His for a year. - Chapter 52: Chapter 52

His eyes lit up slightly when he saw me.
“Hey,” he said, his voice was low and warm.
I nodded. “Hey.”
“You good?” he asked, straightening. “I mean, after last night… it was intense.”
I gave a half-hearted chuckle. “That’s putting it mildly.”
Ray gestured toward the small breakfast lounge beside the stairs. “Come sit. Eat something.”
I followed him in and sat, letting the staff quietly place a plate of croissants and a bowl of fruit in front of me. He watched me like he was weighing whether or not I was truly okay.
“I heard what happened,” he finally said, after a long sip of coffee. “With Zade, Anna. Everything.”
I looked down at my food. “Of course you did.”
“You alright?” he asked again, softer this time.
I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure what “alright” meant anymore.
He tilted his head. “You know… I’ve been here a long time. I’ve seen the Avners fight, throw things, fake smiles, even bury secrets so deep it takes a miracle to dig them up. But last night?”
He leaned forward slightly, voice dropping.
“That was the first time I saw Zade shake the table for someone else. For you.”
I blinked, my eyes met his.
“Just… thought you should know,” he added with a slight smile.
My lips parted, but no words came. The room was quiet again.
“I meant what I said before, too,” he continued, eyes softer now. “About being here. If you ever feel like you can’t trust anyone else in this house…”
He didn’t finish the sentence, but the air hung heavy with meaning.
I gave him a small nod of gratitude. And for a second, it looked like he wanted to say something more. Something deeper.
But he held back.
And me? I wasn't sure I could take another confession this morning.
So I just murmured, “Thanks for being a good friend to me, Ray,” and took a slow bite of my croissant.
His eyes flickered to me and his food as if disappointed in something.
But even as I chewed, my mind wasn’t on breakfast.
It was on the storm quietly building again.
Because with Anna gone…
And secrets cracking open…
This house wasn’t going to stay quiet for long.
The room was beginning to settle when the sharp sound of stilettos echoed down the hallway.
I looked up. Ray straightened in his seat.
And then Mrs. Eloise Avner walked in.
Elegant as ever, but wearing an expression that made my stomach tighten immediately — pure disgust. Her lips were pursed like she’d swallowed something bitter. Her gaze swept past Ray and locked directly on me.
I stood, instinctively.
So did Ray.
But she didn’t give me even a second to speak.
“Well,” Eloise sneered, “I hope you’re happy now.”
The room got tensed immediately.
“I hope you’re satisfied with what you’ve made my son do. Turning him against people who have been in this family longer than you’ve even known his name.”
Her words were sharp. Filled with coldness. Loud enough for the maids and butlers hovering in the corners to hear every syllable. I could feel their stares, their uncomfortable shifts. But Eloise wasn’t finished.
“You came into this house like a desperate stray and somehow managed to plant yourself in the middle of our table like royalty.”
Ray shifted beside me, clearly uncomfortable, but Eloise kept going.
“You’re nothing but a homewrecker, and I’ll be damned if I sit and watch you ruin this family.”
Ray opened his mouth, “Ma’am, please let's—”
“No, Ray,” Eloise snapped. “Let me talk to her. Since she seems to be the only one my son listens to these days.”
Her piercing gaze returned to me.
“I just wanted to let you know… you’re worthless. You bring chaos wherever you go. Pain follows you like a shadow. And the world—”
Her voice caught, just slightly, on the venom.
“…the world would be better off without people like you.”
My mouth parted.
But nothing came out.
The air was hot in my lungs. My fingers trembled at my side. I wanted to defend myself, to say something, anything at all, but I couldn't seem to find any words.
“And if you think tattling to Zade will change anything, go ahead. Let him throw me out of my own house next. Let him destroy every root this family has because of you.”
Then she scoffed, her eyes trailing over me with unhidden disgust.
“I can’t wait for the day he comes back to his senses.”
She turned, gave me one last icy glance, and left the room.
Silence fell like a heavy curtain.
I blinked fast, the burn behind my eyes too hot to contain.
Some of the staff awkwardly stepped out, pretending they hadn’t heard. But they had.
Everyone had.
Ray reached for me gently. “Olive—”
I shook my head quickly, my throat tightening. I didn’t want his kindness. Not now. Not when my heart was barely holding itself together.
I turned and walked away, not saying a word, my legs stiff like stone.
I climbed the stairs one at a time, hearing whispers behind me that felt like knives. I reached Zade’s room and shut the door firmly behind me.
I was hated and the whole house knew.
I didn't let myself cry again.
The pain from Mrs. Eloise’s words sat deep in my chest, but I tucked it away like I’d done with everything else, every betrayal, every slap, every reminder that I didn’t belong. I was getting used to the hate, and that scared me. But what choice did I have?
I had to survive.
I took a long breath and forced myself off the floor. My body felt heavier, but my steps remained steady. Like nothing had happened. Like Eloise’s words hadn’t bruised me from the inside out.
I opened my laptop and joined my online class. My camera was off, mic muted, face blank. The professor’s voice droned on like background noise while I scribbled notes I’d barely read later. It was something to do. Something to focus on at least.
After the class ended, I lay back on the bed and picked up my phone. Out of habit, I opened the gallery. The wedding pictures stared back at me.
A small, breathy laugh escaped my lips.
