chapter 4

"Are you satisfied with that answer?" I smirked.

Tyler was breathing hard on the other end of the phone like an angry bull. He didn't say a word before hanging up on me.

I opened my call log and blocked his number.

I'd blocked him plenty of times before when we fought, but those were just heat-of-the-moment things. I'd always unblock him after a few hours.

This time was different. This time, I wasn't going back.

After I finished up in Lorentia, I flew to Dorthaven and maxed out every credit card I had in two weeks. I was sitting in my hotel room calling my dad for money.

He immediately started yelling at me. "Olivia, how dare you ask me for money! You left behind a complete mess and ran away. You've humiliated me!"

I shot back, "Did I run away from my own wedding? Wasn't it your precious little daughter who embarrassed you? You must be thrilled now. Your dream son-in-law finally married the daughter you actually wanted."

Dad went quiet for a few seconds. I kept going. "I'm not even mad that she stole my man anymore. Just pay me what you owe me."

Dad exploded. "You're so disrespectful!" he screamed. "I won't give you another cent! You're no daughter of mine!"

When he cut me off, I had no choice but to come home.

Right after I landed, Amanda texted me that Dad was in the hospital.

Blake saw me hesitating and asked, "Do you want to go see him?"

I looked at him and smiled. "Would I be a terrible daughter if I didn't?"

Blake could read my mind. "If you're going, I'll come with you."

I told Blake not to come with me, just to drop me off at the hospital.

When I walked into the room, I saw that everyone was already there.

Maya turned around to say something to Tyler, but when she spotted me in the doorway, she called out softly, "Olivia."

The rest of them turned around too. My stepmother glared at me with pure disgust. "You made your father so angry he ended up in the hospital, and you still have the nerve to show up here?"

I smiled coldly. "If I didn't come back, you and your daughter would steal everything he owns."

Tyler turned to stare at me, and I could see the disappointment in his eyes.

I ignored him and walked over to the bed. My father was still unconscious.

I asked casually, "What happened to him?"

My stepmother started to come at me, but Maya grabbed her and pushed her back into a chair. Then Maya explained, "Dad had a heart attack. He just got out of the ICU."

Dad had heart problems for years, plus high blood pressure. Any little argument would make him dizzy. I usually tried not to set him off.

But this time I couldn't help myself. All he could see was his other woman's daughter. Never me.

My stepmother shot me another nasty look and huffed, "Well, you're here now. Time to be a good daughter. You're staying here tonight to take care of your father." She grabbed Maya's arm and dragged her out of the room.

Tyler didn't leave. I could feel his eyes burning into me.

Finally, he spoke up. "When did you and Blake get together?"

I pulled up a chair and sat down. I looked up at him calmly. "How is that any of your business?"

Tyler's expression turned sharp and angry. He suddenly lost control and grabbed my shoulders. "You hooked up with him before we broke up, weren't you?"

I looked down and said quietly, "I'm not like you. I don't cheat when I'm in a relationship."

He was about to say something else, but I cut him off. "The patient needs rest. You need to leave."

Tyler stared at me for a long time without saying a word. Finally, he left.

Around midnight, Dad woke up. When he saw me, his heart rate spiked. I had to call the nurse to get it back down, then moved my chair farther away from his bed.

I didn't sleep all night. When Maya and her mom showed up in the morning, I finally went to the bathroom to splash some water on my face.

When I came back, Tyler was there too. Maya called out to me, "Olivia, I brought you breakfast. You should eat something."

I didn't even look at it. I grabbed my purse and headed for the door, but Tyler caught my wrist. "Olivia, why do you always act like this when people try to be nice to you? Do you want everyone to hate you?"

I frowned. "You can eat it if you want. I'm not stopping you."

Tyler looked like he was about to explode. "You—"

I rolled my eyes, pulled my arm free, and walked out.