Olivia’s POV
After I left the table and stepped outside, I felt like I could finally breathe again.
The back door closed behind softly, muffling the voices and sounds of silverware inside. Out here, in the backyard where I’d played in as a child, everything felt quieter. Calr. Less suffocating.
I’m not usually like this - emotional, fragile, on the verge of tears for reasons I couldn’t fully explain. But sothing about today had cracked sothing open inside , and I didn’t know how to seal it back up.
I walked to the old swing set Dad had built when Kennedy and I were kids. The wood was weathered now, the paint chipped, but it still held strong as I lowered myself onto one of the swings.
I pushed off gently, letting the moving swing soothe so of the chaos in my mind.
This is so ssed up.
Sothing was wrong. Sothing bigger than Maxwell knowing I was Kennedy’s sister. Sothing that felt like a missing puzzle piece - right there in my peripheral vision but impossible to grab.
Everyone else seed to understand what was happening. Even Kira, who was just as confused as I was, seed to sense the undercurrents.
Why couldn’t I rember?
Footsteps on the grass behind made tense.
"Can I join you?"
MAXWELL’S VOICE.
Of course it’s him.
"What do you want?" I didn’t turn around, just kept swinging gently.
He moved into my peripheral vision, settling onto the swing next to mine. His long legs and masculine body made the child-sized seat look ridiculous, but he didn’t seem to care.
"I wanted to make sure you’re okay."
I scoffed bitterly. "Since when do you care about my wellbeing?"
"I can leave if you want to."
The offer hung in the air between us, and I waited for my mouth to say yes. To tell him to go. To leave alone so I could process everything without his overwhelming presence making it impossible to think.
But the word wouldn’t co.
Because despite everything, the anger and the hurt and the confusion, so part of wanted him here. Needed him here, even if I couldn’t understand why.
So I said nothing. Just gazed at the sand beneath our feet, watching it shift with each small movent of the swing.
The silence stretched out, growing heavier and tensed until I couldn’t stand it anymore.
"Why?" I asked in a soft voice.
Maxwell’s swing creaked as he shifted. "Why was I rude to you that first day?"
"Yes."
He was quiet for a mont, and when he spoke, his voice was calm. "Because I thought you ca to see ."
My head snapped up, eyes locking onto his. "Ca to see you? Wait... I thought you said you didn’t know who I was until after I left your office?"
"You looked familiar from the mont you walked in," he admitted. "I just couldn’t place where I knew you from until I did so digging afterward."
"How the hell don’t I recognize you?" The words burst out, frustration and confusion mixing together. "How does everyone else recognize you except ?"
Maxwell smiled sadly, almost wistful. "We didn’t really talk much as kids. I was always with Kennedy. You were just... there. In the background. We exchanged maybe a handful of words, and that was it."
"So you’re saying I never even noticed you?"
"Not really, no."
Okay. That’s fair, I suppose.
But it didn’t explain everything else.
"You were rude to because you thought I’d co to see you," I repeated slowly, trying to work through the logic. "But then I asked for love advice. About Alex. So why did that make you angry?"
Maxwell’s jaw tightened. "I think you already know the answer to that."
My heart started racing. "Because you had feelings for ?"
He looked at then - slowly - but didn’t say anything. The silence was answer enough.
Oh God.
I wanted to ask more. Wanted to ask if I was his Olivia - the one he’d talked about in his drunken confessions, the one he’d been searching for, the one he claid he’d destroy when he found her.
But I couldn’t ask that. Because Olivia didn’t know about those confessions. Only Oliver had heard them.
When it beca clear Maxwell wasn’t going to elaborate, I shifted topics.
"Your personal assistant. Oliver. The one who claims to be our cousin?"
"What about him?"
"Why did you bring him? Really?"
Maxwell’s expression was unreadable. "I thought he should et his distant relatives. It seed like the right thing to do."
Right. Because that’s totally normal. Bringing a fake assistant to a family lunch.
