Olivia stopped walking the moment she pushed the hospital door open and channeled all her energy into running down that hallway. Ever since she got that text from Amy, meeting her daughter was all she could think of. She couldn't hide her excitement and didn't realize how anxious and nervous she was until she got to the white door.

She froze.

What was she even going to say? How was Grace going to react the moment she walked into that room? Was she going to like her? Was she going to want to talk to her or was she going to think she was a murderer just like Victoria had made her believe since she was born.

Was she really going to show up in her face like that after six years and probably frighten her especially since she just woke up from a one week coma? She was scared, scared to go in all of a sudden, scared to know what her daughter thought of her.

The door opened slowly, Olivia raised her head to meet Amy's who just stared at her with a surprise look on her face.

"Why are you wet?" She whispered to Olivia trying so hard not to alert the little girl from inside.
She rolled her eyes

"I'd explain everything later..." Olivia whispered back. "How is she?" Amy let out a tiny  smile.

"She wants to meet you."

Olivia gulped hard the moment Amy stepped away from the door just so she could have a better chance of walking in. Olivia was really nervous now, she pocked her head into the room.

It was true. She was awake.

She let out an exasperated sigh as she saw Grace sitting still on her bed, staring into thin air with her tiny legs sticking out of her blanket. She still had a fresh set of bandaid wrapped around her head.

Amy pushed Olivia inside, making her almost bump her feet on the table which alerted Grace. She turned quickly just as Olivia stood straight, staring at her. Her hands began to tremble again.

Olivia didn't know what to do. This was the closest she had ever been to looking at her child, she could feel her breath thinning as she looked into the girl's tiny brown eyes, tears welling up the more in hers.

Grace stared at Olivia for a minute like she was trying to evaluate her appearance from where she stood. It was obvious she was shocked too. Did she remember? Did she know who she was?
Those questions kept flooding Olivia's head.

"Mum?"
Olivia held her breath. She let out a teary chuckle and then rushed to the bed as fast as she could. She sniffed, grabbing Grace's hands fast, turning her side by side.

"Are you okay? Do you still feel any pain?"

She slowly reached for her chin, raised it and gently turned it side by side too, carefully observing. Grace let her, surprise evident in her eyes

"She's fine." Amy assured her. "The Doctor already checked on her."

Olivia let out an exasperated sigh. She pulled her hands down Grace's arm and then squeezed her hands gently, hoping she didn't scare her already.

"It's you isn't it?" Grace leaned forward so she could look into her eyes "You're that lady from the court room, my m-mum?"

Olivia hesitated for a while and then sniffed. She nodded quickly. She didn't know if it was supposed to be a good or a bad thing.

"You're so beautiful." Grace said.

Olivia chuckled faintly. She looked at Grace with a huge smile on her face.

"Really?"

Grace nodded slowly.

Olivia sniffed. She had never felt so much love rushing into her veins all at once. She felt at peace just sitting there and holding her hands, it was like nothing else mattered, like everything else that happened that day was just a bad dream she was fully awake from.

"Oh well, a lot of people say we look alike but I think you're way more beautiful."

Grace let out a tiny smile

"Really?"

Olivia nodded. She meant every word of it, a drop of tear fell from her face.

"Why are you crying?" The little girl asked stretching her hands towards Olivia's face. She cleaned the tears from her eyes gently, one after the other. Olivia chuckled. She was so excited that she couldn't even hide it anymore.

"Are you hurt?"
Olivia shook her head

"No." she raised her hand to reach Grace's. "I'm just really happy that's all."

She pulled her hand down and raised it up to her lip. She kissed it just as more and more tears began to fall down her eyes. Grace let up a tiny humph then she frowned. She let out an exhale. Olivia noticed how unhappy she suddenly was.

"Grandma said you killed someone." She continued, her voice was really tiny . "She said you're a bad person and you kill people and you killed my Dad."

Olivia gasped

"That's not true." She told her "Don't you believe that okay?" She gently pulled Grace "I'd never kill anyone especially not your father."

"Yes Grace," Amy added walking towards them. Grace turned to Amy "Those were just lies made by your grandmother so people including you can hate your mother. It's not true."

Grace smiled

"I know."

