Even After Death

Chapter 5

Chloe looked at Ethan with a puzzled gaze. She never knew that he was married.

"Mr. Miller, we stayed overseas for many years and are unaware of what goes on here. What does my daughter have to do with you?"

Ethan's eyes were calm. His expression remained indifferent as he said, "Even if there was something between us, it's already in the past. I'm settling my divorce soon."

Olivia never thought that he would take things so lightly after all their years of marriage. She had given him her heart, yet this was all she got in the end.

Needless to say, she was furious at him. However, she felt more disappointed than anything else.

It was the disappointment of finding out just how blind she had been to treat trash like him like something precious.

Olivia took out the ring box and hurled it at Ethan's face. "Fuck you, you scumbag! My deepest regret is marrying you! See you at the City Hall tomorrow! Whoever fails to show up is a coward!"

The box hit him squarely on his forehead, leaving a trail of blood dripping down his face. It opened and fell together with the ring onto the ground.

This time, Olivia did not look back. She stepped on the ring as she left and slammed the door shut.

Too many things had happened over the past two years, and this was the final straw. She did not manage to go far before passing out by the roadside.

It started pouring from the sky as if the world itself loathed her. Olivia thought that it would be better to just die like this.

For her, there was nothing worth remembering in a world full of schemes and lies like this.

When she woke up, she was lying in an unfamiliar room. The dull, yellowish light from a lamp chased away the darkness in the room. The warmth here was like a soothing breeze in spring.

"You're awake."

Olivia's eyes fluttered open to see Keith's eyes staring back at hers. "You saved me?"

"I was on my way home when I saw you passed out by the roadside, so I brought you back. You were thoroughly soaked, so I had the maid help you change," Keith said, his eyes clear and sincere.

"Thank you, Keith," Olivia thanked him.

"I made oatmeal. You should have some warm water first," Keith told her.

Olivia removed the blankets and started to get off the bed. "No need. It's late, and I don't want to trouble you."

She was frail. The moment her feet touched the floor, her body tilted forward helplessly, making her fall to the ground. Hurriedly, Keith rushed to her aid by supporting her with his arms.

Olivia could smell the light fragrance from his clothes. It was similar to the laundry detergent she used at home.

Ethan also had the same scent back then. She could not help but feel her heart break when she thought of him.

"You're too frail right now. Stop pushing yourself if you want to live for a couple more days," Keith warned her, yet his tone was gentle. "Think of it as you're doing this for your father."

Only then did her dull and dispirited eyes flicker with a sliver of hope. "Sorry to trouble you."

She watched as Keith busied himself in the kitchen. In truth, she and him were not that close. At most, he had given her a reward when she was nominated as the best student in her freshman year.

That time, he was her senior by four years and had been doing his internship at a prestigious school elsewhere, so he did not spend much time in college.

Later, she met him again in the hospital, and they started contacting each other more frequently.

Still, their relationship was not close enough for her to always impose on him. After finishing her meal and taking some medication, her stomach finally settled.

Keith then brought up the issue of her chemotherapy.

"Medicine nowadays is advanced, and you're only in the middle of the late stage of cancer. Even some patients in the final stage survived, so you must have faith in yourself. Chemotherapy is a highly effective treatment."

Olivia lowered her head. "I've studied medicine before. I know its pros and cons."

Keith continued giving her advice. "The chances of remission after that are high. Even if the side effects are severe, you can do it with some determination—"

Olivia raised her head to look at him with tears in her eyes. She was spending every ounce of her strength to force back her tears as she muttered with trembling lips, "But I can't do this anymore …"

Keith wanted to console her, but the words were now stuck in his throat. He stared at her red-rimmed eyes and felt himself die a little inside.

After a while, he asked, "Is there truly no one else in this world that you care about anymore?"

Startled, Olivia took some time before replying, "The only person I care about is my dad."

"Then you should live even if it's only for him."

Olivia smiled bitterly. "Thanks. I feel much better now. I'll be leaving."

It was then that Keith realized that the ring on her finger she had always cherished was missing. He started to speak but swallowed back the words.

Eventually, he asked, "Where are you going? I'll drive you there."

"No, thanks. I've called a cab. It's coming soon."

She refused his help so swiftly that he could do nothing but go along with it. Still, he thought that he should still be concerned. Her face was full of sorrow when they talked just now. He was worried that she would end her life, so he tailed the cab she took.

The cab drove and stopped beside a river. Olivia stood alone and stared at the water. Even though it had stopped raining, the weather was still cold. Keith wanted to stop her from doing anything rash, but he saw a black MPV stop beside her.

The car door opened, and out came the person whose face was always seen in finance magazines.

Keith was shocked. Could that man be Olivia's husband?

The wind tousled Olivia's hair, highlighting the agony on her already pale face. Ethan subconsciously wanted to raise his hand and tuck the strand of hair behind her ear.

However, he quickly retracted it and asked, "What is it?"

Olivia glanced over at him, her eyes cool and indifferent. She looked as if she wanted to make sure that the person standing before her was indeed him.

"Were you behind my family's bankruptcy?" she asked.

She did not beat around the bush, so he too went straight to the point and answered, "Yes."

"Are the children yours?" This was her second question. She stared unblinkingly at him. She could have been overthinking things.

However, it was never in his plans to deny this. "Yes," he said with his usual nonchalance.

Olivia approached him and slapped him across the face. "Ethan Miller, you scumbag!"

He grabbed her wrist easily in one hand and brushed the tears on her cheeks with the other. "Does it hurt?" he asked.

"You asshole! How could you treat me like this? What did my family do to deserve this?"

The look on Ethan's face remained as calm and indifferent as ever when he spoke. "Why don't you ask your father about what he did?"

Olivia swallowed before asking him. "Have you ever loved me, Ethan?"

There was not even a ripple in his fathomless gaze. Slowly, he said, "Never. Since the beginning, you've always been nothing but a pawn."

Her tears slid down her cheeks and fell onto the back of his hand. The breeze blew, taking away any lingering warmth that was left.

"You hate me, don't you?"

"Yes. This is what you Fordhams owe me! You should blame yourself for being Jeff Fordham's daughter! I'll make you suffer every day to pay for what you've done to my little sister!"

"Didn't your sister go missing long ago? What does this have to do with my family?"

He looked at her in disdain as if he were a ruler laying down judgment.

"Did you know that my sister was being tormented while you were enjoying the affection of the people around you? Take a guess. I won't tell you the truth. I want you to suffer and live a miserable life without ever knowing what happened! You'll get a taste of what my sister went through!"

Ethan got in his car after saying, "I'll be waiting at the City Hall at nine tomorrow."

Olivia rushed over to his car and started hitting the car door. "Tell me, what happened to your sister?"

However, the driver slammed his foot on the accelerator, and the car zoomed out of sight, making her lose her balance and fall to the ground.