It took Olivia two hours to get back to the Chen family villa.
Her mother-in-law, Brenda, had been monitoring her closely, fearing that she would waste the Chen family's money. Even if she just wanted to buy food from the market, she had to ask permission from her mother-in-law. She never had any money with her.
So she had to walk back to the house.
The moment she entered, she saw Brenda, busy preparing some fruit for Janet to eat.
Freddie sat sideways, turned toward Janet, his smiling gaze fixed on her slightly bulging abdomen. There was a gentleness on his face that Olivia had never seen before.
They looked like a harmonious family.
She pushed the door open.
Brenda's smile collapsed. "You still have the nerve to come back?" she said to Olivia. "Janet, don't worry about her. I'll peel these fruits for you."
With a worried expression on her face, Janet held her waist and tried to stand up.
Freddie squeezed her hand. "Just sit here," he said to Janet, "and chat with Mom."
He stood up, his tall, straight figure creating an oppressive feeling. "Olivia," he said, "come with me."
They went to the second floor, where their shared bedroom was.
Unfortunately, one could count on one hand how many times Freddie had been in that room in the last four years. Most of the time, he'd stayed in his study.
After they entered the room, he sat on the bed and lit a cigarette. With a cold voice, he said, "Tell me your terms."
Olivia was stunned. "What?"
"How much money do you want to divorce me?" Freddie sneered. "Didn't you marry me for money?"
His words struck her like a lightning bolt.
"I married you because—"
Because I've always liked you, she thought; but she couldn't voice it out loud.
Instead, she wiped away her tears and said, "It was because of Grandfather's last wish."
"Enough!" Freddie yelled, aggressively extinguishing his cigarette. "To enter the Chen family, you used every means to please Grandfather and force me to marry you! Don't talk such nonsense. Just say how much you want. Tell me a number, and from now on, we'll have nothing to do with each other."
Olivia laughed bitterly when she heard that, asking, "Is that how you've seen me all these years?"
"How else?" he answered, his voice surprisingly cold. "Are you somehow suggesting you married me because you loved me?"
With a single sentence, her intention to confess got stuck in her throat.
Just like that, he erased all her efforts from over the years.
Olivia shook her head and smiled bitterly, saying, "Freddie Chen, you have no heart."
"Whatever," he replied. He tore off a cheque, signed it, and threw it over to her. "Fill in the amount yourself. Tomorrow morning, come with me to sign the divorce agreement."
The paper fell at her feet.
Olivia didn't pick it up.
"Is Janet so good that you have to divorce me?" she asked.
Freddie was already heading for the door because he didn't want to stay with her for another minute. "At least she won't plot against me," he answered, "and she's willing to give me a baby."
He exited, slamming the door shut.
Olivia slumped to the ground as if her spine had melted.
Next to her was the check that was supposed to end her marriage, with Freddie's signature on it.
His writing was the same as his personality, direct and decisive.
She picked up the slip of paper, tore it into many pieces, and threw it out the window.
She curled herself into a small ball in the corner, trying to find some sense of security.
In fact, she understood in her heart.
Because she had no father and her mother had died in childbirth, her uncles were the ones who had raised her.
The bedroom door opened again.
Olivia stopped crying, looking up expectantly. Maybe Freddie would give her another chance; perhaps they could even try IVF. As long as it meant she could stay with him, she was willing to do anything.
"Olivia, it's me." Janet's voice shattered Olivia's last shred of hope.
Her heart sank.
She adjusted her breathing and watched Janet walking slowly into the room, supporting her waist. Olivia's voice was indifferent as she said, "I have nothing to tell you. Please leave."
Janet said, "It was Freddie who asked me to come up. He said this bedroom will be his and mine from now on. He'll marry me as soon as you get divorced."
Olivia raised her head abruptly and looked in shock at the woman in front of her.
Her appearance was the one she knew, but her expression was that of a completely different person from the poor Janet Olivia had known before.
