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Chapter 9
Andrew's POV:
I've liked Rachel for as long as I can remember.
She was like a warm little sun, lighting up my heart without even trying.
When my family hit rock bottom, Rachel and her mom were the only ones who didn't turn their backs on us. They had to be angels sent to save us.
I swore I'd always take care of them, repay them somehow—be the best man I could for them.
But then, my grandmother died, and we had to go back for the funeral. What I didn't expect was that in those few days, the Wilson family would fall apart.
Mr. Wilson's mistress showed up, pregnant, and a huge confrontation broke out. She unloaded a bunch of accusations, dragging Rachel's mom through the mud. But I only heard bits and pieces of it. By the time we got back, Rachel's mom had already filed for divorce and left on a world tour.
I tried everything to help Rachel get through it. I thought maybe, just maybe, we'd end up together, always. I thought we'd get married and grow old together—simple.
But then Olivia stepped in, like a wrecking ball.
She started confessing to me over and over again. Every time Rachel wasn't around, Olivia would cling to me like I was her lifeline.
At first, I was disgusted. She was the daughter of the other woman, and my heart was locked up tight when it came to her.
But one day, she stopped. She stopped chasing me. And that left this empty, aching feeling in me—something I couldn't ignore.
From that moment on, I couldn't stop thinking about her. I started noticing things about her I never had before.
I had planned to propose to Rachel on my 22nd birthday. I'd even bought the ring. But the night before, Olivia came to me, crying so hard she could barely breathe.
She saw the ring and asked, "Are you going to propose to Rachel?"
"Andrew, listen to me. Things aren't what you've heard!" she cried, her voice shaking.
She told me that her dad and Rachel's mom had been done long before their separation. They'd only stayed together because of Rachel.
"My dad lied to my mom, told her he was single. That's why my mom got involved with him. By the time she found out the truth, she was already pregnant with me."
"Mom wanted to leave, but that woman had connections everywhere. She dug up my mom's medical records and sent people to hurt her."
At first, I didn't believe her. But as she cried and threatened to jump off a building to prove her and her mom's innocence, I panicked. I saved her, but she clung to me, kissing me with an urgency I couldn't ignore.
"Andrew, I don't want anything else. I just want to stay by your side. Please, don't push me away..."
Olivia had this strange scent that made my head spin.
Next thing I knew, I was waking up in her bedroom—naked.
I'd made a huge mistake.
But I convinced myself it wasn't my fault. I told myself the lies she fed me were the truth.
I knew deep down Olivia was lying, but I let her use it to trap me. She got me to marry her, and I thought I could still find a way back to Rachel. I thought Rachel would always be waiting for me.
I couldn't have been more wrong.
After Rachel went abroad, I started dreaming about her, and it haunted me.
One night, I woke up calling her name in my sleep. I turned over, and there was Olivia, staring at me with a twisted expression.
She screamed, her face full of rage. "You're still thinking about her, aren't you?! I won't let you! I won't let you!"
She grabbed my neck, choking me, and I snapped. I grabbed something from the bedside table and smashed it against the back of her head.
At first, she just collapsed, unconscious, but the rage inside me didn't stop.
Half an hour later, I was sitting in the police station, confessing everything. I told them every last detail of what happened.
That night, I finally slept. And for the first time in ages, I slept soundly.
In my dream, Rachel wasn't cold anymore. She was that little girl with pigtails, running toward me, smiling.
"Andrew, why are you here? Let's go play together!"
That was the way she used to look at me, sweet, innocent, calling me "Andrew" with that same carefree smile.