Chapter 66

Olivia

Soon enough, it was time for my next checkup. The doctor at the hospital urged me to start attending checkups more regularly due to the food poisoning, and of course as soon as Nathan heard the doctor utter those words, he arranged for me to attend appointments twice a month.

Today, however, he was too busy with Alpha Council matters to attend my appointment. I was a bit relieved, because I had a plan.

Ever since I returned to my hometown, Angela had been bullying me like a high school girl. The last time I spoke to her was at the banquet, when she kept commenting on the food choices that I was making and was insulting my weight.

But I had seen her around town since then. I ran into her at the grocery store, the park, the pharmacy — it was as though she was everywhere, lurking around every corner. And she always seemed to come armed with some sort of snide comment or nasty glare.

I had had enough. And today, I was glad that Nathan wouldn’t be coming with me, because I was ready to finally end this pointless feud once and for all.

As I walked into the doctor's office for my regular checkup, a familiar sense of unease settled within me, making me feel suffocated by the sickly yellow walls and gray carpets.

I knew Angela would be there, and her presence always seemed to cast a dark cloud over my visits. If the last few times I saw her were any indication, she clearly hated me.

Part of me wanted to turn around and walk out, but I knew that I needed to have some confidence if I wanted this to be over.

I still couldn't fathom why she harbored such animosity towards me, but today, I was determined to confront her and find some sort of resolution. In an odd way, my wolf’s sudden appearance the other day filled me with a new sense of confidence, and I was ready to take on my bully.

“Did you bring your insurance card this time?” the receptionist asked as she lazily chewed her gum.

I nodded. “Yep. Here it is.” I handed it to her confidently, taking note of her surprised and almost humbled expression, then looked around. There were just as many patients in here today as there were last time, but fewer of them were staring at me.

Maybe my appearance with Nathan at the banquet made them soften toward me, or maybe they got news of my hospital visit and felt bad about their nastiness.

“Alright,” the reception said, handing my insurance card back to me. “Take a seat. The nurse will be with you in a few minutes.”

Curiously, I leaned forward over the counter and lowered my voice. “Do you know who my nurse is today?” I asked.

The receptionist made a face, but I pleaded for an answer with my eyes and she finally scrolled around on her computer screen for a few moments before responding.

“It’s Angela. Why?”

I shook my head and forced a nervous smile. “No reason. Thank you.” Without another word, I sat down and waited, feeling my nerves bubble up inside my stomach.

“Olivia.” Angela’s shrill voice called out from across the waiting room a little while after I checked in.

As I approached, her expression was already tainted with disdain. I braced myself for the onslaught of her bitter remarks.

She didn't disappoint. It wasn’t long after we went into the examination room together that the snide remarks began.

“Your STD panel was surprisingly clean,” she said, flipping noisily through the sheets of paper on her clipboard. “But we’ll be doing another test today.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Why?” I asked. “I only saw you a little over a month ago. You really think that I would contract an STD in that amount of time?”

Angela simply shrugged, her eyes dripping with contempt as she glared at me. “You can’t be trusted—”

“Angela, what the hell is your problem, really?” I finally snapped, folding my arms across my chest. “We hardly ever talked in school. We barely know each other, and I’ve done nothing to you since I came home. Why torture a pregnant woman like this?”

With a sneer, she uttered words that stung like venom. “Maybe if you hadn't gotten pregnant out of wedlock, you wouldn't be in this predicament. Take some responsibility, Olivia.”

My eyes widened at her callousness, and a surge of anger coursed through my veins. How could she place all the blame on me?

Gathering my courage, I retorted, “It takes two people to create a child, Angela. Why do you always blame it solely on the mother? It's just as much the father's responsibility.”

Angela's face contorted with anger. She said nothing and just continued with the checkup, but her touch became harsh and invasive.

“Lift up your sleeve so I can take your blood pressure.”

I did as instructed, and winced as she contracted the blood pressure sleeve too tightly. After that, she had me lie down on the exam table just like last time.

As she pressed down too hard on my belly, a sharp pain shot through me, causing me to wince and instinctively push her away. Enough was enough.

“Hey!” she growled. “I wasn’t finished examining you.”

I sat up, tugging my shirt back down. “You weren’t examining me. Why would you even need to push so hard on my belly like that? You were just trying to hurt me.”

Angela glared at me, her jaw shifting back and forth as her eyes narrowed. “That’s not true,” she snarled.

“It is true,” I insisted. “Angela, we need to figure this out. If I’ve done or said something in the past to make you hate me, you could just talk to me about it and I bet we could work it out in a matter of minutes.”

Suddenly, Angela seemed to snap. “Just shut up!” she practically screeched. “You think that you’re all high and mighty because you’re the Luna now, but it’s all bullshit. Someone like you doesn’t deserve someone as wonderful as Nathan!”

My eyes widened, my chest swelling with satisfaction. I realized now what her issue was, and it was even more childish than I previously thought.

Pointing an accusatory finger at her, I mustered all the courage I had left. “I know what this is really about, Angela. You have a crush on Nathan, don't you? And you're taking it out on me.”

Angela’s face flushed crimson with embarrassment, her eyes widening as she stared at me.

“N-No—”

“Just admit it, Angela,” I prodded. “You have a crush on Nathan. It’s okay if you do, but don’t take it out on me.”

Angela denied my accusation vehemently, her face turning an even deeper shade of red. She insisted, “That's not true, Olivia! You're just imagining things.”

But her defensive response only confirmed my suspicions. Her reddened face was a silent confession.

“Come on, Angela,” I urged. “Let’s just talk about this like adults.”

A silence hung heavily in the air between us. I watched as Angela let out a defeated sigh, her gaze dropping to the floor.

A wave of sadness washed over her features, and it became clear that there was more to her resentment than met the eye.

Sensing her vulnerability, I softened my tone and approached her cautiously. “If it’s not tha, Angela, then why do you resent me so much? What happened between us?”

Tears welled up in her eyes as she reluctantly met my gaze. “You're right, Olivia.”