The Deal (English)

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

*Olivia Harper*

I looked at my dad, unable to understand the sudden change in his expression. He was still holding the phone in his hand, but his expression was blank. He was staring at the wall on which hung the photo of the three of us, but it was as if he was only looking and not really seeing. I ached to run up to him and ask him what was wrong, but I only stood and watched my dad.

The phone slid from his hand and crashed onto the ground, breaking into tiny fragments. He didn’t seem to care, however. His legs trembled and he sunk to the arm chair behind him.

“Daddy?” I asked, rushing to him. “Dad!”

He was crying. Why was he crying?

“Dad!” I repeated. “What is it?”

It took a while for him to focus and look at me, his eyes glassy with tears. “Baby,” he said, taking me by the shoulders. “Liv, we need to—your mum, she’s—”

“Mum?” I asked, fear setting fire to every nerve in my body. “What happened to her?”

“She’s been in an accident.” His voice was shaking. “It’s serious—we need to go now.”

---

The words left the doctor’s lips, but I didn’t seem to hear him. Everything around me seemed to have faded away, leaving only me and the devastating news, alone, all alone. No, this could not be happening. It couldn’t be, she couldn’t leave me. They must have made some mistake. She had to be alive, she had to be here with me. I needed her. How could she leave?

Vaguely, I heard the doctor tell my dad she’d died before they could get her to the hospital, that help arrive a few minutes too late. She’d received massive internal injury, her skull had been crushed, her lungs had collapsed among many other horrifying details. She was gone, and they were ‘sorry’.

She was gone. She’d left me, her promise left broken. I was alone, all alone now, and I didn’t know what to do from here.

I stepped away from my dad, from the doctor, unable to hear more. I stepped away, turned around, and I ran.

---

The doorbell rang loud and shrill, snapping me out of my thoughts. I wiped my tears away with the back of my hand, slightly surprised. I wasn’t expecting anyone.

I went downstairs reluctantly, going for the door, and opening the door. I was quite surprised to see him, because he was the last person I was expecting to be here. Especially now, because I honestly thought we were done, he was done with me.

“Dylan?” I asked, shocked.

He smiled, a surprisingly genuine smile. It had been a while since I’d ever seen him wear a smile like that. “Hi,” he said. “Liv, you look like a mess.”

“I…” I sighed, not wanting to explain a thing to him. “What are you doing here, Dylan? I told you, I never want to see you again.”

“I know,” he nodded. “I just want two minutes, okay?”

“Dylan—” Not now.

“No, just two minutes.” He said. “I want two minutes only, and then I’ll leave. Just hear me out.”

“Fine.” I gave in, holding the door, not wanting to let him in.

“Okay,” he said. “Look, Liv, I miss you. I miss us. We were good together. Maybe not so much towards the end, but when we began, you and I were perfect. And I want that back, okay? I want it back, and I think I know that a part of you does, too. I don’t know what the deal with you and Harry is, Olivia. I don’t know if you’re dating, or just fucking for the heck of it, I don’t know. But he doesn’t deserve you, okay? He doesn’t know you like I do, and—”