30

Olivia was looking through her closet for something to wear when he knocked on the pool house door. She opened it wearing sweats and wished she’d been wearing something better when she saw who’d knocked. She needed that armor when it came to him.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Chris.”

“Hi,” he replied, a hand reaching behind his head to rub his neck.

“What do you want?” she asked, not bothering to pretend at civility.

“I spoke to Noah yesterday, and he told me you were back at home,” he said, as though that was a good enough explanation.

“And?” Olivia had been put under suicide watch at the hospital for five days, but she’d been back for a week already.

“And I wanted to apologize to you,” he replied, his posture only becoming less confident as the seconds passed.

Olivia’s eyes narrowed. “What for?”

He let out a scoff at that. “What not for,” he said, surprising her. His amusement faded quickly, and he shook his head. “But for a start, how I treated you after seeing the video.”

“Let me guess,” Olivia said with a sigh, her fingers lifting to brush tiredly over her face. “You feel guilty because of what I tried to do.”

Chris’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, and Olivia took that as his agreement with her assessment.

“Well, don’t be,” she told him. “I didn’t do it because of anything you did or said.”

His shoulders rose as he took in a deep breath. “I was so angry with you, but I never wanted you gone. Whatever you were feeling that made you think that was the only way out…I just hate to think I added to it in any way.”

“You’re not hearing me,” Olivia said. “You had nothing to do with it. I don’t want an apology from you because you’re worried you pushed me to make that decision. That’s not what happened, so there’s no need for you to apologize or to stop being pissed off at me.”

Chris’s brow furrowed. His lips parted, but no words left his mouth.

“I don’t need your pity,” she continued, “And I don’t need an apology you feel guilted or pushed into giving me.”

She knew he only regretted his harsh words because he was misguided enough to believe himself partly responsible for what she’d tried to do. That wasn’t the kind of apology she was after, and it certainly wasn’t one she could accept.

Chris stared at her for several long moments, his expression hard to read. “Okay,” he said finally.

Olivia grabbed the edge of the door. “Is that all?”

“Uh.” Chris blinked, looking unsettled. However he’d thought this would go, he’d obviously miscalculated. “No. I’m also sorry we didn’t tell you what Riley and Ella can do.”

Olivia nodded. “Yeah, you and everyone else,” she muttered. She’d gotten calls and texts from all of the others, but she’d ignored all of their apologies. They were too little too late.

Chris rubbed the back of his neck again. “Riley told us about Drew.”

Olivia’s jaw tightened. “Nice of her to share with the rest of the class.”

“She said you’ve seen him,” he said, looking understandably disturbed.

“I have,” she replied through clenched teeth. “I just thought I was going crazy. Would have been nice to know I was actually talking to my dead boyfriend and not hallucinating.”

Chris winced. “We should have told you,” he admitted.

Olivia scoffed. “Yes, you should have.”

“I wanted to tell you,” he said. “I thought you had a right to know, and I told Riley you should have been there for the exorcism.”

Olivia searched his expression. She wasn’t sure if she believed him, but she supposed it didn’t matter either way. “You could have told me at any point,” she reminded him, “Especially before you slept with me.”

His eyes hardened, going cold. “Just like you could have told me you caused the accident,” he bit out, his shoulders straightening as whatever guilt he’d been feeling disappeared. “Especially before you let me fuck you.”

Olivia nodded through the pain in her chest. “Are we done here?”

Chris shook his head in disgust. “Yeah, we’re done. I guess I’ll see you later for the exorcism.”

Olivia watched him turn around and walk away. She was shocked he’d made the effort to apologize at all. It was only once he’d disappeared from her view that she realized she’d forgotten to thank him for saving her life.

She’d just have to tell him later. Like he’d said, he’d be there when Riley forced Drew to move on. When she’d called Riley the day before to confirm everything, her half-sister had offered for it to just be the two of them, but Olivia had surprised the other woman by saying everyone should come. So, she’d have an opportunity to thank Chris then.

Olivia closed the door with a tired sigh and went back to rifling through her closet. Brady would be arriving in an hour to pick her up, and she hadn’t even showered yet. She finally settled on black pants, a charcoal sweater, and a black pea coat.

She showered and dried her hair, but when she changed into the clothes she’d chosen, she still felt too vulnerable.

In movies, the hero fully armed themselves before taking their revenge, but this wasn’t the kind of fight she could take weapons to. What she’d picked out would just have to do. She felt far from a suit-wearing John Wick or a sword-wielding Uma Thurman in Kill Bill , but she was ready nonetheless.

All the players were in place, and now she just needed to watch it unfold.