Chapter 133 The Coin Flip Decision
Ever since Olivia's car accident, Ethan had heard the same suggestion multiple times.
Jackson had asked if he wanted to send Olivia abroad.
Alexander had brought it up too, and now Justin was doing the same thing.
Just last night, before boarding her flight, his mother had called to ask if he regretted his choices.
"Regret what?" Ethan had asked coldly.
"If your girlfriend were the daughter of a governor, a U.S. senator, or some Wall Street executive, this never would have happened," Ashley said. "Even if those people wanted revenge against you, they wouldn't dare touch a single hair on your girlfriend's head."
Ethan's voice was cold with a trace of impatience. "They were targeting me. Olivia was just collateral damage."
Ashley's laugh dripped with mockery. "Stop lying to yourself, Ethan. You know damn well whether she was collateral or the intended target."
Ashley continued, "If they were really after you, why was your car untouched? Why was it only her car that crashed?"
Her words pierced straight into Ethan's heart, forcing him to confront the reality he'd been avoiding.
"They're afraid of the Bennett and Montgomery families," Ashley pressed on. "They wouldn't dare harm you directly. But using that girl to get to you? That they'll do, because they know perfectly well that even if they crippled her—hell, even if they killed her—we wouldn't intervene."
Ethan gripped his phone so tightly that veins bulged across the back of his hand.
"Ethan. Break it off with her. That girl can only be your weakness, never your strength. She brings nothing to the table."
"You're still young, not even thirty. Your life stretches far ahead, and your career is just beginning. Don't let her hold you back. Rest assured, if you end things, we won't make life difficult for her."
"In fact, breaking up would benefit her too. Once you're no longer connected, your business rivals won't target her to get to you. Your separation would be good for both of you."
Ethan hesitated. Throughout the past year, whenever Olivia had tried to leave, he'd been furious, even willing to make her hate him if that's what it took to keep her by his side.
But now that Olivia was willingly staying with him, Ethan found his resolve wavering.
Was keeping her close the right thing to do? Or was it selfish?
Accidents like this—could they happen again?
Olivia had been lucky to survive, but what about next time?
The truth was, Ethan knew his mother was right. As long as his fight with the Pearson and Hammond families continued, every day Olivia spent with him put her at risk.
After a long silence, Ethan finally spoke in a detached voice: "I'll think about it."
He'd wait until Olivia recovered before making any decisions.
Justin didn't press further and changed the subject to business matters.
---
Olivia's discharge day arrived with Los Angeles fully embracing winter. The temperature had dropped significantly, and sparse snowflakes drifted through the air, though they melted upon touching skin, only accumulating on garden beds.
She had visibly lost weight, dropping from around 120 pounds to just under 100. The accident had affected her appetite, but her grief over Lucian's death weighed even heavier.
Lucian had died while driving her. If she hadn't gone out that day, he wouldn't have needed to drive, and he'd still be alive.
As she got into the car, Olivia instinctively grabbed the handle with her right hand, her left arm still not strong enough. Her knuckles turned white with tension as memories of the crash flashed through her mind.
Ethan took her right hand, gently squeezing her cold fingers. "Don't be afraid," he said in a low, reassuring voice. "I'm here. Nothing will happen again."
Olivia turned and rested her head against his shoulder.
Ethan pulled her closer. "Sleep if you're tired. Just lean on me."
---
Learning that Olivia would be discharged today, Sarah had mobilized the entire staff to clean Oakwood Estate from top to bottom. Though the house was cleaned daily, today she paid special attention, instructing everyone to scrub even the baseboards and window tracks that normally went unnoticed.
Sarah had also purchased scented candles and a bundle of white sage, saying they would "clear away bad energy and welcome new beginnings." When Olivia entered, she saw lit candles on the coffee table in the living room, and Sarah was preparing to light the sage bundle.
Before accepting the sage bundle and walking around the table as Sarah had demonstrated, Olivia glanced at Ethan, curious about his reaction.
With his pragmatic, materialistic mindset, she expected him to find such "witchcraft" nonsense irritating or even worthy of mockery.
Yet Ethan showed no impatience. Instead, he asked lazily, "Want me to walk with you? If you feel dizzy, I'll carry you."
Olivia took the sage bundle and followed Sarah's demonstration, circling the table once. When she finished, she looked back at Ethan with a defiant little sniff: "I'm not a toddler learning to walk."
The corner of Ethan's mouth twitched, unable to suppress a hint of a smile.
After lunch, Olivia returned to the bedroom to rest.
Ethan changed into comfortable loungewear and lay beside her on the bed.
Olivia nestled against him, her face pressed to his chest.
Ethan stroked her hair and said in a serious tone, "Liv, I need to discuss something with you."
"What is it?" Olivia raised her head from his embrace.
Ethan gazed at her intently and asked in a low voice, "Would you consider taking two years off from school?"
Olivia's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"
Ethan watched her startled expression and gently rubbed her back. "I'm afraid you'll get hurt again. I want you to take a two-year break from UCLA, and during that time you..."
He couldn't finish the sentence.
Olivia blinked away the stinging in her eyes and asked uncertainly, "You want to keep me locked up at Oakwood like you did last summer?"
Being confined to Oakwood for two years would mean living like a prisoner, unable to go anywhere without Ethan's permission.
Ethan tried to explain: "It's not locking you up, it's for your protection, so—"
"But it's basically the same as being imprisoned, isn't it?" Olivia's smile was bitter.
Ethan's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, his voice rough: "There's another option. You could go abroad."
Olivia opened her mouth but said nothing.
"Which would you prefer?" Ethan asked. "Taking time off or going abroad?"
Olivia shook her head. "I... I don't know."
She didn't want either option.
But given the circumstances, the choice wasn't hers anymore.
"You decide," Olivia lowered her head. "Ethan, you choose for me."
Ethan pulled a coin from the drawer and placed it in her palm. "Heads, you go abroad. Tails, you take time off."
"Okay." She took the coin and tossed it into the air.
The coin spun upward before falling heavily back down.