“What I do get is, now the kids won’t be moving away from me. I’m overjoyed,” she exclaimed.
Malcolm raised his head and peered at Olivia as if she’d grown a second nose. His lips quivered with suppressed fury. “Are you celebrating in my demise? I can’t believe you’re acting like this is okay.”
Olivia tried to keep a straight face. “Ha. Your demise?” She attempted to purse her lips together. A guffaw slipped from her mouth. She threw her head back in a bray of laughter until she doubled over, grabbing at her ribs from a stitch in her side. “Really?” She tried to speak in between chuckles. She swiped tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. “Malcolm, this is the best day of my life.”
Malcolm glared at Olivia with his mouth gaping. His brows wrinkled in vexation.
Olivia let out chuckled wheezes, which subsided to whimpers of mirth. “I gotta go. I can’t stop laughing.” Olivia leaned against the wall to catch her breath. She headed to the door and put her hand on the knob to leave the room. “Whew. I haven’t cracked up like this in years.”
“Go on. Leave.” Malcolm’s veins in his neck stood out in livid ridges of anger. He jammed his finger toward the door.
The hurt in Malcolm’s voice changed Olivia’s demeanor. She removed her hand from the doorknob and turned around. Although glad Mariah left, she cared about his state of mind. He needed to be mentally stable for the sake of the kids.
“Malcolm. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh at you.”
“I don’t believe you,” Malcolm snapped.
“No. I was wrong.” Olivia took a deep breath. “Look. We’ve been through some tough situations. I know you were excited about having a baby with Mariah. As much as I don’t like her, I’m sorry you had to go through something like this.”
Malcolm’s face appeared baffled as he regarded Olivia’s apology. “Thank you. At least I found out now instead of after raising him for eighteen years.”
“Having something or someone ripped away from you, doesn’t feel good.” Olivia paused. “Believe me. I know.”
“I’m sorry I put you through everything throughout the years.”
“I’m sorry too. I am responsible for some things that weren’t right in our marriage.” Olivia waggled a finger at him. “Don’t get me wrong. It doesn’t’ justify you cheating on me. I loved you hard with everything I had. That may have been part of the problem.”
Malcolm nodded. “We both could have handled our relationship differently.”
“Look. We need to be civil with each other and find a way to co-exist for Simone and Christian. I’m willing to do better if you are. Our divorce doesn’t have to make us enemies.”
Malcolm nodded. “Agreed.”
Olivia opened the door. “Okay. Are you well enough to come out of the room? We should tell the kids they are staying in San Antonio.”
Malcolm stood from the bed and appeared exhausted. He straightened his rumpled clothes. “I’m good.”
Olivia examined the man she once loved. Her heart tugged from seeing him in pain. She drew Malcolm into her arms to comfort him with a hug. The tension in his body released in the embrace.
They leaned back and Olivia searched his face. “Come on. Let’s go share the news with the kids.”
FORTY
Olivia
Olivia yawned and switched off the lamp on the nightstand. The buttery-soft sheets caressed her skin as she settled into the stacked feather pillows.
A smile spread across her lips as she recalled the joy on the children’s faces once they learned they were staying in San Antonio. Seeing her kids beam with happiness warmed her soul. She could rest with peace tonight knowing her family would be fine.
She and Savvy had spent an hour on the phone, bending each other’s ears about everything they had both experienced. Thankful for her friend’s safety after the scary encounter with Kolby, she could rest well for the night.
Durbin’s name showed on Olivia’s phone screen. She yawned again and decided not to answer. Her body begged for sleep. She’d call him tomorrow to find out what he wanted.
As she dozed off, a sudden noise in the quiet home jolted her awake.
Olivia shot upward from the pillows to a sitting position. Each breath shallowed as she strained to listen to the noise coming from the other side of the house.
She heard someone’s footsteps moving as if they were walking slow. She clamped a hand to her mouth in fear.
Olivia extended her right hand out to the nightstand. She struggled to glide the oversized drawer open without making any noise. Darkness enveloped the room, yet her fingers punched out a five-digit code on the mini gun-safe to pop open the door. The loaded Glock fit perfectly in her hand. She wrapped her fingers around the handle and held it close to her chest.
Olivia’s heart fluttered with anxiety. She slid from the side of the bed and attempted to be quiet in placing her feet on the floor.
With eyes glued to the entrance of the room, she tiptoed into the walk-in closet and began to close the door. After a second thought, she left it open to have a view of the intruder if he entered the bedroom. She crouched behind a cluster of dresses.
Olivia’s eyes strained in the darkness to peek through the clothes. Her trembling body pressed toward the wall of the closet in hopes of blending in. Fear gripped her nerves, causing perspiration to drip down her back and dampen her lavender pajamas.
The creak of the loose board in front of Olivia’s bedroom alerted her to the location of the intruder. Olivia heard the person’s movement in the hallway. She chewed her lip and tried to remain still.
What appeared to be the body shape of a tall man dressed in black emerged through Olivia’s bedroom door and stood at the footboard. The moonlight illuminated the room enough for her to make out a ski mask covering the face.
Olivia held her breath and watched the intruder stare
