Chapter 7
Olivia stared at Ethan in utter disbelief.
I'm pregnant! How could he do this to me? And now he's really going to have me stripped and thrown in there?
Olivia tried to run, but the bodyguards were on her in an instant.
They dragged her to the cold storage, tore her dress off without a hint of mercy, then threw her inside and slammed the door behind her.
The cold seeped up from the floor, making Olivia shiver so hard her teeth chattered. She pounded on the freezer door with numb fists, desperate to get out.
"Mr. Sterling said you're not coming out until we hear a real apology to Miss York," one of the bodyguards shouted from outside.
Olivia broke down completely, sobbing until she could barely breathe.
My throat hurts so bad I can't even make a sound. How am I supposed to beg for forgiveness?
With her fingers numb from the cold, Olivia shakily typed out a message to Ethan: [Ethan, my throat is messed up. I can't talk at all.]
[Please, let me out. I'm pregnant. If I stay here any longer, something terrible could happen.]
[I'm sorry. I shouldn't have hurt Vanessa. I swear I'll keep my distance from her from now on. Please, just let me out]
She kept texting Ethan over and over, but the freezer door stayed shut, not moving at all.
Soon, Olivia's body went numb from the cold, and she collapsed to the floor. Right before she lost consciousness, she wished she'd stood up to Mrs. Sterling that day, if only she'd had the guts to say no when Ethan was forced to marry her.
If she'd done that, she wouldn't be here now, bruised and shattered because of Ethan.
When Olivia finally woke up, she was in the hospital.
Turns out, Ethan had called the two bodyguards away not long after locking her in. When the staff came by to grab something, they found Olivia nearly frozen to death on the floor.
Thankfully, she was rescued just in time, and the baby was safe.
Olivia was drifting in and out of sleep when, out of nowhere, someone yanked a burlap sack over her head and gagged her. They dragged her roughly to the floor, then started kicking her left leg over and over, each blow landing with brutal force.
Olivia let out a muffled cry as her wound split open, blood soaking through her hospital gown.
Just as she was about to black out from the pain, she heard one of them make a call. "Mr. Sutton, I've done as you ordered. Mrs. Sterling's been taught a lesson."
"Break her left leg," Mr. Sutton's voice came through the phone, cold and ruthless.
The hospital room was eerily empty and silent, making Mr. Sutton's command echo all the more chillingly.
The bodyguard glanced at Olivia's blood-soaked hospital gown, hesitating. "Mrs. Sterling was the one who forced Miss York to leave. The car accident that hurt her leg was just an accident. It had nothing to do with Mrs. Sterling."
"If Olivia hadn't ratted her out, my mother never would've known Vanessa was back in the country. She has to pay for that," Ethan said coldly.
"Do it, or you're fired!" Ethan snapped.
Olivia felt like she'd been plunged into an ice bath, her blood running cold. She never imagined Ethan could be this ruthless. Just because Vanessa hurt her leg, he was secretly having someone break hers.
She hadn't even told Mrs. Sterling that Ethan brought Vanessa back!
Olivia cried out in pain, trying desperately to explain herself to Ethan, but the bodyguard had already hung up and slammed his foot down on her wound.
With a brutal crack, Olivia's leg was broken right then and there.
Olivia was out cold for three days before she finally came to, just as Ethan walked into the room.
Olivia glared at Ethan, her eyes burning with hatred and accusation, making him uncomfortable. He said coldly, "Relax, your leg's not broken. I had Dr. Quinn put it back together for you."
"Olivia, if you ever go to my mother and start spreading nonsense again, making Vanessa upset, I won't let you off so easy!" Ethan warned.
Olivia gritted her teeth through the pain, her voice steady and cold. "In a few days, we won't be seeing each other anymore."
"What do you mean by that?" Ethan frowned, about to press her for answers, but just then, Vanessa called, complaining she felt sick.
Ethan turned and left without another word.
Not long after, Olivia got a message from Vanessa. In it, Vanessa flaunted a photo of Ethan peeling a pear for her, making sure Olivia saw the gold ring on her finger.
That ring was the Sterling family's heirloom.
On the day Olivia married Ethan, Mrs. Sterling had given her that gold ring.
Afraid she'd damage the heirloom, Olivia kept it locked away in her jewelry box, never imagining Ethan would give it to Vanessa without a second thought.
Vanessa: [Olivia, just get lost. You're no match for me.]
Olivia finally understood, Mrs. Sterling really did find out Ethan brought Vanessa back and forced her to leave, but Vanessa's leg injury was all just an act.
Vanessa had even tricked Ethan into thinking Olivia was the one who ratted her out.
As long as Olivia stayed in Northbridge and didn't stay away from Ethan, Vanessa would never believe she was actually divorcing him.