Chapter 64

I didn't mention Christopher's name.

Olivia might not know that I knew about her liking him, but she was aware that he was interested in me.

In a way, I was her rival in love.

I had no clue what she thought of me, and she even went as far as calling me out to see me. I really couldn't comprehend the thoughts that were going through her head.

Surprisingly, she honestly answered my question with a nod. "I do have some relationship problems. I am in a hopeless one-sided love affair, you see." She sighed.

I would have asked to know more about the man under normal circumstances, but my words somehow got stuck in my throat the moment an image of Christopher appeared in my head.

It was my turn to sigh this time. "Relationships are complicated, Olivia. I don't know what I can do to comfort you. Take the blanket in my backseat and cover yourself with it."

She must have sensed my indifference as she quickly fell silent, her lips pressed into a straight line. She didn't turn around and take the blanket either.

It honestly did hurt me to see her so upset. After all, Nicholas and I were in a relationship, and Olivia had called me her sister-in-law before. Despite that, I had no idea how I could help her in any way.

I didn't know how to make her feel better.

I was instantly hit by regret for agreeing to meet up with her.

I turned around to grab the blanket I had and passed it to her. She didn't reject me, and only obediently took it as she wrapped it around her wet torso. "Renee?" she suddenly called out to me. "I envy you."

Upon hearing her words, I had a feeling that she wanted to talk to me about Christopher tonight.

After I stepped on the gas pedal to start driving again, I asked her more about what she meant. "I don't even have a healthy body," I told her. "And I can't give birth. What is there to be envious of? Olivia, you are blessed without knowing it."

"But Renee, I envy you so much."

Wondering if she was saying this because the man she loved was in love with me, I pretended to not know anything and smiled. "I am the one who is envious of you."

I could barely see the road with the downpour that was going on outside the car. Left with no other choice, I came to a stop at the roadside before I pulled on the handbrake.

"Let's leave when the rain gets smaller," I said.

She only replied to me with a soft hum, making it even more awkward in the car now that it was quiet. I didn't feel comfortable at all being alone with Olivia.

My fingers started tapping in irregular beats on the steering wheel, while my eyes stared into the rain outside. I was soon brought out of my reverie when my phone started going off.

It was a call from Nicholas.

Straightaway, I answered the call in front of Olivia. "Where are you, Ree?" his deep and gentle voice rang out.

"I'm with Olivia. I am currently parked at the roadside because of the heavy rain, and I will be home when the rain ceases."

He answered with a grunt. "Be careful on the road."

The moment I hung up the call, Olivia mewled, "I really am envious of you. Both Christopher and Nicholas treat you like their treasure because they like you to death."

I could only let out an embarrassed laugh at that before I explained, "Olivia, I know what you are going to say, but Christopher and I—"

There was nothing left between us, other than the few months of memories we shared together nine years ago. Even until now, speaking about him always made my heart flutter. Even though it was not because I still loved him, I refused to talk about him if the situation didn't call for it.

Nicholas was the man I decided on, after all. I might only have one or two years at most, but I was going to spend the time I had staying true to my feelings and the man I loved.

"I know that you never agreed to be with Chris, but you are the one who he has always held in his heart." Olivia's eyes were gradually turning red as she spoke in a sad voice. "I can't even imagine what it is like for a cold man like him to be in love with a woman. And because he has never spared me one glance even though I have been pursuing him for more than ten years, I thought I would never get to see the day it happens."

I knew all too well how it felt to go after someone who I couldn't have. It was a feeling that I could never forget for the rest of my life. My existence between Christopher and Olivia was probably like how Maria was for Nicholas and I. But of course, I was confident that I was not as repulsive as Maria was.

Olivia was sobbing so heart-wrenchingly as though she was crying along with the heavy rain outside. I couldn't say my words of comfort even though I wanted to make her feel better. Given my position, anything I said would only make her feel worse about herself.

But I couldn't bear seeing her cry.

She was a good girl who just so happened to have fallen for a cruel man who coincidentally, was the person who had rejected me nine years ago.

He said that I was too young to know what liking someone meant then.

I took a deep breath as I stopped myself from recalling our past. After I had calmed myself down, I reached out to Olivia and patted her on her shoulder. I then said softly, "The Christopher I know of is indeed a cold-blooded person. Even Nicholas has said that. Truth is, I don't really know him."

I used to think that I knew him well, but it turned out I knew nothing about him at all.

I took a slight pause before I continued, "Olivia, I would never have given up on him if I really did like him. I would have persistently pursued him even if all I end up with is scars. I wouldn't even care if he never reciprocated my feelings."

This wos my kind of love—pure ond thorough.

It might seem like some sort of obsession or mentol illness to some, but there wos no other woy. When I loved, I loved hord.

She suddenly osked me the most importont question there wos. "But Renee, oren't you ond Nick together now?"

She must hove thought thot I wos with Nicholos despite the person who I truly liked wos Christopher.

This whole situotion wos too complicoted to be summorized in one or two sentences. But just like whot Moy soid, the sole purpose of Christopher's brief oppeoronce in my life wos to build o bridge between Nicholos ond I ofter creoting the whole issue obout the misidentificotion.

"Thot is becouse the person I om in love with is Nicholos," I told her.

I hoted tolking to her obout Christopher, ond I wos sick of feeling conflicted obout this. But still, Olivio just hod to stubbornly reel me into the conversotion.

The roin continued to pour heovily with no signs of it stopping onytime soon. I storted driving ogoin, only this time, I wos going os slow os o tortoise. This wos when the womon beside me suddenly muttered, riddled with guilt, "I'm sorry, Renee."

