Divorced But Never Letting Go Chapter 109

OLIVIA

 Adrian walked into my office and saw me lying on the couch. He wasn't alone; he carried a bouquet of flowers.

 Noticing the worrisome look on my face, he rushed to me.

 "Are you okay? You don't seem too well," Adrian asked, pressing the back of his palm to my neck to check my temperature.

 "I'm fine. It's just fatigue," I lied.

 It was the same thing I had told Kate. Adrian was the last person I wanted to burden with my problems.

 "Damn it! How can you be fine when your neck is this hot? We need to get you to the hospital," he insisted.

 "Trust me, that's the last place I want to be right now. I'm done with hospitals," I declined without sounding ungrateful.

 "You know I can't leave you in this condition. We need to get you back on your feet again," Adrian bemoaned.

 I sat up from the couch. "I just want to go home. I’m sure I’ll be fine there."

 I tried to walk around, but I staggered like a chronic drunk.

 Thankfully, Adrian was there to catch me, holding me up before I could fall.

 "Let me drive you home. I can't let you drive in this condition. You're slowly becoming a shadow of yourself," Adrian insisted.

 "I'll just grab my bag and inform Kate to take charge after my exit," I said.

 I had no reason to resist anymore. It was clear that driving myself home was a risk I couldn’t take.

 As we headed to Adrian’s car, I suddenly stopped. Adrian was already seated inside, waiting for me to get in.

 "What is it this time?" he asked, looking both stressed and frustrated.

 "Can you take me to a rented apartment instead? I don’t want to go back to the Penshurst estate anymore," I made an impulsive decision, one that might have surprised Adrian.

 I no longer felt safe there. I was tired of living with people who had no regard for me.

 "I can't make that decision for you. I don’t know my way around the city since I just moved in, but if you direct me, I'll take you wherever you want to go," Adrian said.

 "Yes, Adrian. Thank you so much," I finally forced a smile and got into the car.

 We spent the entire day navigating the city, searching for an apartment that suited my taste.

 After hours of searching, we still couldn’t find the perfect place.

 "Are you sure you don’t want to check into a hotel? I've lost count of how many places we’ve been to," Adrian lamented.

 I knew this would happen, so I had already prepared an apology speech. I felt guilty for making him go through so much stress.

 "I completely understand, Adrian. Just one last stop. If we don’t find anything suitable, I’ll settle for a hotel," I promised, using the moment to apologize as well.

 Finally, after an exhausting search, we found an apartment that lived up to the hype.

 Unfortunately, I couldn’t move in immediately, as it wasn’t yet furnished to my satisfaction.

 As much as I wanted to escape Cyril’s troubles, my peace of mind mattered more than anything.

 "Can you give us a minute?" Adrian asked the estate management, pulling me aside for a private conversation.

 "As you can see, the apartment isn’t fully furnished yet. What are you going to do about it?" Adrian whispered.

 "If you're suggesting that I go back home, then don’t waste your breath—that’s not happening," I refuted before he could even speak.

 "And who said anything about going back home? I was going to suggest you check into a hotel until the apartment is ready," he offered.

 I had half-expected him to ask me to stay at his place, but I was glad he didn’t. It showed he truly cared for me, rather than taking advantage of the situation.

 "Great idea! Thank you for always coming through for me," I said sincerely.

 We went back to the management to finalize details before Adrian drove me to a hotel, where I checked in.

 He made sure I was settled before leaving.

 Working in the comfort of my hotel room felt great. I stayed up on my laptop until I eventually fell asleep.

 The next morning, I woke up to several missed calls from Kate. I had slept so soundly that I hadn’t even heard my phone ring.

 I tried calling her back, but she wasn’t picking up. It dawned on me that I needed to be at the company soon.

 Initially, I hadn’t planned to go in. I intended to visit the rented apartment to check if it had been furnished as agreed.

 After a quick shower, I got dressed and booked a ride. A few minutes later, my ride was waiting outside.

 Fifteen minutes later, I arrived at the company.

 That was the fastest ride I had experienced in a long time. It was as if the driver knew I was in a hurry.

 But as I stepped out of the car, I froze.

 Standing at the doorstep, waiting for me, was Cyril.

 Everything was starting to feel like déjà vu. Just like Rene’s unexpected visit, now Cyril was here unannounced.

 My bag slipped from my hands as I stood in shock.

 Now I understood why Kate had been bombarding my phone with calls.