"Olivia," said Janet, "why are you surprised? You kept performing marital duties but never understood the foundation this family wanted. I understood and acted before you. If only I'd known you'd never be able to bear children, I would've enjoyed my youth a little more! Anyways, it's not appropriate for you to be married to Freddie. Whether it's family or education, you're not suitable. It's better to divorce early."
Olivia was agitated. "Even if we're going to get divorced," she said, "it's not your place to lecture me!"
Janet smiled, answering, "Did you know that your hysterical appearance really resembles that of a shrew swearing in the slums?"
"Did you forget this shrew gave you the money to go abroad and study art and learn the piano?!" replied Olivia.
"That's what you wanted," answered Janet. "It's not like I held a knife to your neck to force you." Holding her waist, Janet walked slowly toward her. She lowered her voice and said, "Freddie is so resolute. Rather than touch you, he preferred to stifle himself like this…"
Olivia paled instantly. Freddie had only touched her once since their marriage, and it was only two years ago, when he was drunk.
Since then, they had never slept together again.
Not even Brenda knew that.
"Olivia," continued Janet, "you can't keep Freddie. If not me, it would be someone else, and in that case, why not give him to me? When the child is born, he'll call you his aunt." As if she thought of something funny, she covered her mouth and giggled. "Auntie—that title is too funny. I wonder if you still get your period now. It's been so long since you've been with a man, you must have amenorrhea—"
"Janet, shut up!"
Olivia's blood was boiling with rage. She reached out to slap Janet.
In a second, the smile on Janet's face turned into a distressed look, and she threw herself on the ground, holding Olivia's hand. " It's all my fault. I'm sorry! Don't hit me in the stomach."
With a bang, the bedroom door was kicked open.
Freddie stood at the door, furious, staring as if his gaze could drill a hole in Olivia's body.
Olivia raised her hands and laughed in anger.
So this was what things had come to. She was so stupid that she could even fall for such a melodramatic trap.
Janet clutched her abdomen, tears streaming down her face. "My belly hurts," she cried. "Freddie, save me! Save our child—"
Brenda was rushing upstairs, the servants were screaming in panic, and Janet was crying; the whole house was in complete chaos.
In the end, a response to the slap Olivia hadn't given landed on her own face.
Furious, Brenda slapped her twice and smashed the bedside lamp on her head. "Bitch!" she yelled, "if you dare to hurt my grandson, I'll beat you to death!"
Olivia felt a sharp pain in her forehead, and blood dripped down her temples, into her eyes.
She stood there looking at Freddie, who was holding Janet in his arms to comfort her, and she felt as if a knife were stabbing through her heart. "If I said I didn't push her, would you believe me?"
Freddie's answer was, "Are you worthy of my trust?"
Olivia's aunt and uncle had got divorced after a big quarrel, leaving behind their daughter, Janet. As for her second uncle, he was never married.
Because of this, Olivia was full of guilt concerning her two uncles.
Therefore, she'd put all her efforts into taking care of Janet.
Her family's conditions had never been good, and she had not had much money of her own, but when Janet wanted to learn to play the piano, Olivia took four jobs and bought her a piano.
After graduating from high school, Olivia had even given up her admission to Bridgewater University and focused wholeheartedly on earning money. All this, just because Janet had said she wanted to leave the country after taking her SATs.
Now, since her return to the US, Janet had become an elite, capable of assisting Freddie in his career, while Olivia was just an obsolete woman with only a high school education.
The ambulance arrived quickly. Freddie carried Janet into the vehicle, never looking back.
Olivia's mother-in-law, Brenda, ordered the servants to throw away all Olivia's belongings and kick her out as well.
"Stay away from us—and don't ever come back!"
Olivia watched as the villa door closed slowly.
Digging her nails into her palms, she looked at her things scattered on the ground.
In fact, she didn't have many things. When she married Freddie, she didn't have any dowry, except for the pair of earrings her dead mother had left her.
Olivia had always been reluctant to wear those earrings, so she had kept them tucked away neatly in a small box.
Now they had been rudely thrown away; one lying on the muddy grass, the other who knows where.
In the dark of the night, Olivia's cell phone rang shrilly.