Chapter 294 - Enjoy The Process (1/2)

A dozen white sticks all with a single red line laid on the vanity. Olivia examined each stick and three lines creased on her forehead.

Negative.

Everything came out negative. Scrunching her nose, she told herself that she should up her game in tracking her period.

For years, she didn't bother to count the days. She was reliant on her contraceptive devices that she never once tracked her period.

Yes, she suffered for a few days every month because of her heavy period, but she wasn't so conscious about having or missing it that she had to know her numbers like the back of her hand.

Things have changed, however, after she suffered a miscarriage. She would go crazy counting fertile days and safe days, and her average menstrual cycle.

Call her crazy, but Olivia suddenly became obsessed with things concerning her fertility.

On top of that, she would often read articles about pregnancy signs, and took those notes to heart.

For that reason, she would test herself right away at the showing of the slightest of symptoms.

Those signs didn't matter now. All the tests she took turned out negative. Slumping on the ottoman, Olivia's shoulders dropped.

Her hands automatically flew to her belly and she drew circles on it. ”I'm sorry,” she said. Guilt swallowed her whole being for the unborn child she lost.

”Livi! Mom's hooome!” she heard Queen Isla call out her name. She guessed the queen welcomed herself inside Maxen and Olivia's bedroom again.

It was a habit Olivia should hate, however, she found it odd how she always looked forward to Queen Isla crashing inside their bedroom.

Her unannounced visitations always felt like a Christmas present on a random day of the year.

Checking her reflection on the mirror, Olivia tugged the corners of her lips and practiced a smile to hide her disappointment over the negative pregnancy test results.

”Just a second, Mom,” Olivia announced. She swiped the white sticks to the bin and it clanked against the metal when it dropped inside.

To her surprise, Queen Isla was sitting on the edge of Maxen and Olivia's bed. She was holding an unopened pregnancy kit on her hand.

”Mom…” Olivia trailed off, unsure how to explain herself. ”That's uhhh… test.”

”I know what this is, Livi darling.” Queen Isla peered up and smiled at her. She gently patted the empty space beside her for Olivia to sit on.

Once Olivia was seated, Queen Isla shifted on her seat and faced her daughter-in-law. By the look on Olivia's face, she could assume the result she got was negative.

Understanding filled the queen's face, and Olivia was grateful that her mom didn't probe for an answer—an answer to a question which Olivia didn't want to repeat saying.

”I'm okay,” she lied through her teeth, although it was obvious on the gray clouds that hovered her that what she said was far from the truth.

Queen Isla cupped Olivia's hand and brought it to her l.a.p. ”It's okay if you're not okay. Don't be embarrassed about speaking what you feel. If you want to, you can wear that emotion as an armor.”

Olivia tugged her mom's hand as if she was tethering herself to the queen. The way Olivia held Queen Isla, it was as if her life depended on her mom.

”Thank you,” was all Olivia mustered up to say for she never had a motherly figure like those you could watch in the movies—generous, selfless, and supportive.