She slowly turned to Olivia.
"That really nice man in the courtroom said you didn't do it so I believe him. I believe him because he said he never lies, and also, google said he's a good man and a good lawyer."

Olivia frowned hard. She narrowed her gaze on Grace

"W-What man?"

"He said he was your lawyer."

Olivia slowly turned to Amy, just what was Grace talking about? Was she referring to Rafael? Amy shrugged her shoulders. Olivia slowly turned to Grace

"Grace, honey, did the man really tell you he was my lawyer?"

Grace nodded

"He did." She said "He followed us to the car after the hearing and he told me not to believe anything anyone told me because they were all lies and that you were innocent. He also gave me his number and asked me to call him if I needed anything. That was what I was trying to do when I ran away before-"  Grace paused. "Before," she shut her eyes. It was like she was trying to remember what had happened.

"Ouch." She raised her hand to her head. It was hurting.

Olivia leaned closer to her

"You don't need to think of anything else, that's okay." Olivia pushed herself closer and reached for her head. "Does it hurt a lot?"

Grace shook her head.

"Just a little bit, now that you're here." She smiled "I guess uncle Austin was right after all, he said he was going to let me meet you soon. Oh,"

Grace smiled and then looked around. She stretched her neck to the door, her face brightening as she slowly turned back to Olivia who had a huge frown on her face.

"Did you come with him? Is he here too?"

Olivia shook her head.

"We'd talk about your uncle later," she smiled. "Right now, I want to talk about you. I want to know everything there is to know about you."

Grace smiled and nodded

"Me too."

"Really?"

Grace nodded in excitement. Olivia turned to Amy, her smile faded slowly. Amy could tell something was definitely wrong, she shook her head slowly. Olivia exhaled and turned back to Grace.

She smiled.

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"Thank you Lucy." Rafael gave his jacket to Lucy the moment he walked into the house. He was almost dry from all that rain and really exhausted.

Lucy hurried away from the hallway just as he slowly walked to the stairs too.

"Rafael." He stopped at the sound of Benita's voice and slowly turned to face her. She had a really nice smile on her face.

"Nanny?"

"Did you hear the news?"

Rafael turned completely, narrowing his brows. He didn't understand

"It's Grace, Olivia's daughter." Benita's smile grew wider. "She's awake."

Wow!

Rafael scoffed in amusement. That was some great news. He exhaled and then turned to Benita again

"That's good."
He slowly turned to leave again. Benita frowned. That wasn't the reaction she imagined.

"Rafael." Why was he like that? He didn't look excited. Rafael exhaled and then turned again

"Nnam, ogini? What is the problem?"
Rafael exhaled

"Nothing Nanny,"

She walked closer to him, concern written all over her face.

"I've been with you since the day you were born, I took care of you. It's safe to say I know when something is bothering you."

Rafael sneered. She got that right. Out of everyone in the world, Benita was the one person that really knew him. For someone that used to work for his grand parents and then his parents and now him, it was safe to say she was family. She knew him, all of him.

Rafael slowly reached for her arm and pulled her to the kitchen which was just beside them. He pulled her inside and straight to the tiny dining table. Benita didn't question him even though she knew he was acting really weird. He slowly pulled out a seat and pulled her to sit in it while he took the other one beside her.

"Chukwudalu," she asked him. Now she was worried especially since after she saw how extremely sad he was. Rafael slowly reached for her hands and looked at them. He let out a tiny smile.

"Why is there sadness in your eyes?"

Rafael exhaled.

"Nanny, I think I'm officially the worst and most inhumane person on earth."
He couldn't even bring himself to look at her.

Benita leaned closer to him.

"Why? What's wrong?"
Rafael slowly raised his head to meet hers.

"I did something really terrible tonight Nanny, something really scary and I don't think I can ever be forgiven." Benita exhaled. "I don't think she'd ever want to see me again."

"Is it Olivia?"

Rafael let out a sarcastic scoff and narrowed his gaze on their joined hands. He rubbed her wrinkled hands.

"She told me she loved me, and I just got really scared, I acted in the most stupid way I could ever think of. Worst thing was, I couldn't even apologize for it. I was supposed to be the better man, the man that didn't have to take advantage of her and step on her when he wanted but when the going got tough I just- I just ruined everything, I became the monster I've been trying to help her defeat, the worst of all of them."