But I couldn’t push too hard without revealing that I knew sothing was off. Without revealing that I was the real Oliver.
"You kissed that day." I said suddenly, the mory of that mont in the restaurant parking lot making swallow with longing. "In your car, outside the restaurant. Was it because you like ?"
Maxwell’s hands gripped the chains of his swing. "I don’t want to talk about that right now."
Of course you don’t.
Frustration boiled over, hot and sharp. "This is ridiculous, Maxwell. If you like , just say so. Why are you making everything so complicated?"
He obviously had feelings for . But he also hated , or at least hated sothing about our shared past that I couldn’t rember. And the contradictions were driving insane.
I stood abruptly, the swing swaying wildly behind .
"I’m going back inside. Gabriel is waiting for , and I don’t want him to think I’m rude. Especially since I’m going to date him."
Maxwell stood too, so fast his swing almost hit him. "You’re going to date Gabriel."
It wasn’t a question. It was a statent filled with disbelief.
"Yes," I said firmly, deciding right there that it was the best thing to do. "I’m going to date Gabriel."
Even though Gabriel had clearly been trying to use as a rebound. Even though I felt nothing when I looked at him except vague physical attraction. Even though every cell in my body was screaming at to stop playing gas and just admit that the only person I wanted was standing right in front of .
"Do you really an that?" Maxwell asked quietly.
I was getting angry now - angry at him for making feel this way, and yet still holding back, angry at myself for caring so much. "Is there sothing you want to say to , Maxwell? Because if there is, now would be a great ti."
He shook his head, his expression shutting down. "Gabriel is a good guy."
"Oh, now you think it’s okay for to date him?" I couldn’t keep the bitterness out of my voice. "I thought you were strongly against it before. Told to stay away from both him and Alex."
"Yeah, well." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "That was before."
"Before what?"
"Before I realized you’d be better off with soone else."
My chest tightened painfully. "Soone like who?"
"Soone who loves you the way you need to be loved, Olivia." His voice was rough, raw in a way that made my eyes sting with unexpected tears.
I took a breath, steadying myself. "I’m only going to ask this question once, Maxwell." My voice was quieter now, stripped of anger, just honest and vulnerable. "Do you love ?"
Maxwell’s eyes closed, his jaw working like he was physically holding back words.
"Now isn’t the right ti to discuss things like that."
The non-answer hit like a slap.
"Right." I nodded, swallowing past the lump in my throat. "Okay. I’m going inside now."
I moved past him, my shoulder almost brushing his, heading back toward the house and the complicated ss of a family lunch waiting inside.
His hand shot out and caught my wrist, pulling to a stop.
I turned back, hope flaring in my chest despite my best efforts to kill it. Say sothing. Admit your feelings. Tell the truth about whatever this is between us.
But Maxwell just stood there, his hand warm around my wrist, his eyes searching my face.
Then he shook his head and dropped my wrist, turning to walk in the opposite direction - toward the front yard, toward his car.
I watched him go, my wrist still tingling where he’d touched .
Watched as he climbed into his car without looking back.
Watched as he started the engine and drove away, leaving standing alone.
Fine.
If he wanted to run, let him run.
I’d tried. I’d asked the question. I’d given him the opportunity to be honest.
And he’d chosen silence.
Guess I’m really doing this with Gabriel then.
********
Kira’s POV
Lunch finally ended - thank God - and it was ti to go ho.
The ti I’d been waiting for all day.
Kennedy stood from the table, his eyes finding mine across the room. "Kira, I can give you a ride ho if you’d like."
Yes. Yes yes yes yes YES.
"That would be great," I said, trying to sound casual instead of desperately excited. "Thank you."
Olivia caught my eye as she headed out with Gabriel, and gave a look that said we need to talk later, but I just nodded and followed Kennedy toward the door.
Finally.
Finally I was going to be alone with Kennedy Hopton.
Single Kennedy Hopton.
Divorced Kennedy Hopton.
Available Kennedy Hopton.
And I was absolutely, definitely getting that kiss.
Even if it killed .
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