Chapter 15
Chapter 15:
“Ryan, when’s the big day for you and Olivia? You’re not getting any younger—don’t keep us waiting! And when you finally have your own little one, we’ll bring the best gifts to the celebration p>
The room fell briefly quiet. A few guests cast quick, sympathetic glances toward Kailey, their expressions tinged with pity.
Olivia’s smile never faltered. She acted as though she hadn’t noticed a thing and answered sweetly, “Of course, we’d love to have everyone there p>
The tension dissolved gradually, and after a few more rounds of teasing banter, the guests drifted off into the night.
Left with little choice, Kailey climbed into Ryan’s car. Olivia claimed the front seat, adjusting the air and queuing up her favorite playlist with easy familiarity. She turned around and held out a stick of gum to Kailey. “Ryan brought these back from his last trip. They’re impossible to find here—try one p>
Kailey met Olivia’s cheerful gaze with a blank look. “No, thank you p>
A glance in the rearview mirror caught Ryan’s irritated expression. Kailey ignored it, fixing her eyes on her phone.
𝖲𝗮𝗏𝘦 𝘆𝗈𝗎𝗿 𝘧𝘢𝗏𝗼r𝘪t𝗲 𝗇ov𝖾𝗅𝘀 o𝗻.с𝗈𝗆
After a beat, Olivia withdrew her hand, smiled awkwardly, and turned to Ryan instead. “Kailey’s not interested. You should have it p>
For the rest of the drive, Kailey tuned out their conversation. Olivia chatted away about upcoming weddings, designer bridal gowns, and every detail she had dreamed up for her own big day. Ryan responded to each comment with a tone that felt just a touch too deliberate, as if he wanted to be sure Kailey heard every word.
But she wasn’t listening. Her attention was fixed on her phone as she typed a message to Kyson. “Julia’s baby is adorable—huge cheeks you just want to pinch p>
Kyson replied, “Only a month old p>
“Yep, today’s his one-month party p>
A moment later, an audio message came through. Kailey, suspecting mischief, converted it to text.
It read: “You like babies that much? Let’s have one together p>
She knew he was teasing, but the thought made her laugh out loud.
Her smile faded when she noticed Ryan watching her in the rearview mirror, his brow furrowed as he tried to read her expression. From where she sat, she also caught a glimpse of Olivia’s sour look in the mirror.
She couldn’t work out what she had done wrong. She had kept entirely to herself the whole drive. Thinking back, she realized Olivia had been venting about her apartment’s poor maintenance—a burst pipe had apparently left her soaked and furious. It dawned on Kailey that they might have assumed she was laughing at Olivia’s misfortune. Nothing could be further from the truth, but there was no point in explaining.
No one spoke after that. The silence held until they pulled up to Olivia’s building, bringing the tense drive to a close.
Ryan stepped out and circled the car to open her door, his voice softening. “Next time, don’t try to deal with these things on your own. Just call me, alright p>
Olivia sniffled. “I know. I just don’t want to be a burden p>
“It’s never a burden. Whatever you need, you call me p>
Kailey turned her gaze to the window, unwilling to watch the moment unfold.