From a Wrong Turn to Mr. Right novel Chapter 218

Olivia Bennett turned her head away, dodging his hand, and muttered, “But you basically admitted it just now.”

“That wasn’t an admission.”

Ethan Carter hadn’t expected a single sentence to get this twisted.

He straightened, his tone serious. “That was me being confused. I never told you anything about it—so how would you even know?”

Olivia’s eyes widened as she realized. “Wait... you didn’t have the post taken down?”

Ethan looked genuinely surprised. “What post?”

She explained, “You and her—your pictures were trending for a few minutes, then someone wiped them clean.”

Ethan shrugged. “I had no clue. After I dropped her at the hospital, I called my mom, then went straight to pick you up.”

Olivia stared at her shoes, silent.

Ethan dipped his head, pressing his forehead gently to hers, voice steady and sure. “You weren’t half-asleep just now. You were avoiding me.”

A flash of guilt flickered in Olivia’s eyes. She pressed her lips together, desperate to change the subject. “So, Olivia is actually Aileen?”

“When she joined showbiz, she picked a stage name,” Ethan explained carefully. “Back in college, she suddenly decided she wanted to act. Mom, Dad, even Grandma—they all thought she was nuts. She walked out, signed herself up with The Carter Group.”

Olivia’s eyes widened. “Didn’t your parents freak out?”

“Oh, they did.” Ethan chuckled. “That’s why she barely came home those first couple of years—she was always off on some film set.”

“And now?”

“They never really gave her their blessing, but these days they’ve kinda given up arguing.”

Olivia nodded thoughtfully.

Ethan gently lifted her chin, steering the conversation back. “Her choices aren’t our problem. Let’s talk about us.”

She hesitated, lips trembling. “No.”

“Then why? Why couldn’t you just ask me? Why did you look at that photo and decide it must be true?”

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She dropped her eyes.

“Can’t answer?” He let out a slow breath, a hint of bitter humor in his tone. “Guess that tells me what I am to you.”

Olivia had never heard him sound that way before.

Her heart clenched, something inside her caving in. Before she could think, she threw her arms around him, holding him tight.

“No, don’t say that…” Her voice cracked, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I’m sorry…”

She felt suffocated, panic swelling inside her, like some black hole threatening to swallow her whole.

Ethan couldn’t stand seeing her cry. He wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back gently, speaking with quiet conviction. “Olivia, not everyone is the same. You can’t let one betrayal make you believe everyone’s out to hurt you. You know the saying—get burned once, you start seeing every oven mitt as a snake. But you’ll only end up locking yourself away.”