Chapter 9 #2
Olivia tore her attention away from the tree, saw me staring at her, and blushed. “Thank you for doing this, Taj. I’ve had such a wonderful day with you today.”
Without thinking, I reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “You’re welcome. Thank you for agreeing to join me. I had a blast with you, too.”
Her fingers clutched my hand tighter, catching me off guard. “I’m glad, but it was more than just fun for me.”
Turning fully to face her, I asked, “What do you mean?”
Olivia licked her lips, hesitating briefly. “This was exactly what I needed. I’ve felt trapped for so long. It’s the reason I’m even in this town now. I had to get away from all of it. I wanted freedom and adventure. I needed time to figure myself out.”
Tears welled in her eyes as she shook her head. In that instant, everything changed.
It all made sense to me. Or some of it anyway. Everything that had fascinated me about Olivia, particularly over the last two days, was the result of her feeling stuck for so long.
“I’m so sorry you’ve felt that way, Olivia.”
“Thanks,” she murmured. “Maybe I’m crazy for feeling like this at my age. But I feel like I don’t even know who I am, only who I’m supposed to be.”
This was becoming more and more eye-opening. “You think you have to be Olivia Thomas, the supermodel.”
Her voice was just a touch above a whisper when she replied, “Yes. And I hate it.”
Taking her by the hand, I led her to the couch.
For the first time since I’d met her, Olivia was opening up to me.
I wondered if she’d had any contact with family or friends since walking out of her wedding and landing in Rising Sun.
If not, it might have been more of a reason that she was suddenly ready to share something with me.
Sitting down beside her, I asked, “Would you like to talk about it? I think I’m a good listener. ”
There was a long pause as Olivia’s gaze dropped to her lap while she considered my offer.
As the silence stretched between us, I couldn’t ignore the overwhelming sense of desperation I felt for her to share.
I wanted to help her, and I’d only be able to do that if she gave me something to work with.
Much to my relief, she lifted her chin, brought her eyes to mine, and revealed, “My whole life has been about work. Since I was three years old, I’ve been modeling.
Back then, I obviously didn’t know any different.
But the older I got, the more I noticed.
And I quickly learned I wasn’t like the rest of the kids my age.
I couldn’t play sports or take dance classes, or go to the movies on a Friday night with my friends.
I had an image to uphold, a body to keep safe, and a mother to please. ”
Olivia paused for a moment to collect herself.
I sat there entirely unsure about what I could say to make it better for her.
My childhood was everything Olivia hadn’t experienced.
Loving family, great friends, and all the opportunities for fun I could ever want.
I couldn’t imagine the amount of pressure she must have felt for so long.
When my thumb stroked lightly over her knuckles, Olivia continued.
“The older I got, the more my confidence grew. Maybe part of that came from the success I had in my career. But I had moments when a sense of fearlessness took over, and I’d do something impulsive.
It wasn’t ever anything completely off the rails, but it was enough to cause a stir.
That was the only way I could ever get anyone to listen to me.
And they’d pacify me with a shopping trip, spa day, or a nice dinner.
“Conrad came into the picture when I was eighteen. He was the first man to make me feel like I had any choices. He did just enough to fool me into believing that was the case, anyway. Because Conrad was the owner of the agency that held my contract, and I was his cash cow. But I didn’t realize that everything he did was to get me to wind up where I was a week ago. ”
Her hand tightened in mine, and she looked back at the tree we’d just finished decorating.
It had been such a simple thing I’d taken for granted every year, and it had been so meaningful for her.
Olivia hadn’t even finished sharing everything, but I’d made a decision at that moment.
Whatever it took, I was going to give this woman the world.
I was going to make sure she got to experience everything she never had the opportunity to before.
“He was twelve years older than me, and after two years of earning my trust, he convinced me we were meant to be together. I’d never been allowed to date, so it felt like I was getting something I desperately needed.
And because it felt so new and exciting and wonderful, I didn’t hesitate to sign a five-year contract.
That contract ended three days before my wedding.
For those three days, all I thought about was how badly I wanted to get out, to get away.
Standing in front of that mirror in my wedding dress, I was suffocating.
So, I decided to lean into that impulsiveness.
And I left Conrad standing at the altar. ”
“Have you spoken to him since you left?” I asked, convinced a man like that wouldn’t just accept his fate.
She shook her head. “No. He has called. There’re a lot of unheard voicemails and unread text messages on my phone.
I tried listening to the voicemails the morning after I arrived here, but I got through three of them—two from my closest friend, Raven, and one from my mom.
I stopped listening about halfway through my mom’s message. ”
“Everyone is worried?”
Olivia tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.
“Raven was concerned enough. She was my Maid of Honor, and she was the one who’d gotten the note I left that I was leaving.
I did speak to her on Monday morning, and she’s in shock that I’d do something so drastic.
Raven’s concerned about my career, too. But her worry about it pales in comparison to my mom’s.
She thinks this is all nonsense and told me I needed to get back there.
That she’d already talked to Conrad, who was upset, but that we could still fix everything.
I stopped listening after not hearing an ounce of concern for me in that message. ”
“You should be proud of yourself, Olivia.”
She blinked. “What?”
“I’m proud of you for realizing you deserve more in your life and taking the steps to make it happen. You should be just as proud.”
“You don’t think I was ungrateful?”
Did people actually make her think that she was? “Not at all. Why would I?”
She shrugged, nibbling on her lip. “Because from the outside looking in, most people might believe that I gave up a good thing. I walked away from a lucrative career and a solid future.”
I tipped my head to the side and studied her, trying to determine if she was being serious. “But were you happy?”
Olivia shook her head. “No.”
“That’s all that matters. Nothing is worth giving up your happiness, Olivia. Nothing.”
Her emotions overwhelmed her, and a tear spilled down each cheek. “I’m so glad I met you, Taj.”
I smiled at her, released her hand, and for the first time since I met her, I wrapped my arms around her and held her. What surprised me was the way she held onto me in response. “Thank you for sharing all of that with me.”
She squeezed me. “Thank you for listening.”
We stayed like that for a long time. And I was left wondering if, after all that she’d endured, Olivia would ever open her heart to loving someone again.