"What are you so afraid of Rafael?" She leaned closer "It's been four years still Constance and Kamsi died but you've still been unable to love or let anyone love you. You still mourn them my child, depriving yourself of every chance to be happy, to be truly happy."

"It's like you said Nanny," He sniffed as a huge frown covered his face "Maybe I'm just not capable of ever loving anyone but myself."

"You keep saying your late wife's final words to you over and over again."  Benita shook her head.  "She was wrong. You are capable of love and when you love, you love with your heart. You loved her and you loved your daughter. I know you'd have traded places with them if God gave you the chance but he is God, he is God and we can not question him."

Rafael inhaled.

"You can't let the burden of what happened four years ago ruin what's left of your life. You're still so young and full of so much life. How can you let your late wife's ignorance and your past mistakes haunt you like this? I'm sure wherever they are, they'd want you to move on, want you to be happy."

"I can't."

"Why can't you?"

"It's hard Nanny." He looked at her "Way harder than you think. All of this," he looked around the kitchen "All the cars and properties, it was supposed to be for them. All these achievements, for all of us. I worked so hard to prove so much to my family, to my father, to show him I made the right choice pursuing my dreams, that I didn't need his money, affluence or influence to get to where I am, where I've always wanted to be and I wanted to hold her hand, both their hands when I said all those words to him. She told me, she told me she didn't care, she hated my job and just wanted me to be her husband and a father. I should have listened to her, I should have just gone back and taken my place as heir to Rand, maybe if I did, she wouldn't have left that day. If only I just made that trip a family trip and not a business one, maybe I would have had them by my side right now. What kind of man abandons his family? What kind of a man am I? I get to live with all this pain I feel and my daughter, my kamsi, she was only a baby. She had so much to live for, I was going to give her the world." He sniffed. "She's not even here to hold my hand, why do I deserve to be happy? Why do I deserve to live when she didn't? What makes my life more precious than theirs?"

"Oh my dear son," She slowly raised her hands on top of his and squeezed them "You've not only worried and burdened your heart till you gave it a condition, but you've also refused to let it heal for so long. Why have you chosen to be miserable? To punish yourself till the end?"

"Nanny,"

"I know how much you care about Olivia. I know you've grown to love her for sometime now even when you try to hide it by constantly being so mean to her but your eyes," She slowly placed a hand on his face "Your eyes, they tell a different story. You can't fight it much longer, you're not as strong as you think and she's stubborn. So keep pushing her away and she'd just keep coming back."

"Not this time Nanny,"

"She's going to forgive you. She'd come back."

"Not if there's nothing to come back to."

Benita narrowed her gaze to him. What did he mean?

"I got a call from Doctor Hamilton." Benita glared at him. She noticed how the grip on her hands became tighter "He has gotten us approval to proceed with the plan in two days." He raised his head to Benita. He could see the look of anxiety in her eyes as she watched at him "I'm going to go Nanny Benita."

She pulled her hand away from him immediately and closed her eyes.

"Nanny this is something I have to do. You know how important it is to me that I do this."
Benita exhaled loudly as she opened her eyes. There were tears in it

"Susan is currently mad at me right now but I'm sure she's going to come around eventually after I leave. She's going to come here with some things I'd leave behind and she's going to read-"

"Stop." Benita told him and then slowly turned To look at him "What  you're talking about, thinking of, what you're about to do Chukwudalu, it's a sin before God and before man."

Rafael scoffed. He had tears in his eyes too but he was trying so hard not to cry.

"Nanny, my greatest sin was not being able to protect my family even after I swore on that alter, before God and before man to do so and I promised myself that I'd pull the plug if things became really hard and unbearable." He sniffed "Nanny, things are really hard and unbearable for me right now. For some reason I can't move past this, I can't move on. I tried, I went through series of therapies and sessions and nothing ever changed."

"That's because you've not given love a chance. We can try other options, you said it yourself. This case, Olivia's case has been of great help to you. Her being around you has helped you so much, you don't even have angina attacks anymore. She's good news, all you have to do is let her in."

"I can't." He whispered shaking his head "Nanny, if you love me the way you say you do, you'd listen to me and not try to hold me back."

