Chapter_8
Tyler released Olivia after the kiss, the lingering sensation of it hanging between them. Olivia felt a deep sense of trouble, mentally unprepared to process what had just happened. The moment felt surreal, and she didn’t know what to say, or even if she could say anything at all.
Tyler didn’t pressure her. Instead, he waited in silence, his gaze soft, giving her space to gather herself. The soft moonlight streamed through the window, casting a silvery glow across their faces. In the quiet darkness, Tyler’s features looked almost otherworldly, the delicate curve of his nose just an inch away from hers. They stayed like that, suspended in a moment that felt both intimate and fraught with tension.
But in that very instant, Olivia’s thoughts were consumed by someone else. Jacob flooded her mind, his face, his voice, his presence. She couldn’t escape him, no matter how hard she tried. And because of that, she couldn’t fully accept what had just happened between her and Tyler.
Tyler, sensing her inner turmoil, remained still. The space between them felt thick with unspoken words, but Olivia was the first to break the silence.
“We agreed that I’ll keep the child after it’s born, right?” The question slipped from her lips, as if seeking a way to rationalize everything, to find a reason for why things had escalated so quickly.
“Yes,” Tyler replied, his voice calm and steady, offering no further explanation or judgment.
Olivia closed her eyes, her breath shallow as the weight of her own words sank in. The air inside the car was cold, the heater long forgotten, leaving them both to feel the chill creeping into their bones.
In that quiet space, Tyler reached for her, pulling her gently into his embrace from behind. His warmth seemed to settle around her, but it couldn’t chase away the cold uncertainty that had settled in her chest.
Just as she began to focus on the sound of their breathing, a sharp ring cut through the silence. The phone on the floor, just beyond her reach, buzzed with a call. Both of them glanced down at the same time, still holding each other, the moment interrupted.
Olivia’s heart skipped a beat when she saw the name on the screen: Jacob.
She had blocked him—once. But later, in a moment of weakness, she had unblocked his number, and now here he was, calling her for the first time since. The call ended as quickly as it had come, but her mind was already spiraling.
Before she could process it, the phone rang again. Mrs. Jones. It was clear that this call was meant to probe, to test, to ask questions Olivia wasn’t ready to answer.
Tyler didn’t let go immediately, but after a moment, he did. Olivia slid over to the passenger seat, her movements slow and deliberate, as if she were trying to put some space between herself and everything she was feeling. Neither of them answered the calls.
The car fell back into silence, the weight of unspoken words thickening the air between them. After a few moments, Tyler’s voice broke through.
“Should I take you home?” he asked, his voice even, though there was something in the way he spoke—maybe concern, or maybe just resignation.
Olivia sat up straighter in the passenger seat, her legs pressed together, her body still cold from the car’s chill. She nodded softly, her voice barely above a whisper. “Mm-hmm.”
The car ride to her house was long, the hours stretching endlessly. By the time they arrived, it was well past 2 A.M. Olivia felt the weight of exhaustion pulling at her every step. She thanked him quietly, her body moving on autopilot as she stepped out of the car and into the house.
The house was still, the only sound her quiet footsteps on the floor. As she entered the living room, Mrs. Jones appeared almost instantly, her eyes wide with barely contained panic.
“Did Tyler take you home?” Mrs. Jones asked, her voice sharp with concern.
“Mm-hmm,” Olivia responded, her tone distant, the exhaustion in her body making it hard to say anything more.
Mrs. Jones studied her, her gaze flickering between Olivia’s face and the exhaustion that weighed heavily on her. There was something in her eyes—frustration, perhaps, or maybe something deeper, an unspoken understanding of the situation. She didn’t press Olivia further, though. Instead, she simply nodded and said, “Alright, go get some rest.”
Olivia felt her shoulders sag with relief. The last thing she had the energy for was more probing, more questions.
As she turned to head upstairs, her hand reached for the bathroom door, but Mrs. Jones’s voice stopped her. “Olivia, you shouldn’t take a bath.”
Her fingers, which had been reaching for the door handle, froze, then slowly slid away. “Okay,” Olivia said quietly, her voice flat. She turned and walked back to her room, her steps heavy.
The strange sense of being watched still lingered, but she was too tired to care. She just wanted to escape into her own space, to drown out the world for a little while, even if it was only for a few hours.