Chapter 10: The Departure
Chapter 10: The Departure
Margaret began crying. The stoic, terrifying matriarch of the Bennett family was weeping silently, her mascara running down her perfectly powdered cheeks.
“Olivia, please,” Margaret whispered, reaching a trembling hand out across the table.
Olivia looked at the woman who had made her life a living hell for nearly a year.
“You told me I had no place in this family, Margaret.”
Margaret shook her head vigorously, choking on her own tears.
“I was wrong. I was so blind. I was wrong.”
“Yes,” Olivia said, standing up slowly. Her mother immediately rushed to her side, offering her shoulder for support. “You were.”
Jason took a sudden, aggressive step toward her, his voice dropping into a dark, legal threat.
“You cannot just leave with my child. I have lawyers. I will ruin your family.”
Richard Bennett moved faster than anyone thought possible. He stepped firmly between his son and his daughter-in-law, his presence massive and terrifying.
“She is leaving tonight,” Richard roared, his voice shaking the crystal glasses.
Jason stared at his father in absolute disbelief.
“You’re taking her side? She has nothing!”
Richard’s eyes were ice cold, filled with a father's ultimate disgust.
“I am taking the side of my granddaughter. And if you speak another word, I will ensure you have nothing.”
Helen wrapped a warm, heavy cashmere scarf around Olivia’s shoulders, shielding her from the coldness of the room.
Paul walked to the guest closet and pulled out Olivia’s small, pre-packed overnight bag.
Jason blinked, stunned. “You packed a bag?”
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“I hoped I would never need it,” Olivia said softly, turning toward the door. “But I needed proof more than I needed hope.”
She turned her back on the Bennett family and walked out the heavy oak doors, stepping into the freezing, liberating night air.
