Chapter_205
In that moment, words lost their meaning.
Sophie was visibly panicking, but Jacob remained composed, even smug. When they were caught, he looked Olivia straight in the eye—with a dismissive smirk that pierced deeper than anything he could have said.
Olivia and Jacob had parted ways some time ago. She had imagined, more than once, what it might feel like to see him again. Maybe he’d have moved on, maybe he’d be dating someone new—or even starting a family. She thought she was ready for that.
But she never imagined it would be Sophie.
Her body moved before her mind could catch up, stepping back until she bumped into a table, nearly losing her balance.
“Olivia!” Sophie rushed forward instinctively.
She tried to steady her, to offer support, but Olivia recoiled before she could touch her.
They stood face to face, their gazes locked. Sophie looked as though she might cry. She had been one of Olivia’s closest friends—the kind you tell your secrets to, the kind you trust without question. But Sophie had harbored a secret of her own: she had loved Jacob for years. Quietly. Painfully. Always standing aside.
She never said a word. Never acted on it. Because she didn’t want to betray Olivia.
But after Olivia and Jacob broke up, Sophie misunderstood. She thought maybe Olivia had stopped loving him. And when Jacob sank into a spiral of quiet despair, she couldn’t bear to watch. She comforted him, offered him her heart when he needed something to hold on to. And when she saw Olivia getting close to Claude, she made a choice—a selfish one.
She chased the love she had once buried. And now, they were more than friends.
“I was going to tell you,” Sophie whispered, eyes pleading. “I just didn’t know how. I never meant for you to find out like this…”
But Jacob cut her off, grabbing her hand possessively. “Sophie, you don’t need to explain anything. Olivia and I are over. She made that choice. We’re together now. That’s all that matters.”
He looked at Olivia, his smile sharp. “She ended things. Is it really wrong for me to move on?”
Sophie’s breath caught. She hadn’t expected Jacob to speak so bluntly, so cruelly. She tried to pull her hand back, quietly urging him to stop—but Jacob didn’t budge. His eyes stayed on Olivia, full of cold satisfaction. Like upsetting her was some sort of twisted prize.
Olivia stood motionless, one hand gripping the edge of the table. The world around her blurred. She didn’t cry. She couldn’t. There was nothing left to pour out. She just stared at the two people she had trusted most—one wearing guilt, the other wearing pride.
Then Jacob added, with mock sweetness, “Can we move on with our lives now, princess?”
Olivia drew in a shaky breath, steadying herself. Her voice was low, but steady. “Of course.”
She turned to leave, but Sophie rushed after her.
“Olivia, wait. Please. I know it looks bad, but… nothing happened between us until after you and Jacob broke up. He always loved you. I was just—there. We didn’t mean for this to happen like this.”
Olivia finally turned to her, eyes glassy but dry. “Yes, Jacob and I are over. You can have him.”
She paused.
“But I always thought of you as my friend, Soof. My best friend.”
Her voice trembled, not with rage—but with heartbreak.
“So, tell me… what was I to you?”