13. Olivia
Olivia
The alarm hadn't gone off yet, but Olivia was already awake.
Eager. Alive with anticipation of the night ahead.
She showered in the guest bathroom. The water was hot, but her skin remained cold. She put on a black bra with silk lace and a matching thong, which made her feel sexy. Looking in the mirror, she thought of Nicholas.
She pulled on her heavy robe and tied it tightly so it wouldn't come undone.
She walked quietly into the master bedroom. Mark was still asleep, hidden under the covers, breathing deeply. She sat at her vanity. Her brushes tapped softly on the glass as she put on her makeup, layer by layer, until her reflection looked confident and ready for anything.
Mark stirred.
Olivia didn't hesitate.
She grabbed her four-inch black Louboutin shoes and went back to the guest room to finish getting dressed. She checked her duffel bag: jeans, a shirt, sneakers, and clean underwear. She wasn't completely sure where she would end up, but she knew she didn't want to come home tonight.
She walked downstairs with her bag in hand and stopped suddenly.
Mark was in the kitchen, waiting for her.
He looked her up and down, his gaze lingering. "That's how you dress for work? With those four-inch Christian Louboutin shoes, I bet you're wearing a sexy thong under that skirt too?"
Olivia gripped her bag tighter. "I'm late for work."
"Then you'll be late, because I want to talk."
"Mark, I told you last night, there's nothing to talk about."
He glanced at her duffel bag. "So, I guess you're not coming home tonight."
"After last night, I'm staying at Lauren's house. I definitely don't want a repeat of what happened," she said.
Mark stepped closer.
The mood in the kitchen grew tense. "Do you think I'm stupid, Olivia? I don't know who he is, but when I find out, he'll be sorry."
Anger rose in her chest, but she kept her voice steady. "Mark, stop being ridiculous. I'm going out with Lauren, as I said."
"You know I can make things difficult for you, Olivia," he said, his voice turning cold.
"My family has a lot of power in this state.
You know you won't get a dime, and if you really make me angry, I can call in some favors.
You might even lose your job. Remember, my family buys a lot of ads from your station. "
He leaned in and blocked her view.
"And when I find out who's messing with your head, he'll wish he was never born. Maybe I'll have him fired, too, if he even has a job. Or maybe I'll have his legs broken."
Olivia thought of Nicholas.
She pictured his face and wanted to protect him. She knew he probably didn't need protection, but she also knew this wasn't his fault. He hadn't broken her marriage. He had only helped her see what was already wrong.
Mark had caused all of this.
Five years of it.
"I told you, Mark, there's no one else," she said. "I wish there were, but right now it's just me. The way you're acting, and after last night, I hope someday it won't be just me. I'm late and need to go. Have a good day."
She didn't look back.
She walked out, leaving him standing there, his mouth open like a king with no one left to rule.
She made it exactly one block.
The car felt cramped. Her emotions hit hard, making her chest ache. Tears came quickly, hot and messy. She held the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Why didn't I listen to my sister?
The question kept repeating in her mind. She told me not to marry him.
By the time she parked at the station, her face was a mess. She checked the rearview mirror. Mascara streaked down her cheeks, and her foundation was ruined.
She took a deep breath, grabbed her makeup kit, and tried to fix her face.
Just enough to make it to the ladies' room.
Just enough to get through the morning.
Olivia kept her head down and hurried through the newsroom, hoping the morning chaos would help her blend in.
She just needed to make it to the ladies' room.
She turned the corner too fast and bumped into someone wearing silk and expensive perfume.
Lauren.
Lauren didn’t step back or look away. She saw Olivia’s ruined face, the smeared mascara, the shaking hands, and how fragile she looked, but she didn’t ask any unnecessary questions.
"Are you okay?"
That simple question was all it took.
The last bit of control Olivia had held onto since getting out of the car broke. Tears came quickly, leaving new streaks through her makeup.
Lauren didn’t wait for an answer. She gently took Olivia’s arm and led her straight into her office. She closed the door and pulled the blinds shut, making the newsroom disappear.
Lauren sat beside her on the couch and took her hand.
"Tell me what's going on."
Olivia couldn’t speak. Her throat felt tight with grief, nerves, and the exhaustion of someone who had been holding herself together for too long.
All she could do was cry.
"I'm here for you," Lauren said softly. "Take your time. Let it all out so we can talk."
The silence that followed was comforting in its own way. They sat together until Olivia’s breathing slowed, and she could use the tissues Lauren gave her without her hands shaking as much. She took a shaky breath.
"I'm so sorry. I don't know what got into me. I just lost it."
"Tell me what's going on," Lauren repeated, her tone and steady gaze unchanged. She showed no impatience or fake concern.
Just presence.
"All of a sudden, my whole life feels like it's falling apart." Olivia’s voice shook, but she was finally able to speak. "I know I’m doing the right thing, but Mark got to me this morning."
