Filed to story: Watch Me Win Alpha (Olivia & Ethan)
My Delta, Fin, sent me a report later in the afternoon. He said Olivia had spent three hours at the mall. Three hours, shopping for a man’s suit.
I felt a wave of something like relief. She was buying me a suit. That had to be it. She still understood her place as my wife. She wanted to make up for everything by making sure I looked good. This was her way of apologizing to me.
In the evening, I came home for dinner. Olivia was sitting in the living room, reading a book. She didn’t even look up when I walked in.
I walked over. “Have you eaten?” I asked.
She looked at me, calm as ever. “Yes.”
That’s it? No ‘welcome home’, no ‘how was your day’? I frowned and went into the kitchen. There was nothing-no dinner waiting, no smell of anything cooking. The refrigerator looked empty.
I turned back to her. “Where’s dinner?”
She didn’t even bother to get up. She just tossed me a box of convenience food. “It’s all yours,” she said, her voice
I looked at it-an instant meal, probably expired. My patience snapped. “What is this? Do you think this is enough for me?” It was even tomato flavored. I hate tomato most!
She leaned back in her chair, not even blinking. “You like ‘going out’ for food anyway,”
The hint in her words was obvious.
I stared at her for a moment. Her blank face gave nothing away. Then I turned and walked out of the kitchen.
I couldn’t figure her out anymore. She used to be so careful. Always remembering every detail about me-my moods, my preferences. She’d never forget I don’t eat tomatoes. She used to take pride in making everything perfect for me.
But now? She didn’t even blink when I came home without notice, didn’t bother to cook or have food ready.
It didn’t make sense. Just hours ago, she’d spent three hours buying me a suit. She did that for me, didn’t she? Then what did change her so suddenly.
I went upstairs. Maybe if I saw the suit, I’d feel better. I opened the closet, expecting to see it hanging there. Maybe if I could just touch it, I’d believe that she still thought of me.
But the suit wasn’t there.
I looked around again, scanning the shelves and the corners. It was nowhere to be seen. I thought I’d go downstairs and ask her directly-demand to know where she put it.
Then I paused. My eyes fell on the empty space in the closet.
A lot of her things were missing.
Olivia’s POV
I sat curled up on the couch, staring at my phone. Still no address from Mike. Just those suit measurements, sent hours ago.
What exactly was Alexander playing at? If he didn’t want the suit, he could’ve just ignored me. Was he testing me? Or trying to make a point?
Maybe it was just his way of saying: “Don’t come near me again.”
Fine. That suit would be the last thing to ever cross between us anyways. I didn’t pay much heed to his weird nature.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps approaching. I tossed the phone aside after switching off the screen and straightened my back instinctively.
Ethan stepped into the room and got straight to the point. “Where are your clothes?”
I blinked. “What?”
“Shoes. Bags. Jewelry. All your stuff. Where is it?”
My heart skipped a beat. Did he find out?
I kept my face neutral and forced a little frown. “Dry cleaning,” I said casually. “The clothes, and shoes.”
He narrowed his eyes. “All of it?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I got bored being stuck at home alone. Decided to organize the house. Honestly couldn’t remember what I wore last week, so I just sent everything out to get cleaned.”
“And the bags? The jewelry?”
“Maintenance. The diamonds weren’t shining like they used to. And most of those bags were getting scuffed. Figured it was time.”
My tone sounded flat but reasonable. He stared at me for a few more seconds, like he was trying to read between the lines. Then he gave a small nod.
“No need to rush,” he said. “There’s plenty of time in the future. You can take it slow.”
“I’m traveling in a few days,” I replied smoothly. “Wanted to clear things before I left.”
That seemed to settle it until his gaze shifted to the navy suit bag lying on the couch,
–
He moved toward it. “And this? Is this-“
I jumped up instinctively and leaned forward, stopping him from opening it. My hand landed on top of his. For a sec- ond, neither of us moved. His face turned cold.
“It’s for my dad,” I said quickly, pulling the bag toward me.
His eyes narrowed. “What about me?”
“What about you?”
“I’m your husband.”
I gave a bitter laugh. “Do you really need more suits? Or did you leave them all in Chole’s closet?”
That shut him up. His lips parted like he wanted to respond, but nothing came.
I didn’t wait. I grabbed the bag, slipped into my slippers, and walked upstairs without looking back.
Only when I heard the front door close and the sound of his car pulling away did I finally let out the breath I’d been holding.
It could have been a close call today. I didn’t think he would even notice the wardrobe-but today, he did. Well, it’s just a matter of days now before I’m gone from this place. Forever.
The next morning, the sky was clear and bright. It was the kind of weather that made everything look softer.
It was Sunday.
I got dressed, grabbed my keys, and drove to Claw High.
That school held too many memories. Ethan and I had gone there together. Back then, everything felt simple. Honest.
I parked near the back gate and walked in.
The hallways were quiet – the school was closed for the weekend. I walked along the paths we used to take, slowly, like I was walking through a memory. The classroom where we sat side by side in the back row. The path lined with old trees where Ethan would wait for me after class. The field where we’d race until we fell over, breathless and laughing.
