Chapter 13
Even After Death
When Brent felt Ethanâs chilling gaze on him, he had to explain. âMr. Miller, sheâs with Everly.â
It wasnât unusual for Olivia to hang out with her best friend, Everly. Ethan had asked Brent to follow
Everly on Instagram to monitor Oliviaâs move. While explaining, Brent showed his boss Everlyâs
Instagram post.
In one of them, Everly showed off her eye-catching pink curls, but Ethan was instantly drawn to Olivia,
who was rocking a different style in the photo. She had gotten a middle-part pixie cut, whichâcoupled
with her tiny faceâmade her look more morose than her usual sunny disposition.
Her eyes were looking downward, and her collarbone was visible through her Oxford shirt in the photo.
Her beauty was almost sacred.
The caption read âReborn.â
Ethan hadnât realized that his fingers were trembling slightly. After a year of being pestered by her, he
should have felt relieved that she wanted to let go. But why did he feel suffocated instead?
He reminded himself that his sister was gone. Olivia did not have the right to declare her ârebirth.â He
convinced himself that he wasnât feeling bad for Oliviaâhe just wanted revenge.
He wasnât done with torturing her yet, and he would not let this slip.
Deep in his thoughts, he was interrupted by Brentâs remark. âMs. Hilton brought Mrs. Miller to the Dark
Horse Clubhouse.â
Brent clicked on an Instagram post that showed Olivia lazing on a soft couch in a dimly lit room while a
handsome young man in white kneeled on one knee and fed her grapes.
Ethan almost crushed the phone after seeing the photo. âGo to the clubhouse.â
The air turned frosty, and he couldnât take his mind off the young man in white. He knew heâd make
Olivia weak in the knees when he put on a white shirt, and sheâd sometimes sketch the image of his
teenage self in a white shirt.
It was at that moment he realized that he didnât want a divorce at all. Not only that, but he also wanted
to keep her by his side forever. He wanted to subject her to daily torture to atone for Jeffâs sin.
While Ethan was fuming, Brent held his breath in the car. He was confused by the situation. In the past
two years, Ethan was good to Marina and fulfilled all her demands, but he didnât seem to have any
affection for her.
On the other hand, Ethan gave Olivia the cold shoulder, but Brent could tell that she was Ethanâs one
true love. Alas, Ethan, blinded by hate, would do anything to hurt Olivia.
When Ethan rushed to the Dark Horse Clubhouse, the two women were nowhere to be seen.
Apparently, Olivia had to bring Everly home because the latter was making a scene after getting drunk.
Not knowing that he missed them, he ordered his men to look around but found no one. Brent called up
the hotels across the city and got nothing too.
âMr. Miller, she must have found a new place to stay in advance. Itâll take some time to find a rental if
youâre doing it without an agent.â
The look in Ethanâs eyes darkened when he realized that she planned to leave for good once she
received the compensation.
âLook into it! Find her, no matter what it takes!â
The good news was that Olivia hadnât left the premises with a male escort. Still, those who entertained
Olivia were tied up and brought to Ethan, who lit a cigar and stared at the two trembling men through
the wisps of smoke.
âLift your heads.â
The poor men never thought that theyâd get into trouble with a big shot. Shaking violently, they
stammered, âM-Mr. Miller.â
âWhere did you touch her?â
âN-No, we didnât. The lady did not like touching and kept a distance from us. She had a few drinks
before leaving with her friend.â
Ethan snickered and lifted the chin of one host. He examined the young manâs face, which was caked
in makeup. The man also smelled of cloying and cheap perfume.
Ethan remarked, âWhy would she eat the grapes fed to her by a cheap, trashy man like you?â
The young man was on the brink of tears. Ethan made it worse when he announced, âCut his fingers
off.â
âMr. Miller, please spare me!â
Thankfully, Brent intervened and showed Ethan the surveillance footage of the lounge. âMrs. Miller did
not have physical contact with them.â
Two of the men were already sobbing. They hadnât expected to have their fingers cut off just because
they fed their client grapes. All they wanted was to latch onto some rich lady, get their share of the
money, and retire comfortably.
They finally welcomed a beautiful and stylish young lady today, but sadly, she didnât even look at them
despite their best efforts to woo her. Not only that, but they also had to deal with a devil after she left.
Talk about unlucky!
Ignoring them, Ethan went back to his car and drove around the city aimlessly. Where would Olivia go
when she had no place to crash at?
After Jeff was placed in the ICU, she did not need to be at the hospital to take care of him. Her phone
was turned off. Clueless, he went to almost all the places they had visited before.
After a futile search, he returned to their newlywed home. He had only stopped by shortly on that night.
It had been a while since he visited the villa. Only the furniture was left behind; the interior seemed
spotless and devoid of human touch.
It was her habit to arrange fresh flowers on the dining table daily, but even the vase was gone.
In the empty and lonely master bedroom, her presence was removed from all their wedding photos.
Only Ethan was left in the photos, looking both eerie and lonely.
Even after the Fordhams went bankrupt, she never took any of the branded clothes he bought for her
and only packed some cheap clothes to go.
He then remembered that he had ordered the luxury bags and jewelry to be collected from the villa.
She had also returned her diamond ring to him. It was her only possession that was worth something.
Her toothbrush, cup, and towels were gone from the bathroom. His electric toothbrush looked lonely on
the shelf.
Next, he shuffled to the nursery that was once Oliviaâs faith, not noticing that the palms of his hands
were slightly sweaty. The door clicked open, and he was greeted by an empty nursery, a sight that
made his blood run cold.
She had cut off all her ties to him.
âMr. Miller, donât worry. I checked with all the airline, train, and bus operators. There was no trace of
Mrs. Miller purchasing tickets anywhere. Since Mr. Fordham is still warded, she wonât leave the city.â
Ethan belatedly found out the reason he did not kill Jeff despite being fully capable of doing so.
Perhaps, he subconsciously felt that Jeff was Oliviaâs Achillesâ heel. By keeping Jeff alive, he could
keep Olivia under his thumb.
âFind her and bring her to me.â
âRoger that.â
Ethan lay on the bed in the master bedroom. The nights when they slept separately were difficult for
him too.
Even though he knew that Olivia was innocent, he could not get over the fact that she was related to
Jeff. Her happiness reminded him of his poor sister.
It was Oliviaâs fault for being born as Jeffâs daughter, and she should be held accountable for her
fatherâs sin. He had an equally intense love and hate for her as he released his pent-up grief and anger
by torturing her.
Perhaps, it was time for a new punishment.