The Beginning Of All Sins

The moment Olivia opened her eyes, she hesitated, then called out, "Tyler."

She suddenly remembered something. Now fully awake, she pushed herself up from the bed, using her arms for support.

Tyler walked into the room in the middle of the night, and she accepted this calmly. They stood in silence, their shadows mingling on the floor. This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

After a moment, Tyler broke the silence. "How was the doctor's appointment?"

"Everything seems to be fine," she replied.

"You should tell me right away if something's wrong," he continued, his concern seemingly focused only on the baby.

"I will," she responded.

There was a distance between them, more from Tyler's side. Olivia seemed indifferent, as if bumping into him and Naomi at the bar didn't bother her.

Tyler said nothing more.

Olivia waited, expecting him to mention her and Claude, but instead, she watched his shadow detach from hers. She stared at the floor for a while, and when she looked up again, Tyler was gone; the door closed behind him.

Olivia was surprised he hadn't mentioned the incident. She lay back down, her body going limp as she buried herself in the bed, too restless to sleep now.

The next day, Tyler didn't address the incident. Olivia acted as if nothing had happened, going about her usual routine.

In the afternoon, Ana asked her while sipping tea on the couch, "You're going to a big charity event tonight. Did Tyler tell you about it?"

Olivia, just having come downstairs, stared at Ana, taken aback.

"Didn't you know?" Ana asked, seeing Olivia's confused look.

"No, Tyler didn't tell me," Olivia admitted.

Ana frowned, setting her cup down. "What's going on with you two? You can't just do nothing as his wife. You need to attend events. I'm too old for them now. You have to go by yourself. Do I need to spoon- feed you?"

Feeling Ana's irritation, Olivia carefully replied, "I'll ask Tyler, Mom."

Ana's frown deepened, but she said no more and continued drinking her tea.

Olivia headed back to her room, treading carefully. She hadn't seen Tyler since she woke up and was unaware of the charity event planned for that evening.

Around three in the afternoon, there was a knock at the door as she lay lost in thought in bed. She had been sleeping so much that she felt unwell and had spent most of her time just staring blankly. "Come in," she called.

Linda entered. "There's a charity banquet tonight. Mr. Tyler needs you to come with him. He's been busy today and forgot to tell you earlier."