Chapter 123

Olivia

As I reached for the cream envelope, flashes of another evening raced through my mind. The night Colin had come to pick me up.

He had seemed so… suspicious. Something about the way that his eyes met mine in the rear view mirror made me uneasy. To be fair, he was always cold toward me, but something about that night was just… off.

But there was also the peculiar detail of him having a private vacation with Jenifer. The two seemed an unlikely pair for such an intimate getaway. They were, after all, adoptive father and daughter, and yet there had always been an uncomfortable amount of intimacy between the two since I returned to the pack.

I had so many questions, suspicions even. But I kept them buried, afraid of unearthing truths that might disrupt the delicate balance we all maintained.

Snapping back to the present, Nathan’s voice broke through my musings. “Olivia? Are you okay?”

I blinked, trying to shake off the unsettling memories. “I’m fine,” I murmured, though the uncertainty in my voice betrayed me.

“Look,” Nathan began, a hint of hesitation in his eyes, “it’s important we go tonight. And,” he added with a small smile, “I’d appreciate it if you could dress up a bit.”

I frowned, the weight of yesterday’s events with Alvin making the thought of dressing up seem like an insurmountable challenge. “I’m still...” I began, searching for words, “It's just after Alvin and everything. It's hard.”

He reached out, gently touching my arm. “I understand. But tonight, it’s important we present a united front. Especially with my family.”

He was right, of course. Pushing aside my lingering sorrow, I ascended the staircase to my room.

…

That evening, as I stood in front of the mirror, I tried to push away the thoughts of Alvin’s cold rejection and focus on the night ahead.

Closing my eyes, I let out a deep sigh, attempting to gather my thoughts. The fact that I had to prepare myself for it in the wake of Alvin’s rejection felt cruel, and I was exhausted, but Nathan had gone out on a limb to help Alvin.

Putting on a good front for this dinner party was the least that I could do.

I moved towards my closet, rummaging through the hangers. Dresses of various cuts and colors passed under my fingers, but they all seemed too bright, too cheerful for my current mood. At last, my hand rested on a maroon piece, its deep color reflecting the somberness that cloaked me.

The dress was simple, its silhouette emphasizing my curves subtly. As I held it against myself, I couldn't help but recall the last time I'd worn it — a fundraiser event for veterans. Alvin had been there, laughing, joking, his eyes gleaming with life. The stark contrast with the man who’d rebuked us so coldly yesterday was jarring.

Pushing the memories aside, I slipped into the dress. The soft fabric hugged my body in a comforting manner, lending a small boost to my dwindling confidence.

Next, I moved to the mirror, my reflection staring back at me. My eyes looked tired, the sparkle dimmed by recent events. With determined precision, I began applying makeup, not to hide my exhaustion, but to illuminate the strength that lay beneath it.

Lastly, I styled my hair, letting it fall in loose waves around my shoulders. It was simple, yet elegant. And it felt fitting for the evening.

By the time I was done, night had settled in, wrapping the villa in a soft blanket of darkness.

“Olivia?” Nathan called from the bottom of the stairs. “It’s time for the party. Are you ready?”

I took one last look at myself in the mirror. My hair was curled perfectly; I always liked wearing it loose like this, allowing the waves to cascade over my shoulders. The dress I picked out hugged my body perfectly and allowed the slight bump that was growing on my belly to be seen.

Despite my sadness over Alvin, I couldn’t deny the fact that dressing up did actually make me feel a little bit better.

Taking a deep breath, I made my way downstairs.

Nathan was in the foyer, fixing his tie in front of the mirror. He looked dashing, the sharp lines of his suit accentuating his tall frame. But it was our eyes that locked, and for a moment, everything around us faded.

His gaze was intense, almost searching, and it felt like an eternity before he finally spoke.

“You look... gorgeous, Liv,” he whispered, his voice laced with awe.

My face flamed. “Thank you,” I replied, the words barely audible. His compliment, sincere and heartfelt, had a way of piercing through the layers of self-doubt and sadness that had enveloped me.

The drive to Nathan’s parents’ home was filled with a palpable tension. Nathan, usually so talkative, seemed lost in thought. As for me, my mind kept returning to the enigmatic relationship between Colin and Jenifer.

“Hey, Nathan?” I finally said, feeling stifled by the silence in the car.

“Hm?” He sounded distant.

I chewed my lip for a moment, thinking, before I finally chose the right words. “Your dad and Jenifer… Do they normally go on vacations together?”

Nathan was silent for a few moments. I thought I saw his hands wrap more tightly around the steering wheel, but I couldn’t tell in the darkness. Finally, he spoke.

“Not really,” he replied. “Usually we all go as a family.”

“Oh.”

I was a bit surprised by this bit of information. I had hoped that he would tell me that Jenifer and his father always did that, but now I just felt even more perturbed by it.

You’re reading too much into it, I thought to myself. Stop it.

I decided to listen to my own conscience and let the subject go, for both Nathan’s sake and mine. The rest of the ride was silent once again.

The grandeur of the mansion loomed ahead as we pulled into the driveway. As we climbed out of the car and began to walk up the path to the large front door, our shoes crunching in the gravel, Nathan cleared his throat and broke the silence.

“Remember, just stay by my side and everything will be alright.”

I nodded, the anticipation gnawing at my insides.

As we entered, the opulence of the hall struck me—chandeliers dripping with crystals, walls adorned with paintings of what I assumed were Nathan’s ancestors. But before I could take it all in, a blur of a figure darted towards us.

“Nathan!” Jenifer exclaimed, her voice high and excited, throwing her arms around him. The embrace was lingering, a bit too intimate for comfort. But it was the smirk she shot over his shoulder, directed straight at me, that made my blood run cold.

Her message was clear: Nathan was hers.

It made no sense. Nathan was her brother. Adoptive brother, sure, but that fact held no difference in my eyes. Was she just intimate like this with all of her family members? I never saw her so close with Nathan’s mother, but then again, Nathan’s mother wasn’t really close with anybody.

He gently disentangled himself, his face betraying nothing. “Jen, it's good to see you.”