Forced To Marry My Cousin's Fiancé

Chapter 97: Chapter 97

Lane figured Olivia would have left out of sheer embarrassment after Ethan called her out. He hadn’t exactly tried to humiliate her, but he’d laid out the cold, hard truth: Olivia wasn’t the one who had cooked all that food she used to bring him. It had been Lane all along.

Honestly, if Lane were in Olivia’s shoes and Ethan said that to her, she would’ve wanted the ground to swallow her whole.

Olivia had spent so much time bragging about how much Ethan loved her cooking, only for Ethan to fire back that it wasn’t her food he liked. It was Lane’s. It was a total double blow.

Olivia had been speechless, the smile vanishing from her face instantly. Lane caught a flicker of something dark in her eyes, but it was gone in a flash.

Olivia didn’t even try to argue. She didn’t confirm or deny a single thing Ethan said. It seemed like she had no intention of coming clean, choosing instead to stay completely silent.

Instead of leaving, she tried to prove she actually knew her way around a kitchen by sticking around. She even offered to help Lane prep the spaghetti while Ethan and the kids were in the living room.

"Did you tell Ethan I wasn’t the one cooking the food I brought him?" Olivia asked after a while.

Lane looked over and immediately zeroed in on the knife Olivia was holding. She was gripping the handle so tightly that Lane felt a surge of nerves, wondering if a wrong answer might actually get her stabbed.

She tried to shake the feeling off, telling herself Olivia wouldn’t actually go that far.

She looked up from the knife and met Olivia’s gaze. Her cousin’s eyes were sharp, and her eyebrows were pulled into a hard, straight line.

"I didn’t say a word to Ethan," Lane replied.

"Liar," Olivia snapped, her expression frozen.

"If you didn’t tell him, then how does he know? How does he know it was your cooking I was giving him?"

"My conscience is clear, Olivia," Lane said calmly. "Maybe he just figured it out himself after tasting the food I’ve cooked for him recently."

"Not only are you a home-wrecker, but you’re a total suck-up, too," Olivia spat.

Lane’s brow furrowed at that. "I’m not a suck-up, Olivia. And I am definitely not a home-wrecker," she shot back.

Olivia raised an eyebrow, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Really? You’re not? Then why did you get pregnant by him? Why did you sleep with him knowing he loved someone else? Knowing he was engaged? I’m your cousin, and you’re the one who stabbed me in the back, Lane."

"We were both drunk, Olivia," Lane explained. "What happened between us was an accident."

"An accident? Or did you get drunk on purpose to pull off your plan to steal him? You’ve wanted Ethan for a long time, haven’t you? Because you love him."

Lane was stunned. She hadn’t expected Olivia to know about her secret feelings for Ethan back then.

Olivia smirked, looking triumphant at Lane’s reaction.

"You’re speechless because it’s the truth, isn’t it?" she said.

"Did you think I was blind? Did you really think you could hide the way you looked at him? You were wrong, Lane. I knew the whole time."

"You’re right," Lane said, finally recovering from the shock.

"I do love Ethan. I always have. But despite how I felt, I never once considered taking him from you. I’m just not that kind of person."

"Really? If you didn’t steal him, then why is he your husband now?"

"Maybe we were just meant to be, Olivia. Maybe this was just God’s plan for us."

"Don’t you dare bring God into this. Just admit you’re a flirt," Olivia insisted.

"You’re talking about destiny when you really just threw yourself at him until he married you."

"You know what, Olivia? Think whatever you want," Lane said, turning back to the stove. "I really don’t care anymore."

She didn’t wait for a rebuttal. She just focused on the task at hand. Honestly, she had wanted to apologize to Olivia for everything that had happened in the past, but she’d changed her mind the second the insults started flying.

She couldn’t believe her own flesh and blood would say such hateful things. Olivia used to be her closest friend, and she’d felt the same way about her.

But then again, it wasn’t that surprising. What her own parents had said to her back then was even worse. Her aunt and uncle, Dianne and Lucas, had treated her like she wasn’t even family, calling her every name in the book.

"Ethan has always been mine, Lane. From the start until now," Olivia said, her voice low and dangerous.

"And I’m never going to let him be with you. I know Ethan won’t choose you because he loves me. He chose me then, and he’ll choose me again."

Lane was going to let it go, but she couldn’t stop herself from glancing at her cousin.

"Love? Choose?" she challenged. "Are you sure about that, Olivia? If he chose you, why is he here with me? If he chose you, why are you always the one chasing him? And as for love... has he actually told you he loves you lately?"

She saw Olivia flinch. It was the confirmation Lane needed. Ethan hadn’t said those words to her. A small spark of joy flared in Lane’s heart.

