with you?” he snapped at me and strolled into the bathroom.

It was still a miracle how he slept on the same bed as me, even when we didn’t have sex. There was only intimacy between us whenever his dick instructed him to, but I was fine with it. So far, it had kept my father’s reputation intact.

“I will come home late tonight. Don’t wait for me,” he said while dressing up.

“Who… is Vicky?”

I summoned the courage to bring up what he had said the previous night. I soon realized how much of a fool I had become by mentioning that name in his ears. While styling his hair, I saw his face morph into a frown.

He turned to me with fiery eyes.

“How did you know that name?”

“You mentioned her while you were drunk yesterday night in your sleep.”

“And what else did you hear? What else did I say?”

I gulped a cupful of saliva down my throat.

“N-nothing, you said nothing else,” I muttered out of fear.

“You’re lying, aren’t you? Slithering bitch.”

“Not at all. I wouldn’t dare lie to you.”

“Good.”

He faced the mirror again and resumed what he was busy with before I interrupted him.

“Did she hurt you?” I inquired, fearing what might happen next.

“What?”

“What did she take from you?”

My journalism instincts started to kick in, putting me in trouble.

Instantly, he charged at me where I was seated on the bed. He dragged me down to the floor, pulling me by my leg. I hit my head hard on the marble floor. However, that was the least of the hell he was about to unleash on me.

He pinned my face to the ground with his strong, massive hand.

“Young lady, how many times will you have to make me repeat myself?”

“I am sorry,” I whimpered with my face kissing the cold floor.

“Sorry? You are not sorry. If you were, you would learn to mind your business. Have I not told you countless times not to speak to me except you are spoken to?”

“You did.”

My whimper transcended into weeping.

“Yet you chose to ignore me. I warned you not to interfere in my matters. Just because I am married to you does not give you the fucking right to meddle in what does not concern you.” He struck me hard on my face with his palm.

“It won’t repeat itself,” I said, feeling helpless on the floor as I began to weep profusely.

“Better not. Always remember your place. You are here only for my enjoyment, nothing else.”

My world started to crumble instantly, and his words created a wormhole of emptiness in my heart.

I lost my mind sooner than I ever imagined. With no passing day, Ethan wouldn’t fail to make me the most miserable person on earth. Nevertheless, I summoned the strength to forge ahead despite my difficulties.

“So, Olivia, have you been doing lots of hectic activities lately?” the therapist asked. It was what I needed to put myself in order and keep breathing.

I would not break easily, not at all.

“Olivia, can you hear me?”

The therapist pulled me out of my oblivion. I lost focus as the words from the therapist flowed out.

“Uh, yes, I-I am,” I lied. “What was your question again?”

The therapist, a woman in her fifties, adjusted her eyeglasses and cleared her throat.

“Is there anything bothering you or giving you concern?”

“Um,” I sighed, “yes, a lot. I’ve got a lot of them on my mind.”

“Can you share with me some of it?”

“Mrs. Atkinson, we might spend the entire day here if I start,” I said in a plain tone.

“Well, lucky for you, it is my job. I have nothing else to do than sit here all day and listen to people’s problems.” She leaned forward from her chair, holding my hand from across her table. “Look into my eyes, Olivia, you can talk to me.”

She connected with my soul, leaving me with a feeling of ease. She sounded just like my mother before she died.

“I don’t even know where to start.”

My voice started to break.

“You can start from anywhere, Olivia. You can pick it up from the top, middle, or bottom. All you have to do is let it all out.”

“I hate my life.”

“Okay, and what else? Do you just hate your life alone, or is there more to it?”

Her warm voice flooded my soul with comfort. Slowly, I began to release the tension all over me.

“How do you feel when you make yourself the lamb of sacrifice for someone you love? My whole life keeps shredding into a million pieces as I wake each day. Sometimes I just wish I never existed.”

I started. Mrs. Atkinson readjusted her eyeglasses again, then rubbed her thumb on my hand.

“If it is for someone you love, it is worth it, Olivia. No matter how bad it looks, try to ask yourself what will happen to the person you are doing it for if you stop, if you quit.”

“All I want is to be loved. Why is that too difficult for me?” I continued to sob helplessly.

“You can only be loved if you love yourself first, dear. Keep that in mind. Learn to love yourself first.”

I continued weeping while driving home, thinking of Mrs. Atkinson’s last piece of advice flooding my mind.

Before I reached home, my phone flashed, and an unknown number popped on my screen.

“Who is this?”

“Olivia? Am I speaking with Olivia Wilson?”

“Yes, it is her.”

“Can we meet at Big T Jitters?”

“Who are you?”

“You will know when you get there. I have a confession to make.”