She told her everything.
She described the kitchen, how he had been waiting for her, and the cold, deliberate look in his eyes when he noticed the duffel bag. Her whole body had tensed up the moment she saw him standing there, acting like he owned the room. Technically, he did, and that was the problem.
"He told me he knew there was someone else," Olivia said, her voice thinning. "I argued that there wasn't—that this was about him, about five years of how he treated me and neglected me. That's the truth." She paused. "Yes, Nicholas made me see certain things clearly, but this was not his doing."
She squeezed Lauren's hand tighter.
"Then Mark started talking about his family.
How powerful they are. That if I really pushed him, he could have me fired—that his family buys enough ads from this station to make that happen.
" Her voice cracked on the next part. "He said whoever I was seeing would be sorry when he found out.
He even threatened to have his legs broken. "
Thinking of Nicholas, she felt a fierce, protective feeling rise in her chest.
"I don't want anything to happen to Nicholas because of me. He has nothing to do with my failing marriage."
She shook her head slowly.
"My sister was right all along. She told me not to marry him."
Lauren didn’t flinch or look alarmed.
She smiled.
It was the last reaction Olivia expected, but it was also the most reassuring.
"You're dealing with a lot, Olivia. Take a deep breath and let's walk through this.
" Lauren's voice was steady and certain in the way of someone who had already done the math.
"I know about Nicholas—and as I told you before, a blind man could see the chemistry between the two of you.
I know he helped you see the reality you've been living in clearly. "
She paused, letting her words sink in.
“I wouldn't worry about anything happening to him, or about you losing your job. I happen to know a few things about Nicholas's family. Trust me—they can take care of themselves. And as for your job, Mark does not get to decide what happens at this station.”
She looked straight at Olivia, her gaze steady and direct.
"Mark wants you scared because scared women stay."
There was a pause.
"You're not staying."
Olivia still felt the weight of the morning, but something in the room had changed. The air felt lighter.
"When Mark saw me with my duffel bag, he knew I wasn't coming home tonight," she said. "I told him I might spend the night at your house. I have no idea how tonight will play out with Nicholas, but I knew I didn't want to go home, regardless."
She stopped.
She steadied herself.
"Mark almost attacked me last night."
She told Lauren everything: the bathroom, the door that wouldn’t stay locked, the grip on her wrist, and the fear that ran through her, sharp and cold. The man at the tub felt nothing like the man she had married, and everything like someone she needed to escape.
Lauren’s expression didn’t change at first, but then it became more serious. The warmth on her face gave way to quiet determination.
"If you don't stay with Nicholas tonight, you stay at my house. Let Mark see what it's like to be alone. Maybe then he'll think twice before pulling something like that again."
"Lauren." Olivia's voice was full. "I don't know how to thank you."
Lauren squeezed her hand once and let it go. "Try not to stress too much today." She stood, smoothed her blazer, and gave Olivia the kind of smile that closed conversations on the right note. "Go enjoy yourself tonight. It's all going to work out."
Olivia smiled back at her. It was a small, genuine smile, fragile but real.
She hugged her, stood up, said thank you, and headed for the ladies' room to put herself back together.
The clock ticked by.
Olivia stared at her iNEWS screen, confirming guest lineups for the following week until the software turned into a blur of gray. Each time a phone rang somewhere in the office, she jumped. She kept waiting for Mark's voice. For another threat.
She wasn't really concentrating.
Just trying to get through the day.
At 2:00 PM, someone knocked sharply on the glass.
Lauren.
Olivia looked up and waved her in, relaxing slightly. Lauren came straight in, studying Olivia's face for any sign she was still struggling.
"How are you holding up?"
Olivia forced a smile. It felt fragile, but it stayed in place. "Much better, thank you."
Lauren didn't look convinced.
She reached into her pocket and set two keys on the desk, attached to a keychain. The metal clinked in the quiet room.
"Why don't you take a break? Go to my house, take a shower, freshen up, redo your makeup, and then come back. You'll feel better for your dinner tonight if you're refreshed."
Olivia started to protest.
Lauren raised one finger.
The clear sign not to argue.
Olivia stopped. She glanced at the keys, then at Lauren. She stayed silent, but her expression said it all.
She gathered her things and grabbed the keys from the desk.
They felt like a pass to a different life.
"Don't forget to come back," Lauren called as Olivia reached the door. "I'll need my keys later."
Olivia laughed.
It was the first time she'd laughed all day.
By 4:00 PM, the woman who returned to the station was not the same one who had come in that morning.
The shower had rinsed away the stress from the kitchen, along with the memory of Mark making her cry. Her relief settled in as her skin now glowed, and her makeup looked just right—her hair perfect, only a few highlights, nothing heavy.
She checked her watch.
An hour and a half until 5:30 PM.
Nicholas would be waiting.
For the first time in five years, she didn't dread the sunset.
She couldn't wait for it.