Chapter_31
Tyler looked at Naomi, feigning annoyance. “Stop being so stubborn,” he said with a hint of mock sternness.
Naomi sighed, realizing that Tyler wouldn’t relent. “Alright, I won’t argue with you,” she conceded, giving in to his insistence.
Tyler, ever attentive, took a blanket from the nurse and gently draped it over Naomi, making sure she was warm and comfortable. He seemed genuinely concerned that she might catch a cold.
Trying to lighten the mood, Naomi teased, “No need to worry. We’re just in Olivia’s ward.”
Tyler didn’t smile at her teasing. Instead, he responded with quiet seriousness, “Alright, let’s go.”
Meanwhile, Olivia, who had been lying in bed, observed the scene from a distance, her eyes following them as they interacted. She couldn’t help but notice the contrast in Tyler’s demeanor when he was with Naomi—he was softer, more relaxed, even smiling. It was a rare sight, one that she’d never quite seen from him before.
After giving Naomi a warm hug, Tyler turned to Olivia. “I’ll take your sister back. If you need anything, just talk to the driver, okay?”
Olivia nodded. “Sure, thanks, Tyler,” she replied, feeling a bit unsettled as they left the room.
As they exited, Tyler and Naomi began chatting happily. Olivia could no longer hear their conversation, but the sight of Tyler smiling made her heart ache. He rarely smiled—at least not around her. And the fact that he did so easily around Naomi made something inside Olivia twist with a mixture of longing and confusion.
Naomi, noticing Olivia’s subtle shift in mood, turned to Tyler with a concerned look. “Is Olivia going to be alright by herself in the ward?”
Tyler, ever the protector, reassured her, pulling her close. “She’ll be fine. The driver will take her back to school later.”
Naomi exhaled in relief, nodding. She gave one last look at Olivia before walking out with Tyler, leaving Olivia alone in the quiet hospital room.
Back in the ward, Olivia lay quietly with her IV drip until evening, but Tyler never returned. It was his driver who eventually showed up to take her back to the Jones’ residence, not Tyler himself.
Olivia had been waiting, hoping to see Tyler, to ask him about Jacob’s situation and how it had been resolved. But as the minutes ticked by and Tyler didn’t show up, her hope slowly turned to disappointment. She didn’t want to call him and bother him, so she let the feeling linger and ultimately decided against it.
When she arrived home, her father, Darren, was sitting on the couch, watching TV. An advertisement for a new medicine related to Naomi’s illness played on the screen.
Olivia stood in the doorway, watching him for a while. He was so engrossed in the TV that he barely acknowledged her presence. With a sigh, she walked over to him and said, “Dad.”
He looked up lazily. “No school today?”
It had been days since Olivia had come home, and yet her father didn’t even ask how she was feeling or about her time away. Olivia felt a pang of disappointment, a familiar ache she had learned to ignore over the years. She stood there for a moment, quietly processing the distance between them. Finally, she replied, “I went to school and visited Naomi.”
Darren nodded, barely paying attention. “Okay, go rest,” he said, not taking his eyes off the screen.
Olivia’s heart sank a little as she realized how little attention her father paid to her. She was still unwell, pale, and exhausted, but he didn’t seem to notice. She bit her lip in frustration, but there was no point in trying to get his attention. With a soft sigh, she turned and walked upstairs in silence.
The next morning, Olivia’s concern for Jacob returned, and she couldn’t ignore it any longer. She had to call Tyler, despite feeling nervous and unsure. She hesitated for a long time, fearing she might be bothering him, but her worry for Jacob overwhelmed her.
When Tyler answered, his voice was low and quiet, as if he had just woken up. Olivia could barely hear her own breathing through the line. She waited for a moment, unsure of how to start the conversation, but finally, she broke the silence with a question that had been haunting her.
“Tyler, will Jacob be released on bail tomorrow?”
Tyler was still groggy, holding a glass of iced water as he sat on the couch. He was dressed casually in black pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt, his usual nonchalant expression in place. He replied, “I think so.”
Olivia wasn’t fully reassured by his response, so she pressed further, her voice shaky. “Are you sure he’ll be released?”
There was a long pause on the other end, a brief moment of silence before Tyler responded, but his answer did little to ease Olivia’s fears.
Still not satisfied, Olivia took a deep breath, her courage gathering as she asked, “Tyler, can we meet?”
Tyler’s silence spoke volumes. Olivia’s heart raced, but she knew she had to ask.