Chapter 20 Even in the grainy image , Neil knew it was Olivia . He sat up straight , his eyes locked on the photo , as if trying to sear it into his memory . More messages from Jason buzzed in rapid succession . [ Can you believe this ? I was picking out a wedding dress for my fiancée and who do I see ? Olivia ! ] [ Neil , I didn't get the wrong person , huh ? That's Olivia in white ? Your Olivia ? ] [ But wait … Didn't you break up ? Why's she trying on wedding dresses now ? ] Neil ignored the messages , scrolling through the photo again and again . He'd always known Olivia was beautiful , but this was beyond imagination . Seeing her in that wedding dress really took his breath away . But then he remembered the shredded dress and it hit him like a punch to the gut . ' Was she wearing that dress that day, trying to surprise me ? " Suddenly , he dropped his phone and strode out of his office without a second thought . " Mr. Hartley ," his assistant said , intercepting him as she walked by . " The clients are in the conference room upstairs and ready to discuss the details . " But Neil didn't even slow down . " You handle it , " he said over his shoulder . The assistant stood there , bewildered . This was the client Neil had been after for months - someone he'd gone to great lengths to impress . Why was he leaving now , of all times ? Neil had always put business above everything else . After leaving the country house , Neil headed straight for the villa he and Olivia had shared . He'd never thought about selling it . He was just furious that she'd called it quits out of the blue , thinking he could somehow force her to come back . Like every other fight they'd had , he expected her to show up the next morning , pretending nothing had happened - cooking breakfast and greeting him with a bright smile . The car pulled up to the gate , and Neil got out in a hurry , rushing into the villa . The housekeeper was in the middle of cleaning and froze when she saw him , but quickly composed f . " Hartley ," she greeted . Neil barely acknowledged her and strode straight for the storage room on the first floor . He'd thrown the blue bag with the shredded wedding dress and the bag was gone . the gifts Olivia had torn apart there . But now , after searching every corner , " Did you see a blue bag in here ? " Neil asked urgently , his voice tinged with panic as he turned to the housekeeper . She paused , thinking . " The one with all the torn fabric pieces in it ? " " Yes ! " Neil cut in quickly . The housekeeper seemed to sense the gravity of the situation and lowered her voice . " Mr. Hartley , I - I threw it away . " Neil's face turned pale . " What ? " He strode over to her and demanded , " Where did you throw it ? " The housekeeper was visibly shaken and stammered nervously , " I - Into the trash area outside . " Neil glanced at the wall clock . It was 8 PM . The garbage trucks hadn't come yet . Without wasting another second , he sprinted to the trash area . As he got closer , the stench hit him like a punch to the gut . Neil had never been to such a foul - smelling place in his life . But the thought of the wedding dress gave him pause . He took a deep breath , steeling himself , and approached the pile of garbage . 5 Chapter 20 The housekeeper caught up , gasping for air . " Mr. Hartley , let me help you . " Neil just gave her a glance , already diving into the trash , his sleeves rolled up . The place was a mess , filled with a day's worth of waste from the entire neighborhood , Finding the dress was going to be a long shot . Two hours ticked by with no luck . The housekeeper finally spoke up , " Mr. Hartley … um , maybe we should give up ? " " We'll find it , " Neil said , his voice muffled by the face mask he'd grabbed on his way out . " We have to . " Even Neil wasn't sure why he was so determined . Maybe it was just a stubborn part of him , clinging to the hope that finding the dress would somehow make things right with Olivia . The garbage truck pulled up , and the workers climbed out , ready to start their daily routine . They stopped short , staring in surprise . This was an exclusive neighborhood - people didn't rummage through trash here . " Hey , we need to get to work here , " one of the workers said , his voice polite . Neil was covered in dirt and stains , his expensive clothes ruined . No one would connect this trash - searching mess with the proud businessman who usually acted like he owned the place . " Just a few more minutes , please . I need to find something important , " he said , pulling out his wallet and pressing a wad of cash into the worker's hand . " I'll make it worth your time ." could The worker took the money , still bewildered . " You sure about this ? " he muttered , shaking his head . " What uld be so important in here ? " Neil just kept searching . Finally , after half an hour , he found it . A wedding dress , forn and dirty , but still recognizable . The worker , his face a picture of bewilderment , glanced down at the thick wad of bills in his hand . He shook his head , muttering , " You paid all that for a dress in the trash ? " But Neil's face softened finally . After a moment , he and the housekeeper made their way back to the villa . He tossed the dress onto the table and said , " Get this to the dry cleaners . " The housekeeper paused . The dress was shredded - was there any point in trying to salvage it ? But she quickly replied , " Sure thing , Mr. Hartley . I'll take it over first thing tomorrow . " " Mm . " Neil didn't say another word . He dragged himself upstairs and into the shower , scrubbing away the grime and the stench that clung to his skin . It took a full hour before he finally felt clean again . Standing in the bedroom , now stripped of any trace of Olivia , Neil let out a bitter chuckle . He couldn't believe he'd lost his mind like that . When have I ever let my emotions get the better of me ? ' He collapsed onto the bed and reached for his phone . A post notification caught his eye : [ What Does It Mean When a Woman Wears Her Wedding Dress for You ? ] He usually skimmed past these kinds of posts , but something made him read this one all the way through . By the time he was done , it felt like a tight grip breathe . had closed around his chest , making it hard to He dismissed the post and made a call . " Find out where Olivia is staying now . "