Chapter 147

Olivia was haunted by restless dreams, her body tossing beneath the thin hospital sheets.

Dark circles shadowed her eyes, prompting the attending physician to recommend melatonin for her frayed nerves.

But terror seized her heart. In her paranoid state, Olivia mistook the harmless pills for something far more sinister - medication to terminate her pregnancy. She shoved the bottle away violently.

Panic rising, she waved everyone out of her private room with frantic gestures.

The medical team exchanged worried glances but complied, not wanting to aggravate their unstable patient further.

Alone at last, Olivia curled into a tight ball at the head of her bed, drawing the blanket over her head like a protective shield.

Her hands cradled the gentle swell of her abdomen. She yearned to whisper reassurances to her unborn child but remembered her voiceless state. Hot tears spilled down her cheeks as she wondered if her baby could sense her love through the silence.

Exhaustion finally pulled her into a fitful doze.

The creak of the door startled her awake.

Liam staggered in reeking of whiskey, his movements unsteady. He caught himself on a chair before collapsing into it several feet from her bed.

Moonlight and hallway illumination painted Olivia's face in stark relief against the darkness.

She looked gaunt, more fragile than he remembered. Even in sleep, tear tracks glistened on her pale cheeks.

Liam opened his mouth, then closed it. The words wouldn't come.

Her refusal had blindsided him.

The doctors reported she wasn't taking prescribed medications.

All Liam knew was that something was wrong.

Initially, rage had kept him away. But concern eventually drove him to inquire after her condition.

The head physician's answers were evasive - sometimes claiming she was fine, other times suggesting she'd withdrawn completely, refusing all communication.

"Just stress," the doctor had assured. "Physically stable but emotionally fragile. Uncooperative with treatment."

This only stoked Liam's anger further. He buried himself in work to avoid thinking about Olivia's continued hospitalization.

The solution seemed simple. If she would just approach him like before, pleading with those expressive eyes, he knew his anger would melt away.

But this new Olivia was different - a caged bird desperate for freedom, straining against the gilded prison he'd built around her.

Did she truly hate him that much?

The thought made Liam's chest constrict. His emotions tangled into an incomprehensible knot - equal parts fury and aching tenderness. He craved destruction, yet longed for peace.

In the suffocating darkness, Liam sighed, rubbing his throbbing temples.

His gaze locked onto Olivia's sleeping form. Before he could stop himself, he surged forward.

Calloused fingers gripped her chin as Liam crushed his lips to hers in an alcohol-tinged kiss. Olivia stirred but didn't wake, unconsciously yielding to his embrace.

What began as punishing and possessive gradually softened into something almost tender.

Releasing her, Liam resolved to give her one final chance to come clean when she awoke.

After a long, searching look, he turned on his heel and left.

As midnight deepened, Olivia plunged into another nightmare.

She dreamed herself bound to a surgical table, utterly helpless.

The door creaked open. A doctor approached wielding glinting instruments.

Then Liam entered, his expression glacial.

Olivia's pleading eyes met his, her voice a strained whisper of his name.

Liam merely smirked. "She's too loud. Slit her throat."

The scalpel flashed downward-

Olivia jolted awake, her pulse hammering against her ribs.

Before she could calm her breathing, a faint tapping startled her.

In the dead quiet, every sound amplified.

Her gaze darted to the window.

Cautiously, she peered out to see figures gathered below her third-story window.

Her breath caught. Alexander Hayes stood among them.

She'd explicitly told him not to come! Yet here he was, waving urgently before pointing to his phone.

Understanding, Olivia grabbed her device. "Mr. Hayes, please don't do this. It's too dangerous for you."

His reply came instantly. "I can see you're suffering. Whatever's holding you there, it ends tonight. Think of me as family. You helped my grandfather - if I abandoned you now, he'd disown me."

Tears welled at his sincerity. The Hayes family's unconditional support overwhelmed her after so long without it.

The escape tempted her. Why stay trapped in this gilded cage?

But her hands drifted to her belly. Could her fragile pregnancy survive the ordeal?

Was it fair to drag Alexander into her dangerous situation?

Misreading her hesitation, Alexander sent damning photos - Liam dining intimately with Evelyn Hartley.

His next messages burned with indignation: "You're imprisoned while he wines and dines his mistress? Open your eyes, Olivia. The Blackwoods don't own you. The Hayes family will protect you."

The words struck like physical blows.

A choice loomed before her - remain Liam's broken songbird, or risk everything for freedom.

Outside, Alexander waited.

Olivia's fingers hovered over her phone screen, trembling.

One message could change everything.

To send, or not to send?

The cursor blinked mockingly.

Her future hung in the balance.