Chapter 9
Standing before Nicole was none other than Hayden’s fraternal aunt, Olivia Spencer.
If Caleb was considered two–faced, treating her affably but dismissing her as Hayden’s wife behind her back, Olivia was the opposite of him. She was openly hostile and consistently made no effort to hide her
dislike of Nicole.
From the moment Nicole married Hayden, she never once saw a kind look from Olivia.
Behind her back, Olivia had repeatedly told her that she was nothing but a despicable homewrecker who got pregnant by underhanded means, forcing him to take responsibility.
At that time, Nicole often felt hurt and wronged. No matter how much she explained, she never earned an
ounce of respect from Olivia.
Unfortunately, Olivia was the only living relative Hayden had left, so Nicole had no choice but to endure her grievances.
She didn’t understand back then why Olivia always spoke so harshly, but now, she realized Olivia was only telling the truth.
The one who had the official marriage certificate with Hayden wasn’t she, but Gloria. She had been the intruder in their marriage, something he had hidden from her for seven long years.
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Olivia crossed her arms, clearly annoyed. “You run off the second you see me. What are you so scared of?
Nicole lowered her gaze, too exhausted to argue. “I didn’t see you–that’s all.”
Olivia scoffed, not buying it. “Yeah, sure, keep pretending. You look pale as hell. What, life not treating you well lately?”
Nicole was caught off guard by what almost sounded like concern, until Olivia smirked and added, “Right. The real wife’s back, and you’ve got no place in the picture anymore. Must be eating you up inside, huh?”
Nicole’s breath caught. She looked up, meeting Olivia’s eyes.
Despite knowing Olivia had known about the truth, she still asked, “Why… didn’t you ever tell me?”
Olivia paused for a second, then burst out laughing like it was the most ridiculous question she had ever
heard.
“Please. If Hayden hadn’t begged me to keep my mouth shut–scared you’d leave him and he’d end up a
single dad if Gloria never came back–I wouldn’t have kept quiet.
“Instead, I would’ve put you in your place and told you you were just a homewrecker in someone else’s marriage!”
She was so loud that the passersby started to glance over, casting Nicole strange looks.
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Nicole’s fists clenched at her sides. She fought to keep her voice steady, but still snapped back. “I’m not the homewrecker! If I’d known they were already married, I would’ve never gotten involved with him!”
Olivia sneered, her words increasingly cutthroat. “Oh, please. You stole someone’s husband, living as Mrs.
Spencer for seven years, and had the audacity to act all high and mighty? How do you even sleep at night?
Nicole didn’t want to entertain her any further. She turned to leave, but Olivia grabbed her arm and yanked
her back.
“Do everyone a favor and leave Hayden!” she warned viciously. “If it weren’t for the kid, you really think he would’ve ever married you?”
Colors faded from Nicole’s visage. Every word hit her like a nail straight to the chest.
She pulled her arm free, her voice slow but unwavering. “Oh, don’t worry. I’ll leave. I’ll even disappear for
good.”
However, Olivia scoffed, still unsatisfied. “Talk your talk, but let’s see if you actually go through with it. Bet
when it really comes down to it, you’ll be the one crying and begging to stay.
“Not that it matters, though; Hayden will be dumping your ass anyway!”
Nicole drew a deep breath.
Everyone assumed she couldn’t live without Hayden, that she would cling to him no matter what. Deep
down, she knew better than anyone that she could easily drop someone who no longer served her.
If, back then, when she got pregnant, Hayden had told her he was already married to another woman, she wouldn’t have forced herself into anything.
Whether she chose to raise the baby alone or not have it at all, one thing was certain–she would never
have had a child with someone else’s husband.
Nicole looked up, bravely meeting Olivia’s gaze. “Sure. As you wish, I’ll leave.”
Her unwavering calm caught Olivia off guard. When Olivia snapped back to her senses, she only reacted
with a cold smirk.
“Hayden called me this morning–asked me to introduce him to a top wedding dress designer. You know what that means, right?”
Nicole’s heart dropped.
“It means not only is he dumping you, but he’s going to bring Gloria back into the spotlight with the biggest, fanciest wedding you could ever imagine! Stick around, and you shall find out how humiliated you’ll be.”
With her arms crossed, Olivia had spewed the vilest words to Nicole. Her eyes were filled with smug satisfaction.
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Nicole bit down so hard on her lower lip that she nearly drew blood.
Back when she was pregnant with Matthew, Hayden had offered to be responsible for the mother and son. Their wedding had been rushed, with only a small reception at a city hotel.
Her wedding dress wasn’t even custom–made–just a plain white dress from a boutique off the rack.
She had always dreamed of wearing a flowy white gown, a proper wedding dress, but that dream had quietly faded into a regret she never spoke of.
She never told Hayden about it, but now, he was off customizing a designer gown for Gloria. The sheer comparison made everything clear. She never had a place in his heart.
Nicole let out a bitter laugh and was just about to speak when a deep, familiar voice sounded from behind. “Aunt Olivia? What are you doing here with Nicky?”
Hayden walked toward them, his eyes going straight to Nicole to check her expression and complexion.
Ten minutes ago, the mall manager had called to say Nicole was here, so he immediately dropped everything to find her.
After last night, he was worried she would misunderstand things between him and Gloria and shut him
out before giving him a chance to explain.
The fact that she was now here with Olivia only fueled his anxiety. It was almost guaranteed that she and
Nicole would clash every time they met because they never got along.
Thus, Hayden pulled the latter behind him, deliberately placing himself between the two women to diffuse
the tension.
“What were you saying to her, Aunt Olivia? Did you say anything harsh?”
Olivia’s eyes flickered guiltily. Afraid Nicole might tattle on her, she rushed to speak first. “W–What do you
mean? I’m not as harsh as you think! We just happened to bump into each other and chatted a bit.”
“Is that it?”
Hayden didn’t sound quite convinced and turned to Nicole for confirmation. However, she kept her gaze
glued to the floor, refusing to meet his eyes.
She had no interest in talking to him at that moment.
He must’ve returned to the villa after seeking her out at the hotel last night, but still hadn’t read the letter
in his study. That was the only thing she was waiting for–for him to see that letter.
As soon as he did, she could sever ties with him once and for all. To her, there was no need to drag ugly
truths into the light with endless conversations.
Nicole turned to leave, but Hayden stepped forward to stop her. “Hold on. You left without a word last
night. We need to talk.”
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“I don’t want to,” she said coldly.
He stopped her again, but before he could speak, his phone rang in his pocket. He took it out and glanced down at the screen.
Nicole, too, instinctively looked over to his phone. On the screen was a caller ID that stood out almost too glaringly–Wedding Dress Designer Linda.
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Chapter 10
