Chapter 5
Walter gripped Olivia’s neck fiercely, hissing each word, “If you hadn’t come on to me first, I never would’ve left my wife!”
“I was the one who supported you through school. I footed the bill for your college!”
Walter’s voice escalated, his face turning beet red, “And now you dare turn your back on me? Not happening!”
Olivia, struggling for breath, shook her head frantically, whispering, “No… it wasn’t like that…”
Walter was incredibly strong, and he nearly choked her out. Olivia’s face was flushed from the struggle.
Dad intervened, pushing Walter away and starting to scuffle with him on stage.
“What are you spouting off about! I paid for her college education!” Dad bellowed.
Caught between the two men, Olivia looked
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on helplessly, while the kids beside them burst into tears. Even the emcee fell silent.
Watching my father tangle with Walter, I found the scene both absurd and sad.
“Break it up, this is getting ugly!”
Olivia was on the verge of tears. Perhaps it was my composed demeanor, but she suddenly turned to me.
“You brought them here, didn’t you? It was you!”
I remained silent, and she continued, her voice eerily steady, “Lily Anderson, can’t you bear to see me thrive? Is driving me to the edge what you want?”
Yes.
I simply raised an eyebrow. Wasn’t stirring the pot the whole point?
She lunged at me like a wild animal, clawing at my neck, her eyes bloodshot
with rage, having completely lost her
senses.
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I reeled back, air squeezing out of my lungs, my breaths shallow and labored, the near–death struggle igniting a fierce will to fight back.
At that critical moment, my mother stepped in. She pushed Olivia back, breaking her hold on me.
I took deep, life–affirming breaths, the rush
of air reviving my senses.
“My baby… my baby…”
Olivia moaned, doubling over and
clutching her stomach, her face drained of color.
“Jim, our baby is in trouble…” she gasped
out.
That snapped Dad out of his fury. He barreled past Walter, scooped Olivia up without a second thought, and made a beeline for the hospital.
The wedding venue descended into utter mayhem. I caught snippets of whispered
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speculation among the guests. Walter approached, his expression stormy, “What was all this about? Didn’t we agree that a big scene would bring Olivia back to us?”
The two kids looked up at me with eyes full of accusation.
I offered them a wry smile and said, “You both know the truth. How could you think about giving up on your child at this point in your life?”
A trace of guilt crossed Walter’s face, but it quickly hardened as he responded darkly, “A son? He won’t see a cent from her!”
