APTER 030 OLIVIA'S POV I walked into the huge laundry room , balancing a heavy basket in my hands . It was filled with my dirty clothes , mostly dresses I had worn in the past week . The maids had offered to do my laundry for me , but I had refused . It wasn't about the work itself - it was about having some control over something , no matter how small . Ever since I left Adrian , my life has been anything but stable . Everything felt uncertain like I was walking on thin ice . But at least here , in Julian's mansion , I could do small tasks like this , things that made me feel like I wasn't completely helpless . I set the basket down and began separating the clothes , tossing a few pieces into the washing machine . As I grabbed a handful of underwear , my phone vibrated on the countertop . I wiped my hands on my dress before picking it up , glancing at the caller ID . Mom . I sighed . She must have gone to my apartment and found out I wasn't there . I hadn't told anyone that I was staying with Julian , not even my family . And I knew exactly why she was calling . Taking a deep breath , I pressed the answer button and lifted the phone to my ear . " Hi , Mom . " " Olivia , darling , where have you been ? " her worried voice came through immediately . I hesitated for a second before replying . " I'm at a friend's place . Do you need something ? " " A friend's place ? " she repeated , her tone sharp with disapproval . " Why are you staying with a friend when you should be in your husband's house ? " I clenched my jaw . Here we go again . " Mom , we're not doing this . " " Oh , we are doing this , " she insisted . " Adrian has been patient with you , Olivia . He's given you space but enough is enough . It's time for you to stop acting like a child and go back to your husband . " I rolled my eyes . Of course , she was taking Adrian's side . My mother always had this fantasy about a perfect marriage , as if relationships were something you just endured for the sake of appearances . I opened my mouth to argue , but before guld say anything , another call beeped in . I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked at the screen . And to my suprise , I saw the name of the one person I least expected to call me Adrian . My stomach twisted uncomfortably . Why was he calling me now ? " Olivia ? Are you even listening to me ? " Mom's voice snapped me out of my thoughts . " There's something important I need to take care of , Mom . We can talk about this later ," I said quickly . " There's nothing more important than this ... " " Bye , Mom ," I cut her off , ending the call before she could say anything else . Adrian's call was still ringing . I stared at the screen for a moment , debating whether I should ignore it . A part of me wanted to let it go to voicemail , to avoid the conversation entirely . But another part of me was curious . Taking a deep breath , I answered . For a moment , there was silence on the line . Then his familiar deep voice came through . " Hello , Olivia . " I swallowed hard . It felt strange hearing his voice after almost a month . " What do you want , Adrian ? " I asked , my voice sharper than I intended . " What do you mean ? Are you saying I can't call to check up on my dear wife ? " I let out a dry laugh . " Wife ? You lost me as a wife the day you decided to sleep with another woman . " " Oh really ? " he said , a smugness creeping into his tone . " Let me educate you on something , Olivia . You might think that way , but legally , you're still my wife . Until those divorce papers are signed , nothing has changed . " I gritted my teeth . " Trust me , once I put a few things together , those papers will be on your doorstep . " There was a brief silence before he let out a low chuckle . " Why are you being so mean ? " 1 I scoffed . " Mean ? You treated me like a stranger for years , Adrian . Do you even hear yourself ? " I stopped for a few seconds , he was already making me lose my temper and I didn't want him to affect my life anymore. " Hmm . " He paused for a second as if choosing his next words carefully . " I want us to talk . " " Well , we're talking now . Say what you want . " " No , I mean in person . " I frowned . " You want to see me ? " " Yes . " I hesitated . " And why would I come to see you ? " His voice dropped into something colder , more serious . " This isn't a request , Olivia . If 2/3 CHAPTER 030 you want those funds I invested in your parents ' company to stay there , you'll come to see me . I'll send you the address . " Blackmail . Of course . I pinched the bridge of my nose , feeling frustration creep in , I knew Adrian wasn't the type to just ask for something - he always had leverage . And right now , my family's financial stability was that leverage . I let out a slow exhale . " Fine . Send me the time and place . " There was another low chuckle from his end . " I'll see you soon ! " And with that , he ended the call . I stared at my phone , my fingers tightening around it . Was I really going to see the one person am trying to get away from ? More importantly , was it safe ? The men who tried to take me before - they were still out there . I didn't know if they had given up searching for me . If they had been sent by someone else . Meeting Adrian meant stepping into a dangerous situation , no matter how I looked at it . But I also knew one thing for sure - Julian wouldn't like this . At all . A soft beep interrupted my thoughts . I glanced down at my phone . Adrian : Meet me at 7 PM . Here's the address . I groaned under my breath . This evening ? He couldn't have given me at least a day to prepare . Now I had to figure out how to tell Julian . I turned back to the washing machine , pressing the buttons to start the cycle before . leaving the laundry room . My feet carried me through the halls of Julian's mansion , my -mind already preparing for the argument I was about to have . As expected , I found him outside , sitting in the garden with his laptop . He looked up as I approached , his fingers still typing . " Hey . You have a moment ?" " Sure , what's up ? " he asked , / eyes flickering back to the screen . I hesitated for a second , then finally said it . " I just got off the phone with Adrian . " CHAPTER 031 CHAPTER 031