Chapter 32

ETHAN

Olivia sat across from me, her usual composed demeanor masking whatever pain that raged within her. I watched as she picked at her food, her gaze distant and her expression unreadable.

I tried to ignore the tension that hung in the air, focusing instead on my problems. The events of the past weeks have left me in shock. My brother was back and had made it his mission to ruin me, I just found out I’m going to be a father and I don’t know how to handle that. How could I love a child when I don’t even love myself?

As I reached for the coffee pot, the clinking of the china seemed to echo in the silence that enveloped us. I couldn’t shake the feeling that Olivia was harboring something, something she was struggling to keep hidden beneath, or if she should say it.

“Is everything alright, Olivia?” I asked, “You seem distant today.”

She glanced up, her eyes locking with mine for a brief moment before she averted her gaze. “I’m fine,” she replied, her tone