It'd been six months.
Six months of confusion, contracts, chaos… and moments I didn’t know what to do with. Moments I didn’t know how to name.
I swiped through the pictures slowly. There I was, in white, nervous but smiling. Zade beside me, tall and unreadable. Handsome. Possessive. Everything about him in that photo said mine.
And now?
I wasn’t even sure what we were anymore.
My thoughts drifted—like they always did—to my father.
Was he really alive?
Was he really innocent?
I hadn’t told anyone, but sometimes I saw flashes of him in my dreams. Not clear images—just shadows, hazy figures. The kind that made me wake up in a cold sweat.
And my mom. Still unconscious, still on a hospital bed, waiting. Waiting for a surgery the doctors kept postponing.
My heart ached.
Too many unanswered questions. Too much silence.
I blinked back the sting in my eyes and pulled the blanket over my body.
Maybe just a short nap.
Just to get away from my thoughts for a while.
Sleep came quicker than I expected, and so did the dreams.
A soft click pulled me back to reality.
My eyes fluttered open.
It was already dark.
The door creaked slightly as it opened.
Zade stepped inside.
I sat up slowly.
He looked surprised to see me awake. “Oh… you’re up,” he said gently. His voice was low, tired. “Didn’t want to wake you.”
I blinked at him. “What time is it?”
“Almost nine.” He pulled off his jacket, his movements slow but composed. “Long day.”
She didn’t say anything right away. She just watched him.
Something about the way he moved… it looked different tonight. Slower. Like something was weighing him down too.
“Dinner’s downstairs,” he added after a moment, slipping off his watch and setting it on the dresser. “I told them not to bother you.”
“Thanks,” I said quietly.
He paused.
He glanced at me from the corner of his eye, like he wanted to say more. But instead, he just nodded.
“Gonna shower,” he mumbled, disappearing into the bathroom.
I leaned back against the headboard.
A part of me still burned from everything that had happened. But another part… the quieter part… just wanted peace. Even if it came in moments. Even if it was borrowed.
I heard the shower running and caught myself wondering what kind of day he had. Whether he’d had to yell at anyone. Whether anyone had yelled at him.
When he finally stepped out, his hair was wet and pushed back, his gray shirt clinging to his body in places. He smelled like something fresh and sharp, and I hated how my eyes followed him without permission.
He walked over to his closet and grabbed a shirt from the drawer.
“You okay?” he asked softly, toweling his hair as he looked at me.
I nodded. “Tired.”
He studied me, then gave me a little half-smile.
“Come downstairs when you're ready.”
He turned off the main light, leaving only the warm glow of the lamp by my side.
Then, just before stepping out, he crossed the space between us, leaned forward—and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he whispered.
And before I could respond, he was gone. I stared at the door. My fingers brushed my forehead.
My thoughts didn’t know what to feel.
But my heart?
It was starting to whisper something again.
And this time… I listened.
My chest still felt heavy from everything, the constant reminder that I didn't belong here, but Zade’s kiss on my forehead hadn’t left my thoughts. Not even for a second.
Maybe I could try again. Just… be around him. Breathe near him.
I walked out of the room, my steps light but uncertain as I followed the hallway down to the main staircase. I was just about to call his name when voices echoed faintly from the dining area.
I froze on the steps, hidden by the shadows and the curve of the wall.
Zade’s voice.
And his mother’s.
“I want my baby back,” Mrs. Eloise said, her tone a soft plea twisted with something sharp underneath. I peeked gently around the corner, just enough to see her cupping Zade’s face in her palms. “You’ve changed so much, Zade. This woman… she’s making you unrecognizable.”
Zade didn’t pull away at first.
But when her fingers slid to his cheeks, stroking them the way a mother coddles a sick child, he stepped back — deliberate and firm.
“No, Mother. This is exactly the change I needed.”
His voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear and final.
“Everyone’s been making decisions for me all my life,” he continued. “Father, you, the board, even Anna. I was just… there. Rich, silent, useful. Now I have a voice. And suddenly that’s a problem?”
Eloise's face hardened, her eyes narrowing like a snake catching wind of threat.
“Don’t pretend she hasn’t cast some spell on you. That girl—”
“Her name is Olive,” he cut in sharply.
Eloise’s lips twitched. “Whatever name she uses. She’s dangerous for you. A distraction. A weight. You’re changing for someone who doesn’t belong here. Do you even know where she came from? The filth of her past?”
His eyes turned cold. “Don’t you dare, Mother.”
“I will say it,” she snapped, voice rising. “Divorce her. Get her out of this house. Out of your life. Or I will do something about it myself.”
The silence became thick and threatening.
Zade took a slow step toward her.
His words came low, even, deadly.
“Try it.”
Eloise blinked.
“I mean it,” he continued, eyes locked on hers. “Try it — if you want to end up like Anna.”
The threat hung in the air like poison.
Eloise stared at him, her face caught somewhere between disbelief and fury. Then slowly, her gaze shifted — past him — to the staircase.
To me.
Our eyes met.
Her expression curdled. She let out a long hiss — sharp, venomous — then turned, her heels clicking furiously against the marble floor as she stormed out of the house without another word.
The silence she left behind felt like it cracked something open.
Zade turned slowly, finally noticing me on the stairs.
His face softened instantly.
“Hey,” he said, stepping toward me.