Chapter 13 Olivia almost rolled her eyes at the girl's saccharine tone . She could see right through the barely concealed smugness and challenge in the girl's eyes . Neil quickly chimed in , " Why should we give it up ? If you love this place , we'll sign the lease on the spot . And I'll help you make it perfect . " As he spoke , Neil stole a glance at Olivia , expecting some kind of reaction . Back in the day , she'd have lost it if he even glanced at another woman . His words hit Olivia like a punch . She was suddenly flooded with memories of their house . She had taken care of everything herself - from house hunting and signing the contract to handling all the renovations and decorations . Every time she called him , he was " occupied " . She had swallowed every excuse , trying to be the " understanding girlfriend . " Now she saw the truth : he had time for everything except her . " Neil , you're the best ! " The girl threw her arms around his neck , her voice bubbling with excitement . Neil smiled and gently touched her cheek , " Isn't that what I'm here for ? To take care of you ? " Olivia bit her lip , trying to hold it together . But her eyes stung , and her heart ached . Letting go of him wasn't as easy as she'd thought . And she wasn't nearly as tough as she'd convinced herself she was . Olivia quickly composed herself . " I'll head out now , Mike . " Mike offered an apologetic smile . " Sorry about that . " " No big deal , " Olivia said , and without another word , she started to leave . But Neil's voice cut through the air , dripping with sarcasm . " You seemed so sure of yourself when you left me . Now you don't even have a place to stay ?! thought you'd be doing great after breaking up with me . Guess I gave you too much credit . " His eyes followed her retreating figure as he thought , ' Olivia , I've given you enough chances . How much longer are you going to keep this up ? Just turn around and apologize , and we can put this behind us ! ' Olivia's chest tightened , and her eyes glistened with unshed tears . But she didn't turn back . She just kept walking , determined not to give Neil the satisfaction of a response . Then Neil's voice rose sharply . " Olivia ! You really think you'll find someone who treats you better than I do after leaving me ? " Olivia let out a mirthless laugh with deep sorrow and resignation . She knew that real love made one feel like they were never doing enough . But Neil clearly wasn't operating on the same wavelength - he was the perfect guy in his world . " Who else is going to care about you ? " he sneered , pacing restlessly . " Your stepfather who never even spares you a glance ? Or your mother , who holds no real power at all ? " The words hit like a punch to the gut . After all these years , he knew exactly where it hurt . And yet , what he said was undeniably true . Since Maribel remarried , Olivia had become an afterthought . Maribel's new family got all of her . Olivia had learned to live alone , to make peace with it . That was why when Neil came into her life , she clung to him with everything she had . Finally , she had someone . All the memories flooded back , and her eyes began to sting and tears welled up . Neil's voice cut through her thoughts . " If anyone actually cared about you , you wouldn't be apartment - hunting by yourself . " 4/1 10:46 Sun , 22 Jun G Cha