Chapter 3

Seeing how forceful Olivia suddenly seemed, Cedric raised his hand and pinched his nose bridge.

In that instant, Olivia clearly sensed hostility gathering around him. But when he looked back at her, his gaze was still as gentle as ever.

"Honestly, it's not a big secret. I just went out to make something of myself. If I'd stayed with your family, everything I had would've been given to me by Mr. Reed. I'd already fallen in love with you back then, Olivia. I wanted to give you a future—a future I earned with my own hands. That's why I chose to go out and hustle on my own.

"I spent five years fighting my way up, and once I'd made something of myself, I came back. As for why I didn't want Mr. and Mrs. Reed to find out about this ahead of time… it was because I was terrified of losing you. I was afraid they wouldn't agree to let you marry me."

The look in Cedric's eyes grew serious as he spoke. "I know I'm being selfish like this, but it's the only way I can truly have you, the only way I don't have to risk losing you at all."

On the surface, it was the kind of speech that sounded incredibly romantic. But the more Olivia thought about it, the less it held up.

In the past, hearing Cedric talk like this would've moved her to tears. Now, all she felt was disappointment. She'd given him a chance to come clean. She'd hoped he would tell her everything, yet he'd still chosen to smooth things over with half-truths and lies.

She had to admit that at that very moment, she still loved the man before her. The second she met his gentle gaze, all their memories together wrapped around her like a tight, intricate web, trapping her where she stood. The thought of leaving felt like a huge hand closing around her heart, squeezing until even breathing hurt.

But doubt had already taken root. So this time, even though it absolutely tore her apart, she'd already made up her mind to walk away. She didn't want, nor could she stand the thought of, her parents being disgraced because of her.

Not wanting to tip Cedric off and ruin her plan, Olivia behaved exactly as she always did. She leaned into his arms, looking moved to bits, and stopped asking any more questions.

When the car stopped in front of the bridal boutique, she composed herself and followed Cedric inside.

She had once looked forward to these engagement gowns more than anything. She had imagined countless times what it would be like standing next to him, both of them dressed to perfection.

But now, this engagement party was doomed to become a farce. Whether the outfits looked good or not no longer mattered. Ironically, even though she no longer felt any anticipation, the gowns ended up fitting her perfectly.

Catching the undisguised awe in Cedric's eyes and hearing the sales assistants gush over how beautiful she looked, Olivia could only force herself to act like a glowing bride-to-be.

Seeing that she liked them, Cedric didn't hesitate to place an order for all the gowns, worth a small fortune in total. But no matter how gentle and attentive he acted now, the bliss she used to feel was gone.

She had no interest in strolling around with him anymore, so she came up with an excuse about meeting a friend to go shopping. Cedric didn't think much of it. He had the driver drive her while he himself grabbed a cab to the office.

Olivia had the driver drop her off at the mall entrance. She walked inside from the front and slipped out again from another exit, then hailed a cab straight to the hospital.

Once she arrived, she didn't dare waste any time. She went directly to the OB-GYN department, registered, and had an exam. When she finally got the report and confirmed she wasn't pregnant, the anxiety clawing at her heart loosened a little.

As she walked out of the hospital, a wave of dizziness suddenly washed over her. She didn't know if it was because of the blazing sun or her own nerves. She braced herself against the wall and slowly crouched down. Then, she pulled out her phone and dialed Horace's number.

The call was picked up almost immediately. Horace's doting voice came through the line. "What's gotten into you, calling me out of the blue? Have you finally decided to bring that precious boyfriend of yours home to meet me?"

Olivia had gone to college in Symport. She and Cedric had been reunited in her senior year. For his sake, she'd stayed in Symport after graduation and found a job there. Just like that, three years had gone by.

Every time her parents said they wanted to visit, she'd always come up with some excuse to turn them down. And every time she'd gone back to Arvonshire to see them, Cedric had never gone with her.

For three years, lost in love, Olivia had gone home only a handful of times just so she could spend more time with Cedric. Yet her parents had never blamed her for it. Every time, they'd only reminded her to stay safe and to take care of herself.

Now, with Cedric's cruel words on the phone still echoing in her mind and Horace's worried voice in her ear, the tears she'd been holding back for so long finally started to spill over. She choked out, "Dad, I want to come home."

Horace was taken aback for a split second on the other end of the line. Then, he said, "Liv, be honest with me. Did that guy hurt you?"

The moment he said that, Olivia's tears flowed even harder. Still, she forced herself to say, "No, he didn't. Dad, don't ask…"

"Okay, okay, I won't ask," he said, soothing her. "If you want to come back, then come back. I'll pick you up, alright? Your mother and I have been waiting for you to come home for ages.

"Remember that we'll always be your safety net. You can come home whenever you want. Don't you ever suffer in silence out there. You have to tell us if anything happens."

"Got it." Listening to Horace's gentle, steady reassurance, Olivia pushed down her sorrow and managed a small smile. "Give me ten days. I'll be back in Arvonshire in ten days, and after that, I won't ever leave again."

Her parents treated her so well. Whatever Cedric's real motives were, she would never let them be utterly humiliated in front of all their friends and relatives because of her. That was why this engagement party was destined to have no bride.

After she talked with Horace for a while longer, Olivia's emotions finally calmed. She calmly analyzed the situation and realized that her biggest problem was still the photo book. The shoot had been a boudoir one and on the sexy side; she and Cedric had done it together.

At the time, he'd told her it would be something just for the two of them, a secret between lovers. She hadn't thought too much about it and had agreed immediately.

To her, doing a sensual photo shoot with the man she loved wasn't a big deal at all. In fact, she'd felt it was incredibly sweet. But once something like that was put on display in front of everyone, once it became a public spectacle, it turned into a form of torture for a woman.

Cedric had taken advantage of her trust. While she'd been overflowing with bliss, he'd been planning how to destroy her. The more Olivia thought about it, the colder she felt.

The photographer for that shoot was a go-to name in the industry. Olivia remembered saving her number and searched carefully through her contacts. When she finally found the number, her fingers trembled, but she still made the call.

It was soon answered. Olivia tried to sound casual and cheerful as she asked, "Ms. Steele, is my photo book with Cedric ready yet?"

"Ms. Reed, right? Your set is almost done. I'll need about another week. I was just about to reach out to Mr. Jamison in the next couple of days," Janice Steele said warmly on the other end.

"When they're ready, could you contact me directly? And could you not tell Cedric? I want to surprise him," Olivia said, forcing a hint of shy excitement into her tone.

Naturally, Janice didn't suspect a thing and agreed right away. "Of course. I'll let you know as soon as everything's ready."

Olivia thanked her sincerely. The moment she hung up, she felt a hollow ache open in her chest.

No matter what Cedric's reasons were or whatever sob story he had, she would never let herself become a pawn he used to hurt her parents.

The photos would be ready in about a week. Thank goodness there was still time. Once she had them in hand and watched Janice destroy the original files, she wouldn't have anything left to worry about.

Of course, she would prepare a different set of photos for Cedric. She hoped he would enjoy them at the engagement party ten days from now.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, her phone suddenly rang. One glance at the caller ID made unease flicker in her eyes.