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 mydaughter have to do with you?”

Ethan’s eyes were calm. His expression remained indifferent as he said, “Even if there was somethingbetween 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 givenhim 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 likesomething precious.

Olivia took out the ring box and hurled it at Ethan’s face. “Fuck you, you scumbag! My deepest regret ismarrying 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 andfell 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 notmanage 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 tojust 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 chasedaway 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 werethoroughly soaked, so I had the maid help you change,” Keith said, his eyes clear and sincere.novelbin

“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 totrouble you.”

She was frail. The moment her feet touched the floor, her body tilted forward helplessly, making her fallto 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 usedat home.

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

“You’re too frail right now. Stop pushing yourself if you want to live for a couple more days,” Keithwarned 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 schoolelsewhere, 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 mealand 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 somepatients in the final stage survived, so you must have faith in yourself. Chemotherapy is a highlyeffective 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 effectsare 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 herstrength 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-rimmedeyes 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. Hestarted 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 heshould still be concerned. Her face was full of sorrow when they talked just now. He was worried thatshe 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 ithad stopped raining, the weather was still cold. Keith wanted to stop her from doing anything rash, buthe 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 subconsciouslywanted 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 thatthe 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 couldhave 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 ithurt?” 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 askyour 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 anylingering 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’sdaughter! 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 peoplearound you? Take a guess. I won’t tell you the truth. I want you to suffer and live a miserable lifewithout 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 herlose her balance and fall to the ground.