Olivia’s POV

After I divorced Alexander, things quickly turned into torment for me. I lost friends and people I thought cared about me, but who only smiled at me because I was married to Alexander. Now that I was separated, I no longer held any influence over them, and they began to drift away.

I started to realize that, for all those years, I had dedicated myself to pleasing my husband and completely forgotten about myself. Moreover, I left the marriage with nothing—no career, no job, nothing to support myself—because I had spent the last years after college taking care of my ex-husband, focused solely on him and trying to win his love. In the end, it was all for nothing.

I found myself with no choice but to return to my aunt Rosalyn’s house and beg her to let me stay, but I was met with hatred and rejection instead.

“Did you really think a billionaire like Alexander Vaughn would want something serious with you? He just used you, you foolish girl. And now that you’ve been kicked out, you think I’ll take you back? You can rot in the gutter!” Aunt Rosalyn slammed the door in my face, she who was my own mother’s sister, my only living relative.

My parents died in a car accident when I was a child, so I had to live with my mother’s sister, though she never took proper care of me and treated me like her maid my entire life. So when I met Alexander in college and he wanted to marry me, it felt like he was saving me from my aunt’s mistreatment. But looking back now, Alexander was even crueler than my aunt because he gave me hope and then ripped it away as if I were nothing.

And now here I was, at square one, without even knowing where to start rebuilding my life. I knew I needed to find a job to support myself because I couldn’t rely on Grace and Nathan forever, who had been lending me money over the past few weeks. I knew I had to start somewhere.

Days later, it was morning, and I was drying my face with a towel after cleaning up. I had barely woken up when I rushed to the bathroom to vomit. Lately, I’d been feeling unwell. At first, I thought it was expected to get sick due to the stress I’d been facing, but with Grace’s help, I discovered I was expecting my ex-husband’s child, which nearly broke me.

Having his child at this point was unthinkable. I had already separated from him, and now this child was on the way, making my path even harder.

Since I needed a job to support myself, I accepted a part-time job at a restaurant that paid $13 an hour to work as a waitress. Even with the nausea I felt due to the pregnancy, I had to work, so I kept my head down and went about my tasks.

“You’re Olivia, right?” my boss asked as soon as I had changed into my waitress uniform.

“Yes, sir. I’m Olivia,” I replied, and the man nodded.

“Look, we’re short on waitresses in the luxury wing of the restaurant because one of our regular staff got sick. You’ll have to fill in, okay?” he said. The waitresses who served in the luxury area were far better trained and more experienced, and knowing that the restaurant owner was choosing me to replace one of them in the VIP section meant my work was being well-regarded. Maybe I’d even leave with a good tip today?

I smiled and nodded, replying, “Of course, sir. I can handle it.”

He led me to the VIP area of the restaurant, located upstairs. Being in that kind of place wasn’t new to me, as I had spent three years of my life married to a billionaire, occasionally attending luxurious outings and parties. I was determined to do my best because I needed the money. My boss assigned me a table to serve a high-class couple who had made a reservation, but I never expected the couple to be my ex-husband and his new wife.

They arrived at the restaurant radiating ostentation and happiness, like a beautiful, young billionaire couple in love. The way they talked and interacted made me nauseous. I stood frozen in a corner, unable to move.

“I loved the gift you gave me, Alexander, my love,” Vanessa said. “The color of that yacht matches the stone in my ring.” She wiggled her fingers in front of Alexander as they both laughed.

“I can give you as many yachts as you want, my darling,” my ex-husband replied, and the lunch I’d eaten earlier nearly came up, my tears threatening to spill.

I had to go to them; I had to smile and serve them, but I couldn’t bear it. As much as I needed the money, I couldn’t handle it—the wound was still too fresh. So, I turned, wanting to flee.

“Hey, waitress!” I heard his voice calling me, and I froze instantly, still facing away from the couple. “Aren’t you supposed to bring the menu?”

“For God’s sake, what an incompetent girl!” Vanessa complained. “I’m giving this fifth-rate place one star.” Her voice was unbearably irritating, for heaven’s sake.

I swallowed my tears and turned around with the menus in hand. “My apologies, ma’am and sir. Welcome to Charme, the finest restaurant in the area,” I said formally, as the waitresses were instructed.

“Olivia?” Alexander was the first to recognize me, looking at me in surprise.

“What?” Vanessa was shocked, then laughed. “You’re working as a waitress now, Olivia? Unbelievable!” She seemed to be having a blast now.

“I hope you won’t give me a bad review, Vanessa,” I warned, and she looked taken aback.

“What did you call me? It’s Mrs. Vaughn to you, waitress!” she corrected me, and my eyes widened, unable to hide my shock.

“Y-you got married?” I looked at both of them. You could almost hear the sound of my heart breaking.

“We got married last weekend,” Alexander replied, his voice devoid of much emotion.

“So fast,” I thought, but the words slipped out of my mouth, and Vanessa threw her head back, laughing.

“You’re so stupid. Did you think Alexander would come back to you someday?” she mocked me. Maybe, deep down, I still held a glimmer of hope… “What are you doing standing there like an ugly statue? Go get my wine, you useless woman!” she ordered, and I drew the line—that was too much.

“Look, you can’t order me around,” I started to say, but Alexander cut me off.

“Yes, she can. We’re paying for this place, and you’re paid to serve us, so get what my wife ordered!” His words were harsh and cold, his gaze laced with disdain. He wanted to humiliate me. Was this the man I once loved? I swallowed hard and went to fetch their wine.

They resumed talking as if nothing had happened while I served them expensive food and drinks. “Oops, my spoon!” Vanessa exclaimed after a while, dropping her spoon on the floor. It landed right by her foot, but she still addressed me rudely. “Hey, waitress, come pick up my spoon!”

I approached the table and bent down to grab that damned spoon. That’s when I felt a cold liquid splash over my head and trickle down my face. Vanessa had poured her wine on me.

“For God’s sake, Vanessa, don’t overdo it,” Alexander said. The people watching the scene just laughed at my situation, finding it amusing to see a waitress humiliated like that.

“This is where you belong, Olivia, in the gutter!” she belittled me. I couldn’t take it anymore; it was too much. Heavy tears fell from my eyes, mixing with the wine dripping down my face and soaking my uniform.

“Why are you doing this to me, Alexander? Why are you making me suffer so much?” I pleaded, desperate for it all to end.

“I just want you to disappear, Olivia,” he said. “Disappear and never come back!”

Humiliated, despised, and helpless, I stood up and left that place as heavy tears blurred my vision.