She stepped a little closer, her voice steady. "He tells me, Olivia. Ethan has told me multiple times that he loves me. He tells me and he tells his son that he loves us both."

___________________

"Uncle Daddy!"

Lane’s heart raced the second she opened the condo door and saw Ethan standing there. A smile instantly broke across his face as Calvin went sprinting toward him. As soon as the boy reached him, he hugged Ethan’s leg before looking up with wide eyes.

"Good morning, Uncle Daddy!" Calvin chirped.

Ethan grabbed Calvin by the arms and carefully hoisted him up. Lane caught the huge grin on her son’s face. It was obvious the kid was thrilled.

"Good morning, Calvin," Ethan said. Then, he looked up at her, his voice dropping into a warm, resonant tone. "Good morning, Lane."

"G-good morning," she managed to say, though she mentally kicked herself for the stutter.

She caught the sparkle in his eyes and had to look away. She could still feel his gaze lingering on her until he finally turned his attention back to the boy in his arms.

"Are you going to work with your Mommy today, Calvin?" Ethan asked.

To be honest, Lane hadn’t originally planned on bringing him along. She’d intended to leave him with Mae, but when they woke up that morning, Calvin had begged to come with her. She didn’t even have to ask why. She knew it was all about Ethan.

The kid just wanted to be with his Daddy. Since she wanted her son to be happy, she’d caved and granted his wish.

It looked like she’d made the right call because the joy on Calvin’s face was unmistakable. She’d noticed lately that he was always hyped to wake up early, yet whenever Ethan had to say goodbye, a cloud of sadness would settle over him.

In the short time they’d spent together, Ethan had clearly carved out a special place in the boy’s heart. It was like Calvin could feel the pull of their shared blood.

"Yes, Daddy... oh, I mean, Uncle Daddy," the boy corrected himself quickly. "Sorry."

"You don’t have to apologize for calling me Daddy, Calvin. Didn’t I tell you it was okay?" Ethan said gently.

Calvin didn’t say anything, but his eyes were practically glowing.

"So... are we heading out?" Ethan asked, looking up at her.

Lane gave a small nod. "Let’s go," Ethan said, ushering them toward the door.

"Put him down, Ethan. He’s heavy," she said, noticing that Ethan seemed perfectly content to keep carrying him.

"I’ll walk, Uncle Daddy," Calvin added. "I’ll get down so you don’t have to carry me."

"Daddy is strong, Calvin. I can carry you all day," Ethan said, showing no intention of letting him go.

"Honestly, I could probably carry your Mommy at the same time if I wanted to. I’ve got this."

Lane felt a massive blush creep up her neck at that. Luckily, Ethan wasn’t looking her way, so he missed her face turning bright red.

"L-let’s go," she urged, not wanting to hear any more of his comments as she started walking.

"Mommy, wait for us!" Calvin called out.

"You guys are taking too long," she joked.

She bit her lip when she heard Ethan let out a low laugh. A moment later, she felt him fall into step beside her, guiding her as they walked. She kept her eyes forward, refusing to look at him even though she could feel him staring.

She stayed quiet, letting the father and son handle the conversation.

Before long, they were in his car, cruising toward the office. When they pulled up to her father’s company building, Ethan hopped out first to help them. She reached out for Calvin’s hand, but her lips parted in surprise when the boy bypassed her and grabbed Ethan’s hand instead.

Ethan seemed caught off guard for a split second, but when he realized what was happening, a huge smile broke across his face. He tightened his grip on the little boy’s hand and led them inside.

Lane just followed along, letting them have their moment.

She couldn’t help but bite her lip when she noticed the employees whispering as they walked by.

" Ms. Lane’s kid looks just like sir Ethan."

"Of course he does, he’s his son."

"Sir Ethan and the Missus look perfect together. She’s gorgeous, he’s handsome, and the kid is nice .They look like such a happy family. I’m so jealous."

The comments made Lane feel incredibly self-conscious. These people had no idea what they were actually going through. Their situation was anything but a happy family right now, and there was definitely nothing to be jealous of.

She let out a heavy sigh, which didn’t escape Ethan’s notice. He stopped walking and turned to her.

"Are you okay, Lane?"

"Are you okay, Mommy?" Calvin echoed. Both of them were looking at her, waiting for an answer.

She forced a nod. "I-I’m fine," she lied.

Calvin seemed to buy it, but Ethan looked completely unconvinced.

He stared at her for a long beat, his eyes searching hers. Then, before she could protest, he reached out and took her hand, intertwining their fingers. He gave her a gentle tug, pulling her along as they continued to walk.

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