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A blonde woman with a stunning figure and a mane of golden hair stood at the bottom of the stairs.
Her name was Olivia Jones—the woman Martin had left Amelia for.
She bit the corner of her lip, her fingers nervously tangling together, nervously.
The beautiful and elegant blonde woman wondered if, for some reason, she had bitten off more than she could chew.
Playing stepmother to Martin’s
child from his first wife was the last thing she had wanted. But things had taken a drastic turn.
Amelia had become neglectful and prompted Martin to file for child custody after the divorce was finalised. She was a mother herself, she couldn’t bear to be separated from her child but Amelia had left them with no choice.
The door on the left opened and an elderly woman, dressed in the maid’s uniform came out. She carried a tray of food. The elderly maid, Mrs. Sanders shook her head as she approached her.
Olivia sighed heavily.
“Again?”
‘I’m sorry Mrs. Olivia.’’
‘It’s not your fault. I will go see her,’’ she said and walked over to the room. She tapped on the door and walked in.
Hunched in a corner, her knees drawn up to her chin as she stared blankly outside, was her stepdaughter, Romazaria.
“Zaria dear, you didn’t eat again. Are you craving something? What do you want to eat? I will cook it for you.’’
‘’Where is my mom. I want to go to my mom. What have you done to her?’’
“You can’t see your mom for the moment,’’ Olivia replied and reached to touch the girl but she cowered back further into a corner.
Olivia pulled back her hand.
“I want my mom. Take me to my mom.’’
Olivia sighed.
Amelia was incarcerated for aggravated manslaughter. She would have received a sentence of fifteen years to life but she had pleaded guilty and accepted the deal from the District Attorney.
Her lawyer played the insane card and she was now confined to a mental institution.
Olivia had no idea what to say to the little girl.
“Come on dear, let’s get you dressed up and go get your father. He’s being discharged today.’’
‘’I don’t want to see him,” she mumbled.
‘’You don’t mean that. He is your father. He almost died…’’
The girl scoffed.‘’I wish he had.’’
Olivia gasped and shook her head. “You don’t mean that.”
“This is all your fault,” Zaria accused he voice icy as she turned to face her. The hostile look she threw at her rendered Olivia speechless.“My family is ruined because of you. I hate you and your bastard son. I wish you were all just dead!”
A chill ran down Olivia’s spine at the chilly words that came from her stepdaughter. She stared at the girl who turned back to blankly stare at the world outside.
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Martin stood at the door of the lounge watching his daughter as she read a book on the sofa. Olivia joined him with a glass of water.
“You are worried about her huh?”
“It has been three months since she came to stay with us. And in all this time, she is yet to talk to me in a full sentence.’’
Olivia chuckled. He thought he had it bad. The girl ignored her. She treated her like she was air.
“Give her time she will adjust,’’ she told him, rubbing his shoulder. “Time will heal her wounds. She will be fine with time.’’
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A few days later, Olivia had to do the grocery shopping alone with the kids as Mrs. Sanders had to attend to an emergency.
It took her almost two hours to be done with the task. As she struggled with the grocery bags and the pram, she turned to the young girl beside her.
“Zaria, help me push your brother’s pram.’’
“Brother? Which brother?” Came Zaria’s innocent reply. Her brows creased in thought before she opened her mouth and said,“I’m dad’s only child.’’
Olivia eyes widened in disbelief. Seconds ticked by as the girls words looped in her mind. It took her quite a while to gather her thoughts. She knelt at the young brunette’s eye level as she licked on her ice lolly.
Olivia reached out and pushed some stray strands of hair behind the girl’s ear. “Romazaria, that is not a nice thing to say, Alexander, and you, despite having different mothers you are siblings.’’
Zaria bestowed her with a smile.
Olivia couldn’t help but smile back. The radiant smile on Zaria’s face was the first that she had ever received from the girl.
Relief washed over her at the thought that she had gotten through to the girl. Zaria covered the short distance between her and the pram. She stood by the pram and looked into it. Alexander was a cute and chubby nineteen months old baby and Bianca took pride in dressing him up in all the latest trendy fashion.
Zaria looked at the boy then up at Olivia, the smile still on her face but when he eyes looked with Olivia’s, a chill went up the blonde woman’s spine.
“I don’t want to care for him. I don’t want to love him. It is because of him that my family broke up.’’
Olivia mouth dropped open. She had not expected such words to come from her. The anger that was in the girl’s eyes wrung her heart.
“Zaria, you don’t mean that…’’Olivia mumbled hopelessly.
