Page 36 of The Devils Melody
Olive’s hand shoots out like she’s about to swipe my phone off the table. “Oh hell no. Block him. Right now. Before I do it for you.”
I yank my phone away before she even gets the chance. “Olive?—”
She glares at me. “No, seriously. This is manipulative as hell. He’s trying to reel you back in with half assed guilt and zero accountability. C’mon babe. You know better than that.”
“I know,” I murmur, locking the screen and tucking my phone into my bag as if that’ll make my problems disappear. “I know. I just…wasn’t expecting it, you know? For him to start acting this way. All of the aggression. It came out of nowhere and I don’t know, I just didn’t think he had it in him.”
Olive watches me carefully, her voice lower now. “I think you need to file some kind of report against him. In case he ever pulls some shit like this again in the future. Thepolice won’t be able to do anything if you don’t have some kind of history to back it up.”
I shake my head immediately, already feeling the anxiety curl in my chest. “No. That’s…that’s too much.”
“It’s not,” she says, calm but firm.
“I’m not doing that,” I insist, sitting up straighter as if it would convince her that this shit with Rich didn’t scare me. “He’s not dangerous, Liv. He was just mad, drunk, and stupid. I don't think he’s going to hunt me down or anything.”
She raises her eyebrows, looking unimpressed. “You sure about that? Because I’m pretty sure showing up and grabbing you at work and blowing up your phone counts as more than just ‘mad and stupid.’”
She could always see past my bullshit but I’m not going to budge this time. “It was one time, and those guys already took care of it. He got his nose broken. Don’t you think that’s enough for him to get the hint?”
“Uh, no. Clearly not,” Olive snaps. “Because you’re still scared. You’re still over there looking over your shoulder and jumping every time your phone lights up. That’s not normal, babe.”
I rub my hand across my forehead, suddenly exhausted. I know Olive is only trying to protect me, I just wish this wasn’t something I had to deal with. “I don’t want to make this bigger than it is and drag everything out, you know?”
“You’re not dragging anything. You’re protecting yourself.”
I laugh bitterly. “From what? A couple drunk texts and a bad choice at a bar? C’mon, Liv. Filing a police report makes it sound like I think he’s going to hurt me.”
She tilts her head. “And you don’t?”
I go quiet.
“I don’t know,” I whisper. The words feel fragile in my throat, like saying them too loud would make everything I’m scared of come true. But Olive just sits there, watching me as if she knows there’s more to the story. Theimportantpart I’ve been too afraid to say out loud.
She leans in slightly. “Is that why you texted me?”
I hesitate.
“Wren.”
I nod slowly, eyes trained on my drink. “Yeah.” I pause, then glance up at her. “And…I had a nightmare last night. A bad one. The kind I haven’t had since I was a kid.”
Olive’s brows draw together, her whole vibe softening even more. “Oh, babe.”
“It was him. My dad,” I whisper. “I haven’t dreamt about him in years. Not like that. But last night,” I shake my head, willing the sickening feeling to go away. “It felt so real, Liv. Like I was back there again.”
She doesn’t rush to speak. She just reaches her hand back across the table and grabs my hand again, anchoring me. “You don’t have to say more unless you want to,” she says gently. “But I’m really glad you told me.”
I nod again, my throat tight.
“Rich just brought up too much,” I manage. “More than I was ready for.”
And just like that, Olive drops the fire and replaces it with warmth again. No judgement. Just a quiet understanding that wraps around me, making me feel safe.
“You don’t have to deal with this alone,” she says. “Not ever.”
I let out a shaky breath and take another sip of my drink, needing something to ground me. Olive doesn’t say anything right away, just watches me to make sure I’mactually okay. Or, at least, okay enough to breathe without falling apart.
After a beat, she sits up straighter and gives me a look I know all too well.
