Now that I think about it 50

Posted by adminh, ? Views, Released on February 18, 2025

“Thanks,” I said, grabbing a seat and dumping some of pancakes she made onto my plate. She worked silently, while I devoured the food and barely looked up from my plate. I knew she wanted to say something, but she was probably wondering how I would react.

Finally, she plucked up the courage and said, “I think you need to see a doctor.”

“What for?” I asked, feigning ignorance.

H

“You know what I mean, Liv,” she said. “I thought the nightmares were over. But they’re back now, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t think this is a good sign. I’ve been suggesting therapy for ages now, but you’ve always said no. I still don’t understand why you won’t just do it.”

I looked up slowly, taking a deep breath and trying to calm myself down.

“Rach, I appreciate the concern,” I said. “I really do. But I don’t need to see a shrink. I’m good.”

“No, you’re not,” she said, turning to face me. “You asked to leave the club so abruptly yesterday, and you didn’t “say a word since we got back. And then you wake up screaming a few hours later. That doesn’t sound good to me. Did something happen at the club?”

I suddenly remembered Marcus’s face, the way he narrowed his eyes as he stared at me. I remembered the way he

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Chapter Twenty–Fre

looked totally oblivious, like he didn’t know who he was taking to. I knew he didn’t It to spite me, but it hurt so much. It was worse than him just throwing the usual insult and hurtful words at me before walking away. To be insulted was one thing. But to not even be regarded as a person was something else entirely.

“It was Marcus,” I said quietly, “I saw him at the club last fight.‘

Rachel immediately came to sit beside me, and she looked so shocked, with her mouth open. She placed her hand on my shoulder, looking like a concerned mother while I tried to banish the memory of Marcus from my mind.

“He acted like he didn’t even know me,” I said. “I mean he looked me right in the eye, came up to me and asked if I knew him. It was so humiliating. After all these years, and he’s still as twisted and manipulative as he always was. I just don’t understand how anyone can be this cruel.”

“He doesn’t deserve an ounce of your time,” she said. “Liv, Marcus is in your past. Fuck him and that bitch who’s living up his ass. So what if he pretended not to know you? That’s a good thing in my books. It’s best if you have nothing tying you to him at all. Otherwise, he’s just going to weigh you down. And you’ve worked too hard to let this be a major setback.”

“You’re right,” I said. “I shouldn’t let this bother me.

“Yes, you shouldn’t,” she said. “To hell with him and Emily. I’m sure she must have been so happy when she saw

you.

15

“No, she wasn’t there,” I said. “He was dancing with another woman.”

Rachel gasped, and an evil smile crept onto her lips as she said, “So he’s seeing another woman?”

“Looks like it,” I replied. “I mean he dyed his hair blonde so he wouldn’t be recognised. But I knew it the moment I saw him.”

“That conniving little snake,” she shrieked. “Three years and he’s already cheating on her? I knew their happy relationship was too good to be true. You see? There’s nothing for you to worry about. Maybe that’s what you should be more concerned with than the fact that he pretended not to know you. Maybe he was just trying to save face because you’d seen him talking to another woman.”

That certainly made sense to me. Why did I even care that he was being an asshole? The fact remained that he was with another woman, and from the way they were dancing, it was very obvious what was going on between the two of them. Emily might think she’d won, but she was wrong. Once a cheater, always a cheater.

But then, with a jolt, I suddenly remembered how abruptly I’d walked away, leaving Chris without an explanation. I felt like an idiot, and I couldn’t even imagine what went through his head when I did that. He must think of me as such an evil and confusing person who’d splashed her drink in a stranger’s face and walked away without an explanation.

“I need to make a call,” I said, scrambling back to my room. Rachel kept asking who I wanted to talk to, but I quickly shut the door and sat by the window, dialling the number he’d called me with yesterday. I almost leapt with joy when he answered on the third ring, his smooth voice causing me to melt as he said, “Hello?”

“Hi, Chris,” I said. “I’m so glad I reached you.”

“I’m kind of in the middle of something right now,” he said. “Can I call you back?”

“Chris, before you hang up,” I said, “I’m so sorry about last night. I totally didn’t mean to just walk away from you like that. I don’t even know what I was thinking. I just saw my ex–husband, and it brought all these memories rushing back. I wasn’t thinking straight, and I’m so sorry for blowing you off like that. I promise I didn’t do it intentionally.”

“Olivia

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Chapter Twenty Five

“Please, if you’ll just give me a chance, I’ll show you that not this crazy woman who goes around pouring drinks In people’s faces and walking away from a conversation like that,” I said. “I know that’s how it seems, but I didn’t mean to do all that. I just ”

“Olivia, it’s fine,” he said, cutting me off. “I didn’t think you were crazy. But can I call you back? I’m about to walk into the courtroom right now, and I don’t think my client will appreciate me talking about my love life instead of focusing on his case.”

My face split into a simile as he said that, and I sighed in relief as I realised that he wasn’t upset.

“I’m glad to hear that,” I said. “Sorry for disturbing you. I’ll be waiting for your call.”

“Sure thing,” he replied. “You still owe me a date, remember?”

“Right,” I said. “I’ll keep that in mind. Bye, Chris.”

As he hung up, I dropped to the floor and shook my head. A least I hadn’t screwed things up beyond repair. There was still some hope left for me. And as much as Marcus might want to, he wouldn’t be able to ruin this thing for

me.

I was just about to walk out of the room when my phone suddenly started to vibrate. I thought it was Chris calling me back, but when I answered, I realised it was Brenda.

“Hey,” she said as soon as I answered. “How have you been?”

“Hi, Brenda,” I replied. “I haven’t heard from you in a while.”

“I’ve been good,” she said. “How are you holding up?”

“So far so good,” I said. “London is great. You should consider moving here.”

“I’ll do that when David decides to quit and start afresh,” she said, and I stiffened at the mention of David. I still remembered how he had been working with Marcus to sabotage my case, and how he had been manipulating me from the start. But I hadn’t told Brenda anything about that because I knew she would destroy him if she found

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“So, did you hear the news?” she asked.

“What news?” I asked confusedly.

“Emily had a miscarriage,” she said, and my heart plummeted at the news. “She was wheeled into the hospital last night, and my friend who works as a nurse there told me that she was covered in bruises. Marcus was beside himself, and she said he was freaking out. We’re not sure if someone broke into the house or if he did it himself, but Emily just woke up and she’s fine.”

I leaned against the wall, a hollow feeling settling in my chest. I knew exactly what must have happened. Marcus must have laid his hands on her. The surprising part was the fact that she had bens pregnant. A part of me felt bad for her, mostly because I knew exactly what it felt like because I’d been in her shoes in the past.

“I’m sending you a link to the video right now,” Brenda said, and I got the notification immediately. I immediately opened it, and I watched as Emily was rushed into the hospital, while Marcus followed closely behind, covered in blood and looking like he was going to break down at any moment. It was a chilling sight, and I couldn’t believe what I was looking at as he kept saying something to her. The video was shaking so much as the person recording tried to follow them, while security held them off. A few people were yelling at them, but it was all just noise.