Hidden face

The Mask(CH-10)

Ch10

The soft beep of machines echoed in the silence. Olivia lay still, her eyes fixed on the ceiling—haunted, tired. The sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting golden lines across her pale face.

Click. The door opened.

She didn’t need to look to know who it was.

Richard Collins.

Tall. Immaculate. Dressed in an expensive suit, his presence reeked of power. And poison.

“Long time, Olivia,” he said coldly, stepping in like he owned the room.

She turned her head, her throat suddenly dry. Her voice didn’t come.

He smiled—not warmly. But smugly.

“You’ve grown… just like your mother. Weak. Always in pain. Always waiting.”

He walked closer, eyes scanning the room with disgust. “So this is what you’ve become? Sick. Alone. Pathetic.”

Her breath caught. Her hands clutched the bedsheet tighter.

“You were never meant to be a part of my life,” he sneered. “And don’t think you’ll ever damage my reputation. No one will believe a sad little story from a forgotten girl like you.”

Just then—

“That’s enough.”

The voice cut through the air like thunder.

Ryan stood at the door, jaw clenched, eyes blazing. He strode in, stepping between Richard and Olivia like a shield.

“Don't you dare hurt her again with your words, I swear you’ll regret it.”

Richard laughed, “And who are you supposed to be? A weak little boy trying to play the hero?”

Ryan stepped closer. Calm. Dangerous.

“I’m someone who built everything you fake. I have more power, more resources, more fame—and unlike you, I earned it. You think she’s alone? She’s not.”

Richard blinked, unsettled. For a second—he backed off.

“You’ll regret this,” Richard muttered, adjusting his watch. “The world still listens to me.”

“Not anymore,” Ryan said. “Now, they’ll listen to truth.”

Richard stormed out, the door slamming shut.

Silence returned.

Olivia had curled up in bed, her entire body shaking. Tears fell silently. Her lips trembled.

“I… I’m scared, Ryan,” she whispered. “He’s going to ruin me. Just like he did back then.”

Ryan rushed to her, sitting beside her, taking her hand in both of his.

“Hey… Olivia, look at me. I’m here. He’s gone. He can’t hurt you. Not anymore.”

She looked into his eyes—wet, broken. “But what if he comes back…?”

He cupped her face gently.

“Then I’ll be right here every time. I’m not going anywhere. I swear.”

And just then, like a dam breaking, Olivia leaned into him—tears soaking into his shirt, her fingers clinging tightly to him.

“Why do you care so much…?” she asked in a broken whisper.

Ryan pressed his forehead to hers.

“Because somewhere between your fears and my silence, I found something real. And I’m not letting it go.”

Olivia lay back on her hospital bed, trying to focus on her own fears and pain. But something felt different today — the usually strong and composed Ryan seemed distant, weighed down by an invisible burden. When he stepped out of the room for a moment, Olivia’s heart tightened with a strange unease.

After a while, Ryan returned, his face pale, eyes shadowed with worry. He tried to hide it, but Olivia noticed the tremble in his hands and the tension in his shoulders. For a long moment, she said nothing, just watched him carefully, feeling the weight of his silence.

Finally, unable to hold back, she softly said, “Ryan… you don’t have to pretend with me.”

He looked away, swallowing hard. The walls of his silence began to crumble as Olivia’s quiet presence filled the space between them.

“I’m scared,” he admitted, voice barely above a whisper. “My parents… they’re always fighting. They are going to get divorced. It’s like everything’s falling apart, and I don’t know how to fix it.”

Olivia took a slow breath, then quietly got up and moved closer. She didn’t say anything for a moment — just reached out and wrapped her arms around him in a hug full of unspoken understanding and warmth.

Ryan stiffened at first, then relaxed, letting the comfort seep in. She could feel the tension in his body slowly melt away, replaced by something fragile but real: hope.

Pulling back just enough to meet his eyes, Olivia whispered, “You don’t have to carry it alone anymore. I’m here… and I’m not going anywhere.”

For the first time, Ryan allowed himself to believe that maybe, just maybe, someone could truly be there for him.

But even as they held onto that fragile hope, a shadow loomed — something unexpected was about to shake everything they thought they knew…