Chapter 12
She stood frozen. Confused. Her mind was trying to comprehend what Clayton had just said.
For a fleeting moment, it occurred to her that he might be feeling jealous of any man becoming close to her.
However, she immediately dismissed such ridiculous thoughts.
There was no reason for him to feel that way.
In fact, Clayton had made it clear ever since they were kids that he disliked her.
In his own words, she was just a “cheap replacement for the original one.”
“You’ve been drinking, haven’t you?” she whispered, gently pushing him away until he finally released her from his embrace.
Clayton raised his hands in defeat. “I had a bit too much,” he admitted, to her surprise. “But I'm not that drunk. I can still drive you home.”
Olivia sighed in concern. She almost launched into a lecture about responsibility—how he, of all people, should know better than to take risks when it comes to drinking and driving.
After all, he was in the military; he should uphold the very laws he was trained to enforce.
He should be a role model, or at least set a better example in situations like this.
But she bit her tongue, knowing it would only make her sound like a nagging wife, and that was the last thing she wanted.
“You really shouldn’t drive.”
“You worry too much, Olivia. I won't let us get into an accident. Trust me.”
She hated the way he sounded so confident. He said he was not drunk and yet wasn’t himself tonight. Olivia wanted to argue until he saw reason but realized that arguing with a drunk is a total waste of effort.
Olivia blurted out the only solution she had in mind. “Okay, how about this, I’ll drive the car, and you rest in the back seat.”
Clayton fell quiet in contemplation and then relented. “Alright. But not the backseat. I want to sit next to you.”
She rolled her eyes but felt relieved he accepted her terms. She climbed into the car and slid behind the wheel. He took the seat beside her. After making sure he was seated comfortably, she drove off.
Olivia struggled to come up with a topic to break the wall of quiet that made it feel as though they were miles apart. Unfortunately, just when she needed her thoughts to flow, her mind went completely blank.
The rest of the drive passed by with both of them not speaking to each other.
From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of him. His gaze was out the window, lost in thought. The way he stared into the night as if searching for answers in the darkness made her wonder what was going through his mind.
She studied his profile, noting the way the streetlights flickered across his handsome face. A part of her ached to bridge the gap, to reach out and pull him back from whatever he was grappling with. But the words caught in her throat, as they often did whenever he was around.
At last, they reached the Hilton Mansion. As she turned into the driveway, Olivia noticed a sleek silver car parked there. She squinted at the vehicle. It didn't look familiar at all. "Who could it belong to?" she wondered.
Her parents had not mentioned anyone coming over tonight. It was already late, and Olivia was tired from a long day. She hoped it wasn’t someone important who would want to chit-chat all night.
After shutting off the engine, she stepped out of the car, expecting Clayton to say goodbye. Instead, he got out and walked toward the mansion as if he lived there. Olivia blinked in confusion. Did he forget where he was?
When he reached the front door, he turned around, noticing she was still standing by the car. His brow raised slightly. “Aren’t you coming?”
A small voice in her head asked what he was doing, but instead of questioning him, she found herself following Clayton into the house.
Once inside, he headed straight to the living room. The sight that greeted her made her pause for a moment.
Seated on the long sofa were her adoptive parents.
While on the opposite side of the coffee table sat Clayton’s mother, looking elegant as always.
Beside her was a handsome man whom Olivia didn't recognize, but he looked somewhat familiar. It didn’t take long for her to realize he was Clayton’s father.
The Hiltons and the Bradfords were deeply engaged in conversation and did not notice that Clayton and Olivia had entered the living room.
It was Lily who sensed their presence first. She looked up, her face lighting up at the sight of them. “Clayton! Olivia! Please join us.”
Clayton approached his parents and took a seat beside them on the sofa.
Olivia felt her feet rooted to the floor, but she forced herself to move. Taking a deep breath, she gave Mr. and Mrs. Bradford a polite greeting before settling down next to her own parents, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling in her stomach.
As she glanced around the room, her eyes met Mrs. Bradford's gentle gaze. “It’s good to see you, Olivia. How have you been?”
“I’ve been well. Thank you. Just busy with work at the hospital. What brought you here tonight, Mrs. Bradford?”
Olivia waited for an explanation.
However, before Lily could respond, Mrs. Hilton interrupted. “We were just discussing some important family matters.”
Olivia’s forehead scrunched into a frown and she thought, “What family matters?”
Mrs. Hilton saw her reaction and, as though reading her mind, shot Olivia a look that said, “Are you really asking me that?” It was a look Olivia had seen many times before, filled with distaste and impatience.
She wished her mother would show a little more warmth, especially in front of their guests.
With an exaggerated sigh, Mrs. Hilton continued, "It’s about the upcoming wedding.”
“Whose wedding?” The phrase slipped from Olivia's lips before she could stop herself.
“Of course, you and Clayton's wedding.”
It felt like the air had been knocked out of her lungs. She blinked, not quite processing what she had just heard. A wedding? Their wedding? It sounded unreal.
Was this some kind of joke? How could they plan something she hadn't even agreed to?
“This is a misunderstanding—”
“No misunderstanding, darling.” Mrs. Hilton’s fingers wrapped tightly around Olivia's arm, sending sharp jolts of pain through her.
It was a warning.