Chapter_283
Sophie stood by the lake, the breeze gently brushing against her face as she watched Olivia walk away with Nina. She couldn’t shake the image of Olivia, her belly slightly rounded, her movements slower than usual. It suddenly hit her—Olivia was pregnant. Sophie felt a mix of shock and confusion. She had never imagined Olivia in that position, especially not with someone like Tyler Harris.
Sophie had always seen Olivia as someone who lived in the shadows of the Harris family. She had been part of a world filled with wealth, luxury, and expectations, but now, there was something more to it. Olivia was carrying a child, possibly Tyler’s child, and Sophie couldn’t help but wonder what kind of life that meant for her.
As she continued walking toward her car, her mind was filled with questions. Was this what Olivia had always wanted? Or had she been thrust into a life she didn’t choose? Sophie tried to picture her friend—once carefree, once lost in her studies, now wrapped up in a world of power and status she couldn’t have imagined.
Her phone rang, and the sound startled her from her thoughts. It was Jacob. She answered quickly, hoping to find some distraction.
“When are you done with classes today? I’ll come pick you up. I’m finishing work early,” Jacob’s voice was warm, as always.
Sophie smiled at the thought of him. “I just saw Olivia, Jacob.”
There was a pause on the other end of the line, a silence that lingered a bit too long. Sophie waited for him to respond, her heart pounding a little faster. Finally, Jacob’s voice came through, colder than before.
“Oh? Where did you see her?” he asked, though his tone suggested he wasn’t really interested in the details.
“By the lake at school. She was alone. I think she might be… pregnant.” Sophie wasn’t sure why she added that last part. It wasn’t like she had any confirmation, but there was something about the way Olivia moved, the way she touched her belly that made Sophie feel certain.
Jacob didn’t reply immediately. His silence made Sophie uneasy. She wanted to take back her words, to unsay everything she had just said, but it was too late.
“That’s great,” Jacob’s voice was dry, distant, and Sophie felt a chill sweep over her.
She wasn’t sure what to make of his response. Was he genuinely indifferent? Or was there something else behind his words that she couldn’t quite grasp?
Sophie hesitated, unsure of what to say next. “I’ll pick you up in the evening,” Jacob said abruptly, before the call ended.
Sophie stood in the parking lot, staring at her phone, the words hanging heavily between them. Something felt wrong, but she couldn’t place her finger on it. Why had Jacob reacted that way? What did it mean for Olivia, and for their own relationship? She didn’t know, but she could feel a shift in the air, a tension she hadn’t noticed before.
As she made her way back to her car, she couldn’t help but wonder about the choices Olivia had made, about the life she had stepped into. It was clear that Tyler’s world was a complicated one, filled with expectations and pressures. But what about Olivia’s world? Was she truly happy, or had she been swept into a life that was as difficult to escape as it was to embrace?
Back at his office, Jacob hung up the phone and stared at the screen for a moment, the unease still lingering in his chest. He hadn’t meant to come off so cold to Sophie. But the news about Olivia—about her possibly being pregnant—had hit him harder than he expected. Tyler’s involvement, the fact that Olivia was carrying his child, seemed to bring everything to a head. Jacob had always known that the Harrises were in a league of their own, but now he was faced with the reality that Olivia was tangled up in their world in ways he hadn’t anticipated.
The door opened, and Linda stepped in, breaking his thoughts. She seemed cheerful, as always, but Jacob wasn’t in the mood for small talk.
Linda’s presence reminded him of the position he was in. Thanks to the Pearces, and with Tyler’s unexpected attention, he was moving up in the world. But that didn’t seem to matter as much as it once did. The unease he felt regarding Olivia—and now his complicated feelings for her—made everything else seem distant.
He stood up quickly, trying to shake off the thoughts swirling in his head. There were still things to be done, meetings to attend, but for the first time in a long while, Jacob found himself wondering what his life might look like if he didn’t have to live up to the expectations of those around him. Would he be happy with someone like Sophie? Or had he been fooling himself all along?