Every so often, Caroline was able to get him to let down his walls. I used to wonder if he was closer to her because she was adopted and he felt like he owed her something more, but I was never jealous of the relationship he shared with Caroline. I was happy that she had someone on her side since my mother seemed to be opposed to everything she said and did.

I’m curious about why my father left town as soon as I got back. Is he still pissed about the choices I made? Or does he have information about what happened with Olivia that my mother doesn’t want me to know? It’s absurd to think my mother would be able to control anything my father did, but I’ve seen her in action. I’ve witnessed her cutting him off mid-sentence and redirecting his words so they matched hers.

“What’s going on in that head of yours, Cole?”

My body jerks at the sound of Olivia’s soft voice. I continue pushing my feet across the carpet, voicing my thoughts out loud to take my mind off of the pain in my knee.

“Just thinking about my fucked up family. You know, we used to do these asinine Sunday dinners every weekend when my parents were in town. They were these stuffy, boring affairs where Caroline’s main goal was to make my mother scream in frustration and mine was to stay as quiet as possible so she wouldn’t tell me for the hundredth time that I was pissing my life away by joining the Navy.”

Olivia remains silent, sitting down on the edge of a weight bench while I continue moving in circles around the room.

“The day before I left for basic training, my dad told me that it took a really strong man to leave everything behind and go off to make his own future. It was the closest thing to a compliment he’d ever given me. My mother shot him a dirty look and made some snarky comment about his legacy at the hospital and my dad immediately changed his tune, telling me I was throwing everything away for a career that would never pay off. That’s how it always was between them. It’s like my dad wasn’t allowed to have his own opinions. I always thought my dad was the one who made all the decisions, but really, it was my mother. She can’t handle not being in charge of everything, not knowing every single detail about everyone and using it to her advantage.”

I stop moving and glance over at Olivia. She’s got her hands clasped in her lap, squeezing them so tightly that I wonder if she’s going to cut off her circulation.

“This is where you tell me that my parents only did what they thought was best for me because they love me,” I tell her with a laugh.

“I’m pretty sure you’ll never hear those words out of my mouth. Aside from the fact that your parents never liked me, I didn’t really have the best parental role model growing up, so I don’t see much truth in that statement.”

Shit. I’m such an asshole.

“Fuck, Liv. I’m sorry. I have no right to complain about anything.”

I knew all about Olivia’s mother and how she’d been forced to grow up long before she was ready. At least I had parents, as fucked up as they were. Olivia had no one.

She unclasps her hands and rubs her palms across the top of her thighs, giving me a shrug. “Cole, it’s fine. My only regret is that I never got to experience what it was like to have a real family. It’s not your fault that your parents couldn’t accept me.”

“It is my fault. I should have pushed harder. Made them understand. Made them see what I did—that you’re worth more than all of us combined. At the first sign of their disapproval, I walked away and gave up trying because it was easier than fighting with them. I spent all my life fighting for things I wanted and it was exhausting. I didn’t care what they thought and I still don’t, but I should have fought harder for you. You were always worth the fight, Liv.”

She gives me a sad smile.

“So were you,” she whispers so softly that I almost didn’t hear it.

“You don’t have to fight for me. I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere.”

The distrust I see in her eyes guts me. I made that promise to her once before and I blew it.

“That might change when your parents find out I’m helping you. Your mom… let’s just say she’s very protective of you. There’s no way she’s going to let me stick around and finish the job.”

A flash of anger washes over her face when she mentions my mother and it solidifies my theory that she was responsible for Olivia losing her job at the hospital.

“She got you fired, didn’t she?”

Olivia doesn’t reply, but the look her face is answer enough. Her jaw clenches and she looks away from me quickly.

“I made some mistakes, I already told you that,” she tells me in a monotone voice.

“Bullshit! You don’t make mistakes, Olivia, especially when it comes to your job. I told her to look out for you. The day I left, I made her promise me she’d keep an eye on you. I knew she didn’t like you, but I thought she could put that pettiness aside for once and act like a normal fucking parent. What the hell did she do? How did she manage to get the best nurse with the cleanest fucking record in that entire hospital fired?”

For a minute I don’t think she’s going to answer me, but I can tell by her body language and facial expression that talking about this is pissing her off. Good. The more pissed she is, the more likely she’ll be to tell me the truth.

“According to the official termination paperwork, I was stealing meds from the automated med dispenser using someone else’s code. Within a half-hour of the initial allegation, I was being escorted out of the hospital by two security guards and the head of Human Resources.”