Chapter 6
I pulled my mother away from the chaos, marking the end of that debacle.
Mom sighed deeply, “He wasn’t always like this. We’ve been together since our teen years. It’s heartbreaking to see how much he’s changed.”
The echoes of my previous life are still fresh, and I realize that the dad who loved me unconditionally is long gone.
Holding my mother’s hand, I felt a surge of relief that I had managed to save her this time around.
As for Olivia, I couldn’t help but scoff. Did she really think she could tame a man so driven by his desires?
Yet, Olivia’s child proved to be as resilient as her spirit.
Despite the turmoil, she remained
pregnant and stable. I even caught sight of
25% 11:24
1/4
Chapter 6
Walter, still wearing his sullen expression, as he brought the kids to visit Olivia daily.
Dad’s obsession with Olivia seemed to have cooled. Lately, he’s been showing up at our place trying to reconnect with Mom.
“Lily, I was wrong. Please, talk some sense into your mom,” he’d say, as if he could just erase the past with a few words.
Seeing that I was unmoved, he tried to charm me, “Lily, I got swept up by Olivia; it wasn’t deliberate. And look, you’re all doing okay, right?”
He glanced around and added, “Aren’t you still living in this house?”
Just as I was about to shut him out, Mom emerged from her room.
Dad’s face lit up when he saw her, his eyes crinkling with a hopeful smile.
“Sophie, I’m so glad you’re seeing me. I drove three hours to get your favorite
cakes,” he said, offering the bag with a grin.
25% 11:24
2/4
Chapter 6
Mom took a long look at the bag, then at Dad, and cracked a wry smile, “Jim, save your sweet talk and your money for Olivia, not me.”
With that, she pulled me back and swung the door shut.
Dad, desperate, wedged his hand in the doorframe, only to wince in pain as Mom slammed the door, rebounding with a thud.
“Ouch…” Dad grimaced, fighting back tears, looking utterly pitiful. “Sophie…”
A flicker of sympathy crossed Mom’s face, and she stepped forward, almost moved. But as I was about to interject, the door slammed shut.
“Jim, drop the act. You know what I’ve become,” she said firmly behind the closed door.
She then turned to me in the living room, her gaze earnest, “If you hesitate when you should act, you’ll pay the price.”
25% 11:24
3/4
-4
Chapter 6
“He’s your father and my ex, but after what he’s done, you can’t keep making excuses for him. Got it?”
I looked at her, admiration written all over my face as she continued, “No matter who it is, if they hurt you, you need to cut them off and never look back. If he shows up while I’m not around, don’t open the door.”
Meeting my gaze, she smiled with a mix of resignation and affection, “Forget it, you’re still young.”
Later, she confided her desire to sell the house and settle somewhere picturesque— a place where we could both find peace. Naturally, I agreed.
As for Olivia, fortune didn’t seem to favor
her as much.
