Chapter 29 Someone

Chapter 29 Someone
The silence stretched, heavy but no longer suffocating.
Celeste was the one who finally broke it.
“So…” she said gently, her voice careful, “what’s your plan now, Olive?”
Olive lifted her gaze slowly. Her eyes were tired, rimmed red, like she hadn’t slept properly in days—maybe weeks.
Celeste continued, choosing her words with care. “Maybe… you could talk to Leo again. Clear things up between the two of you.” She paused, then added firmly, “I won’t force you to leave him anymore.”
Olive blinked, surprised.
Celeste turned to face her fully. “But at least warn him,” she said. “Tell him not to involve you—my daughter—in his dirty work. Whatever business he has out there should stay far away from you.”
Olive absorbed that in silence.
Despite everything—the fear, the danger, the shock—her mother was still thinking about her feelings first.
“I tried to avoid him before,” Olive admitted quietly. “I really did.” She stared at the floor. “But the more he helped… the more he cared… the harder it became.”
Her throat tightened.
“It’s been a long time, Mom,” she added softly, “since someone looked after me like that.”
Her voice cracked.
And then, almost without realizing it, the words slipped out.
“I miss Dad.”
The room seemed to shrink around them.
Celeste’s hand immediately rose, gently rubbing Olive’s head, fingers brushing through her hair the same way she used to when Olive was still small—after nightmares, after scraped knees, after bad days at school.
“I know,” Celeste whispered. “I understand.”
She let out a slow breath, then added, her voice heavy, “And I’m sorry… about the house.”
Olive straightened and turned fully toward her mother. There was no anger left in her voice now—only exhaustion.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” she asked quietly.
Celeste looked down at her hands, folded tightly in her lap.
“When your father died,” she began, her voice trembling, “I didn’t know what to do anymore.” She swallowed. “I wanted to work. I really did. But I didn’t finish school. Who would hire me?”
She gave a small, bitter smile. “I thought about applying as a cashier… as a crew member somewhere. But I know myself. I’m weak. I get tired easily. And with my heart…” She shook her head slowly.
Chris stayed silent, listening. Olive didn’t interrupt.
“I kept the problem to myself because I thought I could still find a solution,” Celeste continued. “As a mother, I couldn’t bear to add more weight to your shoulders. You were already doing so much for us.”
Her voice softened further, almost breaking. “Then my operation happened… and I knew you were carrying too much already.”
She tried to stop herself—but tears slipped free anyway, falling quietly onto her lap.
Olive saw it immediately.
Without a word, she reached out and took her mother’s hands, holding them tightly—like anchoring both of them to the same place, the same truth.
“We’ll figure it out,” Olive said softly. “Together. No more carrying things alone.”
Chris nodded once from across the room.
Days had passed since the men showed up at the Navarro house, and since that afternoon—Leo was gone.
He didn’t come back.
He didn’t visit the house. He didn’t show up at the hospital. Not even a single message.
At first, Olive told herself it was normal. He had his own life. His own problems. A world she barely understood. But as the days stretched on, silence replaced every excuse she tried to make.
Now, she stood behind the information desk, waiting for further instructions from Dr. Mathilda. One elbow rested on the counter, her palm supporting her cheek, her eyes fixed on a blank spot in front of her.
She wasn’t really seeing anything.
But she was thinking about him.
Leo.
She had already texted him countless times. Short messages at first—Are you busy? Then longer ones—I just wanted to know if you’re okay. Then finally, the simplest one of all.
Are you okay?
No replies.
Yesterday, she tried calling him.
Unreachable.
Every failed call tightened something in her chest. Her thoughts refused to slow down, spiraling into places she didn’t want to go.
What if those men hurt him? What if something happened and she didn’t even know? What if he stayed away on purpose… because of her?
She hated how much those thoughts affected her. Hated how easily he had settled into her mind, into her routine, into her quiet moments.
She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn’t notice someone approaching until—
“Hey.”
Olive flinched.
She turned too quickly, her heart jumping, and found Maxine standing behind her, eyebrows raised, concern clear on her face.
“Oh—” Olive blinked, realizing she must have been frozen there longer than she thought. “Do you… need something?” she asked awkwardly.
Maxine shook her head with a small smile. “Nothing. I just saw you staring into space like you were buffering,” she teased lightly. Then her tone softened. “Are you okay? You don’t look well. Are you sick?”
Olive straightened immediately, forcing her shoulders back, forcing her face into something normal. “No, no. I’m fine,” she said quickly. “Just tired. I barely slept last night.”
Maxine nodded right away, clearly buying the excuse. “That explains it. You should take a nap later at the nurses’ lounge if you can.”
“Yeah,” Olive murmured. “I will.”
Maxine turned as if to leave, then suddenly stopped, her hand still on her clipboard.
“Oh—by the way,” she added, like she had just remembered something.
Olive’s brows lifted instantly. Something in Maxine’s tone made her chest tighten. “What is it?”
“Someone was looking for you earlier,” Maxine said. “A man.”