Divorced But Never Letting Go Chapter 133

ADRIAN

 Kate had been asking about the station Olivia was taken to for over five minutes, and I still hadn’t been able to respond. Even in a thousand years, I’d probably still be clueless.

 I was behaving ridiculously in front of her. For the first time in my life, I didn’t trust myself.

 “I’m not sure how to say this to you. To be honest, I—” I paused, suddenly at a loss for words, as though I’d forgotten how to speak.

 “You what?” Kate snapped, grabbing my shirt like she wanted to rip it apart.

 “Adrian, say something! This isn’t you. When did you become so dull? I still have no idea what’s going on. If we were living in ancient times, I’d swear you sold Olivia into slavery,” she said, throwing yet another accusation at me—one even more serious than the last.

 If a third party overheard this, I’d probably spend the rest of my life in prison for human trafficking.

 I tried to calm her down, but my words fell flat.

 I was speechless, hopeless, and defenseless against her rage.

 “I thought you loved her! You promised you’d keep an eye on her!” Kate’s anger rose with every word.

 “If I’d known you were going to be this clueless, I never would’ve left her in your care.” She reminded me of my incompetence at every possible turn, twisting the knife deeper with each sentence.

 I didn’t fight back because I knew she was right.

 “I deserve the yelling. I deserve the insults. But the damage is done. Right now, we need to focus on finding her. This is our chance to work as a team,” I said, trying to sound as reasonable as possible.

 I used the calmest, most deliberate words I could, hoping to make her see what was at stake.

 She chuckled bitterly, her eyes locked on mine. “You want us to work together to find Olivia?”

 “Yes, Kate,” I said, though my voice trailed off at the end.

 As soon as I said it, I started doubting myself. Did I even know what I was doing?

 “You’re not even sure of your own suggestion,” she sneered. “Take a look in the mirror—you look terrifying.”

 Her mocking laughter grated on my nerves. My patience was wearing thin.

 All I could think about was lashing out.

 But after a second’s hesitation, I realized how disastrous that would be.

 I’d just asked for peace. It wouldn’t make sense to do the very thing I’d been trying to avoid.

 “If you had known where she was going, your suggestion would’ve made a lot more sense. Right now, we should just hope she’ll contact us,” Kate continued taunting me, picking up exactly where she left off.

 This time, though, it felt different—almost like she was offering something useful.

 I stepped closer and gently pulled her toward me. “You might be right. How about we check our social media accounts?”

 “Seriously? You want to do this now?” She pulled back, looking at me like I’d just made the worst decision ever.

 “Did you notice she wasn’t answering any of our calls?” Kate reminded me, emphasizing how she’d gone silent hours ago.

 “That doesn’t matter. What happened to staying optimistic? Trust me, if this doesn’t work, I’ll follow your lead,” I promised, even though I wasn’t entirely convinced myself.

 The choice wasn’t easy, but I felt it was worth a shot.

 She sighed and tilted her head up. “Fine. You first. Log into your accounts.”

 I pulled out my phone, my hands trembling as I punched in my passcode.

 I turned on the internet connection, silently praying I’d see a text from Olivia.

 Kate frowned. “Why did you suddenly go quiet? You’ve got a lot of notifications. Did Olivia text you?”

 I stood there like an idiot, staring at the screen, hoping for some kind of miracle.

 I didn’t have the nerve to tell her that Olivia hadn’t messaged me. She’d probably just remind me that she warned me about this plan.

 When it became clear I wasn’t going to answer, Kate took matters into her own hands. “That’s it. I’m done with this game. If I don’t find a message from Olivia on my phone, I’m heading to the nearest station.”

 It didn’t sound like an empty threat—Kate meant every word.

 For the first time since we met, I could tell she was about to act on it.

 Then, her entire mood shifted as she stared down at her phone.

 The fury on her face drained away, replaced by something worse—shock.

 “What’s wrong? Why do you look like that?” I asked, unnerved by her expression.

 She didn’t answer. She just stood there, her mouth falling open.

 I couldn’t take the silence anymore. I grabbed her phone, desperate to see what had her so shaken.

 It took less than sixty seconds for me to feel the same gut-wrenching shock.

 Now I understood why she hadn’t said a word.

 “Olivia was abducted? Damn it!” I cursed under my breath. “I should’ve known those cops were imposters.”

 Anger and shame crashed over me. How could I have missed something so obvious?

 If I’d been paying more attention, none of this would’ve happened.

 “But… who would want her dead?” I whispered, voicing the question that gnawed at my mind.

 I knew there was no easy answer. Kate seemed just as bewildered as I was.

 “Who else but Rene?” she snapped. “Remember the last attack on us—when you took us shopping?”

 Just when I thought she wouldn’t say anything, she did, and it hit like a punch.

 “You know what? Let’s stop guessing. We’ve got a lead now. Let’s head straight to the police station,” Kate said firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument.

 I hadn’t expected this from her. I hadn’t expected her to jump in and defend Olivia so fiercely.

 At that moment, it was hard to believe she was just an assistant. The way she fought for Olivia in those final moments told a completely different story.