Chapter_5
Blushing furiously, Olivia quickly pulled away from Tyler’s embrace. Her heart hammered in her chest as she lowered her gaze to the mess on the floor. She bent down to pick up the grapes, but as she reached for one, so did Tyler. Their hands brushed against each other, his hand warm and wet from the water.
Olivia’s breath hitched, and instinctively, she withdrew her hand. Tyler, ever observant, noticed the subtle shift in her posture and mirrored her, pulling his hand back as well. An awkward silence fell between them.
From the other room, Naomi’s voice broke through the stillness. “What’s wrong, Olivia?”
Tyler answered without hesitation, his tone calm and composed. “Nothing.”
Olivia didn’t respond, remaining frozen where she knelt. She allowed him to continue cleaning up the mess, his actions efficient and almost mechanical. She, however, felt like she was caught in a storm inside, her heart still racing from the unexpected proximity.
After a few moments, Tyler turned to her and spoke again, his voice gentle. “You clean yourself up. I’ll leave first.”
Without waiting for a reply, he rolled down his sleeves and walked toward the ward, leaving Olivia alone with the remnants of the moment. She stood there, gripping the edge of the basin, her pulse still rapid as she processed everything that had just happened.
She spent a few minutes cleaning up the spilled milk, the sound of running water filling the silence between her and the rest of the world. Inside the ward, she could hear the faint murmur of conversation between Tyler and Naomi, but the words were lost in the distance.
When Olivia returned to the room, she found Tyler preparing to leave. He had already picked up his jacket, and his demeanor was as composed as ever. “I need to go,” he said. “I can’t take Olivia home, but I’ll have my driver pick her up later. She can keep you company.”
Olivia clenched her fists, feeling a pang of something sharp and bitter. She understood, perhaps more than he realized, that Tyler was likely trying to avoid spending any more time alone with her. But Naomi, with a slight smile, interjected. “I don’t need her company. Can you take her with you?” She then reached out to Tyler, holding his hand with a soft, pleading expression. “Thank you, Tyler.”
Tyler’s gaze shifted to Naomi, and for a brief moment, their eyes locked. The intensity of their unspoken communication hung in the air, but neither said anything. Olivia watched the exchange with growing unease. She understood the dynamics now—one was trying to push her out, the other pulling her in.
So, where did she fit in this delicate balance?
After a long pause, Tyler agreed, his voice flat, as if resigned to his role. “Okay.”
Naomi removed her hand from his arm, the decision made. Olivia, still frozen in place, was left to digest the unspoken messages swirling around her. She felt out of place, as though she were merely a pawn in a game she didn’t understand.
“Let’s go,” Tyler said, turning to Olivia, his tone detached but firm.
Olivia hesitated. She opened her mouth to speak, to protest perhaps, but when she met Naomi’s hopeful gaze, she swallowed her words. There was no room for objection, not now. She followed Tyler out of the room, her footsteps heavy with confusion and uncertainty.
The car ride was a study in silence. Olivia could sense the underlying tension between Tyler and Naomi, subtle but undeniable. She felt like an outsider, caught between two people whose lives were intertwined in ways she could never fully understand. The quiet stretched on, each passing moment thick with the weight of unsaid things.
When they arrived at the Jones residence, Tyler turned to her. “I won’t escort you inside.”
The words were simple, but they carried an underlying message of distance. Olivia nodded, her heart sinking with the realization that he was trying to put as much space between them as possible.
“Thank you, Tyler,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She didn’t have the energy for any further conversation. All she wanted was to escape—escape from the suffocating tension, the complex emotions swirling in her chest, and the strange, magnetic pull she felt toward Tyler.
But as she reached for the door handle, Tyler’s voice stopped her.
“Olivia,” he called.
Her hand froze mid-motion. She turned to look at him, her heart skipping a beat.
“What happened between me and Naomi has nothing to do with you,” he said calmly, almost apologetically, as if trying to explain the undercurrent of tension she had witnessed. He was referring to the way Naomi had pushed her away, the subtle drama that played out in the hospital room.
Olivia felt a pang of something—sadness, perhaps—or maybe just acceptance. She knew her place in this situation, even if it was a painful truth to face. She was a bystander, an unwilling participant in a drama she couldn’t escape.
“It’s okay, Tyler,” she replied softly. “I’m fine.”
For a long moment, Tyler didn’t speak, his gaze lingering on her as if weighing her words. Finally, he nodded, his voice flat as he said, “Alright.”
Olivia quickly opened the door and stepped out of the car. She didn’t look back as she hurried toward the house, her heart still heavy with the emotions she couldn’t fully understand. The car stayed there for a few moments longer before driving away, and Tyler remained inside, watching her disappear from view.
As Olivia reached the door, she saw several messages waiting for her—messages from her classmates, all asking about her and Jacob. She deleted them all without a second thought, her mind too consumed with everything that had happened.
The next few days passed in a blur. She stayed home, too afraid to face school. Mrs. Jones continued to bring her soup, an offering that Olivia knew had more to do with her role in the family’s desperate plan than any real concern for her well-being. Olivia drank the soup without complaint, knowing it was expected of her. But sometimes, in the quiet of her thoughts, she wondered if she was truly seen as a person—or just as a tool to extend Naomi’s life.