"What about your father? Your sister? Your mother? She's not even back from the mountain yet. What do you think is going to happen to her when she learns about this? You're her only son. She'd lose her mind, and ivory, she's never going to forgive you. No matter how strong your father is, I don't think he'd be able to survive something like this."

Rafael exhaled

"Are you sure this is the only option left?"

Rafael let out a tiny smile. Benita was crying already.
He had never seen her so scared since the first time he told her about it.

"Nanny,"

He pulled her close and then hugged her.

"I'm sorry." He whispered to her as the old lady cried as hard as she could on his shoulders "I'm really sorry."
༛༛ ༛ ༛༺༻༛ ༛ ༛༛
"Oh my God." Amy slowly threw herself to sit on the bed, staring into Olivia's eyes. The room was so quiet especially since Grace was fast asleep.

An hour hearing everything Olivia had to say and she just couldn't wrap her head around it. She thought she was going to die from all that shock.

"The devil you know," she slowly turned to Olivia who had her eyes glued on Grace. "I never knew Austin had it in him. I mean I'd understand if it was someone else but killing your own brother and then letting the woman you claimed to love suffer for it, that's just really scary, that family you married into is really scary."

Amy still couldn't believe it. She could feel the chill that passed through her spine. She was surprised and in so much shock.

She inhaled.

"And to think that I thought he was the better brother, that he had good intentions, to make it worse, that evil old witch knew all along and still blamed you for it anyway. People are really dangerous, you really can't trust anyone these days."

Olivia exhaled

"God, how could I have missed such a party? It had to have been a blast, and that stupid lady, Arora,"

"Amanda," Olivia corrected

"Her name isn't important right now." She told Olivia. "such guts she has to think you'd ever think of forgiving her for what she did."

Amy exhaled

"Wow, this night is really crazy. People are really crazy. I wonder why Rafael isn't here yet." She looked at her wrist watch. "I sent him a text hours ago."

Olivia exhaled and turned to tuck the sheets in. That was one subject she didn't want to talk about, one person she wanted to forget about.

"Don't worry about him." She said not bothering to turn to Amy. She tucked Grace's hands into the blankets "He's not going to come."

"Huh?" Amy turned to face her "Why?" She asked noticing the sudden change in Olivia's eyes. She exhaled "Did you guys fight again?"

"Not exactly."

Olivia got up and then turned to leave before Amy stopped her. She rushed to stand in front of her. Olivia looked away. She was really trying so hard to avoid eye contact with everyone.

"Are you crying?" Amy tried to follow her gaze,

"No," Olivia sniffed and then turned to her other side.

"You're crying."
She pulled Olivia's face hurriedly to meet hers. Amy frowned hard as she saw the tears in Olivia's eyes.

"Why? What's wrong?" Amy placed her hands on Olivia's shoulders. Olivia exhaled. She wasn't exactly good at hiding things from her cousin anyway. Amy was the only person that knew so much about her ever since they found each other ten years after the accident. They had been close ever since.

"I told him." Olivia looked at her. Amy was listening. She didn't blink for a second "I told him I loved him."

"And?" Amy asked, narrowing her gaze to Olivia. She wanted to hear it, to hear all of it . "What did he say?"

Olivia shrugged her shoulders, sniffing as hard as she could

"He doesn't love me back." Her voice broke

"He said that to you?"

Olivia bit hard on her lip as she shook her head, trying to force her snob back in.

"He showed me."

Amy exhaled. She could see how Olivia was almost breaking out in tears. She didn't have to, she didn't have to say anything else, Amy understood, she could guess what she meant.

"Come on." She stretched her hands just so Olivia could get into them. Olivia really needed that. She really needed a hug after everything she had been through that night. She went into Amy's arms.

Amy rubbed her back, kissing her on her head.

"Let him go, he doesn't deserve you." Amy whispered to her "You don't need him or anyone else do you understand?"

Olivia sniffed. She wasn't even sure she had tears to cry anymore. She just sniffed.

"He doesn't deserve you, none of them does. Everyone you need is right here, what more could you possibly ask for? You don't need no man making you cry like a baby all the time, they all can go hug a transformer for all I care."

Pfft

Olivia chuckled. It was just what she needed, a little laugh to brighten up her evening. She exhaled

"I love you sister." She told Amy hugging her as tight as she could, her face on her chest. She meant it. She meant every single word.

"I love you too." Amy smiled.