Chapter 91
OLIVIA’S POV
Since I came to this place, I’d managed to maintain a steady balance–emotionally, at least. No matter what happened, I always made it a rule to wake up and start the day with a positive mindset. But not today.
This morning felt different.
I woke up irritated, my mood sour before I even got out of bed. And I knew exactly why–Adrian. Every time he’s around, it’s like my peace takes a hit. The man can get under my skin like no one else. It’s almost as if he goes out of his way to push my buttons and today? Today was no exception.
He did this on purpose. I was sure of it.
Clenching the empty tube of toothpaste in my hand, I walked out of the bathroom, shoulders squared. My arms folded tightly against my chest as I stood just in front of him, my foot tapping against the floor in annoyance.
He was on a call–figures. Probably talking about something “important.” But I didn’t care. This? This was important too.
I cleared my throat deliberately. Loud enough to catch his attention.
He finally turned, his brows raised, expression calm. “I’ll call you back in a few minutes,” he said to the person on the other end before removing his Bluetooth ear pods and slipping them into his pocket.
Then, he looked at me–smug, unreadable, and annoyingly composed. “Is there a problem?”
I didn’t bother masking my irritation. “As a matter of fact, yes. A very big one.”
He leaned slightly against the table, his head tilting with feigned interest. “And what might that be?” he asked like he didn’t already know.
“You moved my shoes again. How hard is it to respect boundaries?”
He blinked. “Really? That’s why you’re acting like your world’s falling apart? You interrupted a call over shoes?”
“Don’t play dumb,” I snapped, stepping further into the room. “You know exactly what you did. And since when did that side of the closet become your territory?”
“That’s funny,” he said, standing up straight now. “I don’t recall us drawing lines in a shared closet. But since you asked, it stopped being just your side the day you decided to color–code it like you own the whole thing.”
I raised the now–flattened toothpaste in my hand and shook it at him. “And let’s talk about this. Could you stop using my toothpaste?”
He glanced at it, then shrugged casually. “I ran out. What’s the big deal?”
I scoffed. “You ran out? No, you’re just doing this to get at me because it’s not the first time you’ve been using my paste, would you say you ran out all those tires too?”
“There is literally more than one toothpaste in this house. Why are you acting like I committed a crime?”
“It’s not about the toothpaste!” I snapped. “It’s about you not respecting boundaries. You just walk in and act like everything belongs to you.”
He let out a small chuckle, and that smirk on his face made my blood boil even more. “That’s because I do. Or did you forget?”
There it was. That arrogant, entitled tone made me want to throw something at him. “And there you go again,” I said, shaking my head. “You know what? I’m not going to let you ruin my mood. I actually have plans today.”
I turned to leave, thinking the argument was finally over–thinking I could walk away victorious for once. But of course, he couldn’t let that happen
“You have plans? To go see your lover Julian or to go learn how to spend more of my money?” Adrian’s voice dripped with sarcasm, but beneath the surface, I caught something else–jealousy. He tried to hide it with his usual smug expression, but it was there. Clear as day.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Julian is just a friend, I’ve told you that more than a dozen times. And I still don’t understand why you care when nothing is going on between us” I said “And for the record, you really think spending your money is all I’m good for? Well, FYI, before we got married, I had plans. Real ones. I had job offers, and proposals to start up my own business–something that was mine. Not to end up stuck in this cold house with a man who doesn’t even like mint toothpaste.”
There was a long, tense silence.
Then finally, in a much calmer tone, he asked, “You had business ideas?”
I scoffed, folding my arms tightly. “Yes. But you wouldn’t know that would you? Because you never bothered to ask.”
1/2
11:34 AM
Chapter 91
Adrian’s eyes softened a little, and he looked genuinely surprised. “What else don’t I know about you?”
That question… threw me off. I wasn’t expecting it. I had prepared for another snide comment, not curiosity. My guard faltered.
“A lot,” I said quietly, “but it’s not like any of it matters now, does it?”
Adrian didn’t say anything right away. Instead, he moved slowly back to the couch where he had been before, sinking into the cushions like he suddenly had a weight to carry. There was a different look on his face–less of the usual arrogance, more like someone trying to understand something that had long been right in front of them but never noticed.
“It does actually,” he said, his voice more grounded. “And I’d like to hear a few if you don’t mind. I’ll try not to mess up your closet while I listen.”
I stared at him. This wasn’t part of the plan. I had somewhere to be, things to do, people to meet. But for some reason, I stayed rooted to the spot. Maybe it was the way he asked. Maybe it was the fact that–for the first time since this marriage–he actually seemed interested in knowing something real about me.
With a small sigh, I walked over to where my phone was charging, unplugged it, and scrolled to a folder I hadn’t opened in months. I hesitated for a second, then carried the phone over and sat down beside him. Close–but not too close.
I handed him the phone. “These were some of my pitches,” I said, trying not to sound too bitter. “I had a passion for natural skincare. Wanted to make affordable, chemical–free products. These are product mockups and vendor contacts I’d collected before… all this.”
Adrian glanced through the screen slowly, scrolling through the detailed notes, designs, and even a few sketches I’d done by hand. He was silent again, but this time it didn’t feel dismissive. It felt like he was actually paying attention.
“This is really good,” he finally said. “You should’ve told me about this sooner.”
I gave a short laugh. “Told you? You wouldn’t have cared. You were too busy believing I was just someone living off your fortune.”
He glanced at me, and for the first time, he didn’t argue. “Maybe I was wrong,” he said simply.
And just like that, for the first time since we said our vows, we were sitting next to each other–not arguing, not pretending–but talking.
And somehow, that was scarier than all the fights we’d had.
2/2
