The Day I Went Silent Chapter 09
Julian locked himself in his room for days.
He dug up the villa’s security footage, watching it over and over again like a masochist.
Olivia was someone who loved life deeply; every day, she would water the flowers, bake desserts, and feed the stray cats outside.
The rough edges of life softened because of her, and the cold, hard villa seemed to fill with a quiet, lingering warmth.
Julian had never observed Olivia’s life so closely before.
He’d always viewed her as nothing more than his arranged marriage wife, demanding quiet obedience and wanting nothing but a polite, distant relationship.
Unknowingly, Olivia had already seeped deep into his life, becoming an indelible mark on his soul.
Julian’s eyes darkened as he stared intently at the screen.
In the footage, Olivia was pounced on by a stray cat she often fed, nearly knocking her over.
She wasn’t angry; rubbing the stray cat’s head, she smiled: “Do you like me that much?
Then how about you come live with me?”
Olivia liked cats?
Julian had never known that before.
If she liked cats, why didn’t she keep one?
The Vance family was wealthy and powerful; it wasn’t as if they couldn’t afford a pet.
Julian imagined the sight of Olivia holding a kitten, and the corners of his lips curled up slightly.
Olivia was like a cat herself — a big cat raising a little cat. It was truly adorable.
The next second, a small figure rushed into the surveillance frame.
It was Oliver.
He gave Olivia a hard shove, causing her to stumble, and the cat in her arms let out a startled cry and bolted away.
“Ugh, you’re always hovering around these dirty strays.”
Oliver’s young, tender face was full of malice. “I already told Dad that a stray cat scratched me, and I told him to kill all the stray cats around here.”
Olivia’s face instantly drained of color.
Her lips trembled: “Why?”
“No reason. Seeing you unhappy just makes me happy.”
Oliver smugly dropped those words and skipped away.
Olivia stood rooted to the spot, like a cold, hard statue.
After a long, long time, she finally took out her phone to make a call, finding someone to send all the nearby stray cats to a shelter.
Those eyes that had been sparkling just moments ago seemed to dim, making Julian’s heart clench with pain behind the screen.
In a daze, he remembered that such a thing had indeed happened.
Oliver had clamored about disliking stray cats and wanting them all dead.
Julian had casually agreed, but later, when the bodyguards couldn’t find any strays, the matter was simply dropped.
So that was what happened.
It turned out that Olivia, who had always revolved around them, also had things she liked and hobbies of her own.
But Oliver had been bullying her all along; his son had been bullying her.
How was he only just noticing this?
Julian couldn’t bear to watch anymore. He shut off the computer and dragged his stiff body out the door.
In the living room, Chloe was keeping Oliver company.
Oliver was always well-behaved and excited in front of Chloe, but today seemed a bit different.
He scrunched up his little face, extremely displeased: “Mom is so dumb, she can’t even help me with my homework.”
“Aunt Sterling knows everything and can always make me understand.”
Chloe’s smile froze on her face.
She had never been academically inclined. She’d skipped high school to enter the entertainment industry. While she could work out Oliver’s homework problems, she lacked the patience and skill to explain them simply for a child.
Olivia was different. A top student who got into grad school without exams at a premier university, she explained problems in a way that was incredibly easy to understand.
“Be a good boy, Oliver. Your Aunt Sterling won’t be coming back. Let’s not talk about her anymore, okay?”
Oliver’s expression grew visibly more anxious: “What do you mean she won’t be coming back?
She said she would never abandon me.”
That was something Olivia had said once when he was sick with a high fever.
Delirious from the fever, he had clung to Olivia and called her Mom, his tears falling in heavy drops.
Olivia had never been hugged like that before. Her body went stiff, and it took her a long time before she hesitantly patted his back.
“Don’t cry…”
The feverish Oliver sobbed: “Mom, don’t leave me. Stay with me forever, okay…
I miss you so much…”
Olivia’s voice softened too.
She coaxed in a low voice: “Okay.
I will stay with you forever.”
Even though he flew into a humiliated rage after sobering up the next day, treating Olivia even worse, but, but…
She had personally promised to stay by his side forever.
Hearing him say this, Chloe’s lips pulled down, her expression turning gloomy.
“Not coming back means she’s dead.
She’s dead, do you understand?”
“I am your mother.
I am the mistress of this house.
She will never come back to fight me for it.”
Oliver slowly opened his mouth wide.
Of course he knew what death meant.
Julian paused his steps, a nameless fire flaring up in his chest.
He took a few strides to Chloe and slapped her across the face: “How could you say such things to a child.”
Caught off guard, Chloe stumbled back a few steps, clutching her face.
She looked at Julian in disbelief: “You actually hit me?”
“You’ve never hit me before.”
Julian glanced at his reddened palm, feeling a twinge of regret: “I…”
“Was I wrong?
Isn’t Olivia dead?
And you were the one who forced her to get on that plane.”
Chloe sneered, her voice shrill, “What, now that she’s dead, your heart aches for her?”
“Shut up.”
Julian raised his voice.
Chloe bit her lip, tears shimmering in her eyes: “Julian, don’t tell me you’ve just realized you’re in love with her.”
“You said it yourself, she was just a responsibility to you. I am the only person you’ve ever loved in this life.”
“Now that she’s dead, I’m waiting for you to remarry me so our family of three can live a good life, and you pull this face at me.”