Chapter 7

Harper's eyes suddenly turned bloodshot, her eyelids twitching, her whole face trembling.

"Stop talking." Her voice was barely a whisper.

Olivia sneered, stepping forward to press her further. "If I had fallen down the stairs back then, would you have treated me the same way?"

Olivia continued, "Or did you actually wish I had died instead?"

"I said stop talking!" Harper suddenly shouted, clenching her fists and exploding at Olivia.

The summer wind blew into the hospital room, carrying heat with it, lifting a corner of the curtain and making it flutter noisily.

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, only the sound of their breathing breaking the silence.

The incident from years ago was a painful secret for the Smith family.

For years, everyone in the Smith family had been avoiding the topic, consciously or unconsciously.

But Olivia's current situation was a direct result of that incident.

She had just started middle school at the time.

One day, it was just her and Luna at home.

They were playing upstairs, and as they passed the staircase, Luna suddenly pushed her on the shoulder.

She was standing right at the edge of the stairs, and one step back would have sent her tumbling down.

Luckily, she reacted quickly and sidestepped.

But that sidestep caused Luna to fall face-first down the stairs.

Olivia still remembered Luna's face covered in blood, lying on the ground, her small body convulsing.

It was the housekeeper who called the ambulance and took Luna to the hospital.

When Olivia was brought to the hospital, Aiden and Harper were already there.

Before she could even enter the room, Aiden grabbed a belt and rushed at her, pinning her to the armrest of the sofa and whipping her.

The beating was so sudden and strange that Olivia forgot to cry.

When Aiden was done, she asked with a pale face, "Dad, why did you hit me?"

To this day, when Olivia recalled Aiden's furious face, she could still smell the mix of blood and disinfectant in the air.

"You have the nerve to ask! Why were you playing at the top of the stairs? Luna fell because of you, and you act like nothing happened."

Harper was crying too, her voice tearing through the air. "Olivia, you're older than Luna. You should protect her. How could you play in such a dangerous place?"

Olivia was bewildered by their scolding.

Before she could react, she heard Luna's hoarse voice pleading with Aiden and Harper. "Mom, Dad, don't blame Olivia."

Luna added, "We're family. Of course, I have to protect her."

"Luckily, it was me who fell down the stairs. If it had been Olivia, you would have been heartbroken," As Luna spoke, tears fell from her eyes, soaking the bandages on her face. Her voice became muffled and low. "But, Mom, Dad, it really hurts."

Olivia stood there, watching as Aiden shot her a vicious look before rushing to comfort Luna.

Harper held Luna's hand, sitting by the bed, wiping her tears.

From that day on, everything in the Smith family changed.

Everything that had belonged to Olivia was given to Luna.

Her allowance, her parents' love—everything went to Luna.

Olivia became the extra person in the Smith family.

From middle school until now.

At first, Olivia tried to explain everything to Aiden and Harper.

But whenever she brought it up, even just to ask them to check the security footage from that day, they scolded her for being unreasonable.

Eventually, just mentioning that day would make Aiden and Harper furious.

Over time, she gave up.

She always thought that no matter how biased they were, they couldn't change the fact that she and Luna were both their children.

She believed that one day, they would let go of their resentment.

But now, Olivia realized.

They wouldn't.

The resentment would only grow deeper.

"Olivia!" Luna broke the suffocating silence in the room, "Why are you bringing this up?"

She stepped forward, linking her arm with Harper's, gently rubbing her back. Harper held her hand, a picture of motherly love and daughterly devotion.

But Luna's gaze at Olivia was cold and venomous. "You just want to keep this baby, right? Come home with us, and I'll convince Dad to let you keep it."

"No," Olivia's refusal was firm.

She could be confined to the Smith Villa for two months.

If she left the hospital, she would be at their mercy.

She would lose control over her own body.

To recover, she had to stay in the hospital.

"Fine." Aiden was already fuming, each word forced through gritted teeth. "You won't come home?"

He turned and walked to the door, shouting to the reception desk, "Stop the payments for bed 27."

Harsh.

Truly harsh.

Olivia finally saw Aiden's ruthlessness.

Confined for two months, she had no money.

With the hospital payments cut off, she would be forced to sleep on the streets with her pregnant belly.

As soon as Aiden spoke, other patients' families rushed to the reception desk, eager to take the bed.

The female doctor squeezed through the crowd, looking into the room.

Judging by the family's attitude, it was clear Aiden was using the payments to threaten Olivia.

She had never seen a father like this.

His daughter was pregnant, and instead of concern, he wanted her to have an abortion.

Did he think his daughter was a superhero?

The doctor said to Olivia, "Ms. Smith, I can cover the costs for you."

The families at the door protested, "Doctor, she said to stop the payments. Why are you covering for her?"

"Yeah, give the bed to someone who needs it."

"Are you taking bribes from them? We should report you."

The doctor was nearly knocked over by the crowd.

If this continued, she might lose her job.

Olivia closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Fine, I'll go home with you."

The room door finally closed.

The doctor stood by the door, worried. "Ms. Olivia Smith?"

She wanted to say more, but Olivia opened her eyes, looking at her. "Doctor, can I count on you for my prenatal care?"

The doctor nodded. "I'm your doctor. I'll follow your pregnancy closely."

"Good," Olivia nodded. "If I don't come for my check-ups, please go to the media and reveal that I'm pregnant out of wedlock despite being engaged."

Three sharp, shocked gazes fell on Olivia.

"You're crazy!" Aiden shouted.

But Olivia acted as if she hadn't heard him, staring at the doctor. "Can you do that?"

The doctor solemnly nodded and said, "Yes."