Chapter 6

[Your ticket for Train 269 to Homestead has been confirmed. Don't forget to board in seven days at the scheduled time.]

The doctor stitched up Olivia's forehead with six stitches—it looked like a centipede stretched across her skin.

At least her ticket was ready. In seven days, she could finally get out of here.

There was nothing left in the Foster family, nothing left in Brookfield, worth staying for anymore.

"Olivia, Leon prepared this special scar cream for you. He's already booked your follow-up appointments at the hospital, so you don't have to worry about a thing," the assistant said.

"And here's a credit card Leon made just for you—no spending limit. He wants you to get away for a bit, just to relax and clear your head," the assistant added.

Olivia's thoughts snapped back at the assistant's words. She glanced at the gold credit card in his hand, but didn't reach for it—her gaze cool and detached as she looked away.

"No need. Just tell Leon I'm leaving," Olivia said, her voice calm and distant.

Just as she finished speaking, the door swung open again.

"Where do you think you're going? You really think you can just walk out of here with nothing?" Leon's voice cut through the room, cold and controlling.

It was Leon.

"Olivia, don't be like this, okay? Didn't you always want to go to the Maldives? How about I book you a flight for next week?" Leon said, acting like nothing had happened.

Leon settled himself at the edge of Olivia's bed, completely unfazed, as if the whole mess earlier never existed.

He absentmindedly straightened her blanket, but the moment his eyes landed on the stitches across her forehead, his face twisted—Olivia caught the flash of disgust instantly. 'I know that look all too well,' she thought bitterly.

All Olivia felt now was a deep, bitter disappointment. Back then, Leon's sincerity had been almost overwhelming—but now, his hypocrisy was just as suffocating.

"Leon, your hypocrisy makes me sick," Olivia said, her voice cold and full of contempt.

Leon's expression shifted, turning cold as he slowly withdrew his hand from Olivia's.

The silence in the hospital room was suffocating. Olivia had long since turned her face away, making it clear she wanted nothing to do with him.

After a long silence, Leon finally looked up, his smile still perfectly composed.

But there was a warning in his words.

"Olivia, sometimes, keeping up appearances with each other isn't always a bad thing," Leon said, his tone calm but edged with warning.

"If we all just put on a front, nobody has to carry so much burden, right?" he added, his voice smooth but with a sharp undertone.

*****

The days passed in a quiet blur. Leon didn't come to see her, didn't bother her at all. Before she knew it, it was the day before she was set to leave.

Olivia packed up her things, ready to check out, but she didn't expect to bump into Rachel in the hospital lobby.

Rachel flashed her a smile.

"Olivia, can we talk for a bit?" Rachel said, her voice soft but with a hint of authority.

Rachel was a far cry from the girl working at the corner store just a month ago. Her makeup was immaculate, her red heels radiated elegance and wealth, and she was carrying a brand-new designer bag, straight from this season's collection.

They didn't bother to find a private room—just leaned against the window at the far end of the hospital's long, empty hallway and exchanged a few quiet words.

"I really love Leon, so I hope you'll leave on your own," Rachel said, her voice soft but resolute.

'Olivia felt nothing at all, just calmly waiting for Rachel to continue.'

But after waiting for what felt like ages, that was it.

"Honestly, you didn't even have to come to me. I was already planning to divorce him," Olivia said, her voice calm and steady.

"I can't handle a marriage with three people. It's just way too crowded," she added, her tone cool and detached.

Before Olivia could finish, she saw Leon hurrying toward them, his face full of anxiety, backlit by the hallway lights.

"Rachel!" Leon called out, his voice urgent and full of concern.

Olivia felt herself go numb for a moment. 'So Leon's already calling out someone else's name,' she thought, the realization stinging more than she'd expected.

But it only lasted a second—her expression hardened, and she stepped aside, letting Leon hurry past to reach for Rachel.

She walked right past Leon without even looking at him.

But in the very next moment, Rachel's sudden outburst completely shocked Olivia.

"Don't come any closer, Leon!" Rachel's voice cut through the air, sharp and desperate.

Rachel's voice sliced through the silence, sharp and frantic. She was barefoot, her toes gripping the windowsill, the hospital window thrown wide open. A chilly autumn wind whipped Olivia's hair across her face.

Leon was urgently coaxing Rachel, his voice full of anxiety as he tried to calm her down.

"Rachel! Whatever it is, just come down first, okay? We can talk about it!" Leon pleaded, his voice tight with worry.

"Leon! Swear you'll marry me, or I'm jumping!" Rachel screamed, her voice shaking with desperation.

"With Olivia standing right here, say it—who are you really choosing?" Rachel demanded, her eyes blazing with determination.

Olivia tucked her hair behind her ear, still feeling like this whole scene was unreal.

But Leon's panic and shock weren't just for show—he was genuinely freaking out.

He kept looking back and forth between Olivia and Rachel, desperate to say something, but the words just stuck in his throat.

Olivia leaned back, almost entertained, waiting to see how he'd try to talk his way out of this.

"Rachel I-I promise, I'll go to America with you and we'll get married, okay?" Leon stammered, his voice shaky and desperate, practically begging her to come down.

Leon spread his arms wide, and Rachel leapt straight into his embrace, clinging to him as if he was her only lifeline.

Olivia watched the two of them, so sweet and close, and for a moment she felt a bittersweet pang—almost dazed by how intimate they were.

Back then, she'd really had that kind of love, too.

But now, that love belonged to someone else.

At that moment, Olivia came to a sudden realization and immediately corrected her own thoughts.

It wasn't that someone else had taken what belonged to her—she was the one who chose to let it go.

Leon's love? She was done with it.