“I hate him and I hate you even more. If not for the two of you, dad would have never left us. You ruined my happy family and I will never forgive you for that.”
A shaken Olivia slowly stood up, tears in her eyes.
Zaria calmly turned and walked away to the car. Tears rolled down Olivia’s face as she lifted her baby and held him tight close to her chest.
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Olivia pulled the car into the school driveway. She had had to drop her off as their driver was sick and Martin was leaving for the airport.
Seated in the back, Romazaria opened the door and got out.
“Zaria, wait,’’ olivia called out to her and got out. She went to her and kissed her on the forehead. “Have a nice day and be a good girl.’’
Zaria wiped the kiss off and looked at her disgusted. “Don’t do that,”she spat,“Only my mom can do that.’’
“I…I’m sorry. I was only trying to be nice,” olivia replied awkwardly,“Go on you might be late,’’she said with a smile despite how hurt she felt.
A teacher who had just packed her car called her.
“Romazaria.’’
The girl turned and put on a smile.“Miss Jordan.’’
“Is this your mom? Hi. I’m her Extention reading teacher. Miss Jordan…’’
‘’No, she is not,’’ Zaria said and chuckled mockingly,“She is just my dad’s mistress.’’
She walked away shaking her head at the teacher.
‘’I’m sorry. I didn’t mean… I didn’t know…’’
Olivia chuckled at the awkwardness of the situation. “It’s fine, we are all trying to adjust.”
Back in her car, Olivia stared at the ring on her finger saddened.
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That night when Martin got home, he found Olivia seated in the dark in the lounge suite. He could tell immediately that something was amiss.
‘What happened?”
“Why are you here, you are supposed to be back tomorrow.’’
“Did something happen?’’ he pressed.
“Your daughter hates me.’’
“She is just upset…’’
She cut him off with a curt laugh.“Martin. I ruined her life. I broke up a happy family to make mine. She hates me. You should see how she looks at me.’’
“Don’t do this. I’m the one at fault. I’m the one that left her mother. I made that decision…’’
‘’And you think the world sees it like that? To them i’m the monster that stole you from them. She is miserable because of me.’’
Martin moved closer to her and held her in a hug.
She was right. The world would only look at the facts that were before them not the details.
He knew exactly what Olivia was talking about. He had seen how his daughter looked at his wife and chosen to ignore it hoping with time, she would accept her as her mother.
But with each day that came, that dream seemed more far-fetched.
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A few days later, Olivia sat in the principal’s office, gently rocking Alexander in the pram. The principal, a stoutly built woman, walked in.
Olivia handed Alexander a stuffed toy to play with.
“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting,” she said.
“It’s fine. Is everything okay with my daughter?”
The principal reached into her drawer and took out a sketchpad, which Olivia immediately recognized as Romazaria’s. The girl never went anywhere without it.
“That is Zaria’s,” the principal said as she pushed it towards her, her expression stoic.
Olivia looked at the principal, dread washing over her. She had no idea what to expect.
Slowly, she opened the sketchpad.
She flipped the first page and felt her heart sink to the bottom of her chest. She quickly flipped through all the pages, then closed the book with tears in her eyes.
Her hand shook as she handed the book back to the principal.
Romazaria had drawn various pictures showing her causing harm to Alexander:
A shove down the stairs, a car hitting him while she just stands on the pavement smiling. Alex falling off the swing. Alex choking on a poisonous drink. An ax hanging over his head in his crib. Alex drowning in the tub while his sister watches, reading a book. Alex trapped inside a burning building as she walks away, smiling.
If Olivia had any illusions that they might one day overcome their differences and be one happy family, those dark pictures shattered them in that moment.
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Romazaria sat cross-legged on the bed, her hands folded over her chest as she glared at her father and his mistress.
Olivia stood by the window, biting her nails. Faint tear tracks glistened on her cheeks.
Martin paced restlessly before stopping and turning to face his daughter.
“Why, Zaria? Why would you draw such disturbing pictures?”
“Cause that’s how I feel,” she said bluntly.
“You want your brother harmed. Honey…” he began.
“No. Don’t ever call him that. He is not my brother. I don’t want him harmed-I want him dead,” she said calmly.
He stared at her devastated.
Zaria sneered and continued ignoring the pained look on his face, “If he’s gone, you’ll come back to us.”
She jumped off the bed and went to the bathroom, banging the door behind her as Martin stumbled back, confounded by her hatred and anger.
“I told you sge hates us,” Olivia whispered, fresh tears rolling down her face.
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