Chapter_143
screaming accusations echoing in her mind, filling her with guilt and confusion. Did I bring all this upon them? she thought, walking away from the chaos. But the truth was, she had no answer. She couldn’t be sure. There was too much happening, too many emotions swirling around her, too many things left unsaid.
Her heart was heavy, her thoughts scattered like broken glass. She had never imagined that her presence in the Jones household would lead to so much pain. And now, Naomi was fighting for her life, hooked to machines, her body fragile and weak. Olivia could barely grasp the magnitude of it all.
She wasn’t even sure what the IVF talk was about—was it a solution to save Naomi, or just another desperate attempt to hold onto something that was slipping away? The urgency, the pressure—it felt suffocating.
Tyler had been calm throughout it all, but Olivia couldn’t ignore the tension in his eyes. He was troubled, weighed down by something far deeper than just Naomi’s health. What was he holding back? Why did he remain so distant?
Olivia found herself at a loss, standing alone in the hallway, trying to catch her breath. Every time she thought she understood the situation, something new came to light that shattered her understanding.
She thought back to Hillary’s words—You owe her everything. The accusation stung, but Olivia couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that maybe Hillary was right. Maybe this was all her fault. Maybe her very existence had caused Naomi’s suffering. If only she hadn’t been drawn into their world, none of this would’ve happened.
But then, Olivia caught herself. No, I can’t think like that, she reminded herself. She had to stop letting their words control her emotions. She wasn’t the cause of this tragedy. There were deeper, darker things at play here, things that she couldn’t yet understand.
Olivia forced herself to move, pushing forward toward the ICU, determined to see Naomi, to be there for her sister. But when she reached the door, she froze. Tyler was standing there, speaking quietly to the doctor. His back was turned to her, but she could still see the exhaustion and the tension in his posture.
She approached him slowly, her footsteps hesitant. “How is she?” she asked, her voice trembling.
Tyler didn’t turn around at first. When he did, his eyes met hers, but there was no warmth in them—just the cold, hard mask he wore to hide his emotions.
“She’s stable for now,” Tyler said softly, his voice betraying none of the worry he must have felt. “But we need to wait and see.”
Olivia nodded, but the emptiness in her chest didn’t fade. She wanted to ask him everything—What’s really going on, Tyler? What happened to Morgan?—but she couldn’t bring herself to. There were too many unspoken words between them, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for the answers.
Before she could say anything more, the doctor motioned for Tyler to follow him. “We’re going to do everything we can,” the doctor reassured them both. “But we need you to be prepared for anything.”
Olivia’s heart sank again. She wasn’t prepared for anything. She wasn’t prepared to lose her sister.
She stood there, watching Tyler disappear into the ICU, the weight of his silence pressing down on her. And once again, the pieces of the puzzle slipped further from her grasp.
What was happening to all of them?
She wasn’t sure how long she stood there, lost in her thoughts, but eventually, she forced herself to move. She had to stay strong for Naomi. For her family.
And no matter what secrets Tyler was hiding, no matter how much guilt she felt, she had to stay—because Naomi needed her now more than ever.
She wiped the tears from her eyes and pushed open the door to the ICU, stepping into the sterile, cold room where Naomi lay. There was no turning back now.