Chapter_273
Tyler nodded and looked at Olivia, his expression softening as he approached her bedside. “Have you checked the living room or the study? You may have left it there.”
Olivia shook her head slowly, still feeling unsettled. “I haven’t checked. I just… I don’t know. I feel like I’ve lost track of everything since yesterday.”
Tyler could sense the weight of her emotions, the tension that hadn’t completely left her after the confrontation. He wanted to ease her mind, but it was clear she was carrying more than just the confusion of the previous night. “Take your time, Olivia. If it’s not in here, we’ll find it.”
He turned to Nina. “Could you check the other rooms downstairs?”
Nina nodded and left, but before she closed the door behind her, Tyler turned back to Olivia. He hesitated for a moment before sitting on the edge of the bed. “I’m sorry for what happened yesterday. I know it was a lot for you to handle, and I… I don’t want you to feel like you’re caught in the middle.”
Olivia glanced at him, her gaze weary. “It’s not just that. It’s the family… Everything feels so messy. I just wanted to get through it. I didn’t want to make things worse.”
Tyler exhaled slowly, his eyes flickering with something Olivia couldn’t quite place. “You’re not the one making things worse. This… this is years of unresolved issues. You just happened to step into it.”
“I’m just… I don’t know where I fit into all of this, Tyler. I’m not strong like Naomi,” she confessed quietly, avoiding his gaze. “I don’t want to become part of the drama.”
Tyler’s heart tightened at her words. “You’re already part of it, Olivia. You don’t have to be strong like anyone else. You just have to be yourself.” He paused, his voice lowering. “And I’ll be here to help you through it, every step of the way.”
Olivia looked up at him, her eyes searching his face for sincerity. She could see it there, but a part of her still felt hesitant, uncertain. “I just don’t want to make things harder for Naomi, for anyone.”
“I understand,” Tyler said, his voice softening even more. “But you can’t carry the weight of their problems. You need to focus on yourself and the baby right now. Let me handle the rest.”
Olivia bit her lip, nodding reluctantly. She still felt conflicted, but Tyler’s words offered some comfort. “Okay.”
At that moment, Nina returned with Olivia’s phone in hand. “I found it in the study, ma’am.”
Olivia took the phone from Nina, her fingers brushing against Tyler’s as she did. She felt a strange mix of emotions—relief at having her phone back, but also the lingering tension of the day before.
Tyler stood up, looking at Olivia one last time. “I’ll check in on you later. Take it easy today.”
Olivia nodded as he left the room. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to shift, that she was teetering on the edge of something bigger than just family drama. But for now, all she could do was hold on and try to keep herself together.