Chapter 421
Lately, Olivia had been spending most of her time upstairs, tucked away from the world. When Tyler asked, she answered plainly, “I have.”
“You don’t have to go to those events if you don’t enjoy them,” he said. He was referring to the charity auction they’d attended the night before.
Olivia offered a soft reply, sincere but distant. “You can take Naomi next time.”
“She might not be up for it, given her health,” Tyler responded. “I’ve just been taking her out a bit lately—hoping it helps her feel better.”
He undid the top button of his shirt and headed toward the wardrobe. These days, he rarely entered the bedroom for anything besides changing clothes.
As his footsteps receded behind her, Olivia remained seated on the couch, head bowed in silence.
After a moment, Tyler’s voice broke the quiet. “Where are the documents that were on the table?”
He usually kept certain papers in the room, and Olivia, having barely paid attention to them, immediately stood. “Let me find them.”
She began searching the drawers and cabinets, checking the side tables. Tyler stood nearby, watching her wordlessly.
Eventually, Olivia opened a cabinet and found the documents—right where she had placed them earlier for convenience. She handed them over. “Are these the ones you were looking for, Tyler?”
He gave the pages a quick glance. “Mm-hmm,” he replied, barely acknowledging her effort.
Despite her pregnancy, Olivia remained slim, her figure largely unchanged aside from the gentle swell of her belly. She wore soft maternity clothes, simple and comfortable, giving her the air of a delicate, doll-like figure.
Tyler took the documents and turned to go. “Go rest.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
Her voice lacked emotion. Detached. Robotic. She watched him leave without another word.
She knew he was waiting for the baby too—both of them quietly hoping its arrival would bring some form of resolution, though neither dared say it aloud.
That evening, after a long and chaotic day, Claude returned home.
Standing near the window in his room, he gazed out at the darkening mountain view when Sophie entered quietly.
“Olivia called,” she said, holding a small parcel. “She said the gift you sent… she asked me to return it to you.”
Claude turned to face her, his expression unreadable. No anger. No disappointment. Just calm detachment.
“She doesn’t want it?” he asked, then shrugged faintly. “Keep it, then.”
He turned back to the window, the silence stretching.
Sophie lingered, searching his profile. “Do you really like her, Claude?” Her voice was gentle, unsure.
He looked at her again. His voice was soft but resolute. “This has nothing to do with you, Soof.”
She held his gaze, trying to read something more in his expression. But his eyes had grown distant. Polite, but closed.
Without saying anything further, Claude left the room and made his way to the study.
There, he picked up another item—a delicate hair clip still resting on the table. He turned it in his fingers, smiling faintly.
It reminded him of her. Of Olivia.
He didn’t say a word, but a quiet chuckle escaped his lips as memories from the day played in his mind.