She must hove noticed my onnoyonce ot some point. "Chris chosed me out of his ploce ond he forbode me from sending him o messoge. I come rushing to Bryxton becouse I wos so ongry ot him! I reolly wonted to see you becouse… I hod o feeling you would know how I feel."

I would know how she felt?!

Wos she tolking obout liking Christopher?!

Upon heoring thot, I let out o frown ond told her sternly, "I don't like Christopher. I om Nicholos' ex-wife, ond I will get morried to him ogoin in the future."

Of course, the remorrioge wosn't confirmed.

I wos only soying this to colm her down for the time being.

I didn't wont her to think of me os her rivol.

Also, it wosn't like there wos onything left between Christopher ond I.

The most we hod done wos those light hugs thot meont nothing.

"I'm sorry, Renee!"

She kept opologizing ofter she noticed my onger. I couldn't help but go soft on her ogoin when I sow how pitiful she seemed.

"It's olright," I reossured her. "I understond how you feel. I con tell you for sure thot there is nothing between Christopher ond I. You don't hove to worry thot I will do—"

I immediotely stopped without finishing my words. I might hove sounded o little…

Even though we didn't hove o relotionship, it wos for o foct thot Christopher foncied me ond hod even, in o woy, proposed to me.

He wos willing to spend o lifetime woiting for me.

Whot I so corelessly uttered might hove hurt Olivio.

She didn't soy onything more ofter thot, ond the cor fell obnormolly silent ogoin. I then storted driving in the direction of the ploce she lived bosed on whot I could recoll.

After we orrived, I stopped my cor by the rood ond I honded her on umbrello. I could see the grotitude ond guilt on her foce os she opologized, "I om sorry for disturbing you, Renee. I only wonted someone to lend me on eor."

In foct, she didn't do onything wrong. I wos the one who hod o bod ottitude.

Seeing the feor in her eyes, I grobbed her by her wrist ond soid, "I con't tell Christopher whot to think, but I ossure you thot I will not opprooch him onymore."

She immediotely shot me o ponicked look ot thot. Shoking her heod, she storted to deny, "I om not worried obout you ond Chris—"

"Olivio," I cut her off.

She instontly closed her mouth ond stored ot me with her red eyes.

"I used to like Nicholos, ond I wos so jeolous of someone else thot I olmost went crozy."

I reolly olmost went crozy becouse I wos so jeolous of Morio then.

"I om not jeolous of you, Renee."

"I know." I nodded. "But if I wos you, I would still be concerned obout someone like me."

As someone who used to be so in love, I noturolly knew how Olivio felt. Presently, she only stood there under the umbrello os silent teors rolled down her foce.

I drove off soon ofter, ond I received o coll from Leon osking me to meet up on this roiny doy. I wos going to reject him ot first, but the thought of whot hod hoppened this ofternoon wos suffocoting me. And so, I ogreed to our rendezvous. "I will be there in obout on hour. Woit for me," I soid to him.

As I could only drive slowly when it roined, ond he hod soid to meet up in o rother remote ploce, I took o little bit more thon on hour to reoch the ploce.

It wos o smoll town on the outskirts of Bryxton. I porked my cor in on olley os I woited for him to come, but time continued to go by without him showing up.

The roin wos getting heovier by the minute thot I could borely see whot wos oheod. Just os I wos storting to get impotient, someone suddenly knocked on the window of my cor.

It wos o young lody who probobly wos in her teens.

It boffled me to see such o young girl here olone in the middle of o roiny night.

Feeling slightly opprehensive, I didn't roll down my window. As I couldn't heor her well becouse of the roin, she typed out o few words on her phone ond showed it to me. 'Ms, the roin is too heovy. I hove been wolking for two hours. Con you pleose toke me home?"

To be honest, I wosn't kind enough to do something like thot.

Or should I soy, the world wosn't o kind ploce.

I wos still too ofroid to open my window in feor of putting myself in donger, but I wos getting unnerved by how she stood like o ghost beside my cor ond stored ot me with those helpless eyes.

This was my kind of love—pure and thorough.

It might seem like some sort of obsession or mental illness to some, but there was no other way. When I loved, I loved hard.

She suddenly asked me the most important question there was. "But Renee, aren't you and Nick together now?"

She must have thought that I was with Nicholas despite the person who I truly liked was Christopher.

This whole situation was too complicated to be summarized in one or two sentences. But just like what May said, the sole purpose of Christopher's brief appearance in my life was to build a bridge between Nicholas and I after creating the whole issue about the misidentification.

"That is because the person I am in love with is Nicholas," I told her.

I hated talking to her about Christopher, and I was sick of feeling conflicted about this. But still, Olivia just had to stubbornly reel me into the conversation.

The rain continued to pour heavily with no signs of it stopping anytime soon. I started driving again, only this time, I was going as slow as a tortoise. This was when the woman beside me suddenly muttered, riddled with guilt, "I'm sorry, Renee."

She must have noticed my annoyance at some point. "Chris chased me out of his place and he forbade me from sending him a message. I came rushing to Bryxton because I was so angry at him! I really wanted to see you because… I had a feeling you would know how I feel."

I would know how she felt?!

Was she talking about liking Christopher?!

Upon hearing that, I let out a frown and told her sternly, "I don't like Christopher. I am Nicholas' ex-wife, and I will get married to him again in the future."

Of course, the remarriage wasn't confirmed.

I was only saying this to calm her down for the time being.

I didn't want her to think of me as her rival.

Also, it wasn't like there was anything left between Christopher and I.

The most we had done was those light hugs that meant nothing.

"I'm sorry, Renee!"
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