Do You Still Love Me When We Meet Again? (Aubrey and Damon) novel Chapter 287

< Chapter 287: Marriage First, Love La

Chapter 287: Marriage First, Love Later 3

Zach dried his hands, stepped out of the open kitchen, and headed toward the living room.

Olivia followed right on his heels, her movements still a bit stiff. “Do we need to set some ground rules?” she asked.

“No, Zach replied flatly.

“No deal–breakers? No ‘off–limits‘ areas I should know about?”

“None.”

“Then you-”

Teret

Zach stopped dead and turned around so suddenly that Olivia almost slammed right into him. She stopped just in time, inches from his chest, and had to crane her neck to look up at him.

“Live your life the way you always have. I don’t have time to take care of you, and we probably won’t even see each other that often. You won’t be in my way, and I won’t be in yours.”

Olivia fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, her nerves showing. She gathered her courage. “But… I do have one favor to ask.”

Zach frowned slightly. “What is it?”

“No matter how hot it gets this summer, could you… keep your clothes on while you’re home?”

Zach let out a soft chuckle and nodded. “Deal.”

He caught the flush creeping up her cheeks. She really was just a kid–blushing over a request as simple as that.

“Thank you,” Olivia said politely.

Zach’s gaze softened. “I’m heading to my room then.” With that, he turned and walked away.

She watched his broad, powerful shoulders disappear down the hall. The knots in her stomach loosened slightly, though the feeling of being a stranger in a strange house still lingered.

The next few days were quiet.

Zach was right–he was busy. So busy he didn’t even have time to come home.

He hadn’t told her where he was going, but she guessed he was out on a case.

She wanted to visit Aubrey, but Aubrey was still in the hospital, and the doctors said she needed to avoid any emotional distress.

Olivia was the one driving when the accident happened. She was the reason Aubrey had lost her baby. The guilt was a heavy weight in her chest. She felt like she could never face Aubrey or Damon again, terrified that just seeing her would tear open Aubrey’s wounds.

Her grandfather was also in the hospital, and she spent what little free time she had visiting him.

Between that and her research for the combined Master’s and Ph.D. program starting next year, her schedule was packed. She still needed to find a part–time job to save up for her tuition.

Before Old Mr. Blackwood stepped in to pay for her grandfather’s surgery, the medical bills had already been piling up for a while. She’d borrowed every cent from relatives and friends just to keep the treatment going. Now, she was still drowning in debt.

Once she turned eighteen, her parents cut her off completely. They stopped paying the $1,000 monthly allowance they used to send.

After Grandpa was diagnosed with cancer, her dad refused to waste a single cent on treatment. Aubrey fought him on it, desperate to save her grandfather. They had a massive blowout, and her dad went as far as cutting off the $800 monthly support he was supposed to pay for the old

nan’s care.

Damon had given her $10,000 in wages, but it was already gone. A relative had run into an emergency and started hounding her for repayment, so she’d used the entire $10,000 to settle the debt.

Now, she was down to her last $800.

After finishing the pre–packaged meals in Zach’s fridge, she hit the supermarket to buy some discounted meat and vegetables to restock the shelves.

In her downtime, she gave the house a deep clean. She even tackled the overgrown mess in the garden, pulling weeds and turning the soil before scattering some flower seeds.

Old Mr. Blackwood showed up with Zachary Blackwood’s parents.

They asked her if she and Zach had gotten their marriage license yet.

She told them no.

Old Mr. Blackwood was livid. He grabbed his phone and called Zach, barking at him to get back home immediately to make the marriage

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< Chapter 287. Marriage First, Love La

official.

“Grandpa, I’m busy. I don’t have time right now,” Zach said into the phone.

“Get back here today, or I’m disowning you,” Old Mr. Blackwood snapped.

Zachary Blackwood was at a total loss for words.

The old man doubled down on the threat. “Your parents will disown you, too!”

“Grandpa, I’m heading out on a mission in an hour,” Zach sighed. “If we can get this done in ten minutes, I’ll go.”

“Fine. Ten minutes is all it’ll take,” the old man promised.

Zach gave in.

Olivia Summers followed the old man and Zach’s parents to the Marriage Bureau.

Manua

She saw Zach at the entrance, looking like he was in a massive rush. His face was cold and expressionless as he hurried her inside. He didn’t even look at her; he was too busy barking orders into his phone while they processed the paperwork.

He was completely distracted. The whole process was a blur. The second they got the marriage certificate, he handed it to his grandfather and climbed back into his car. He didn’t say a single word to Olivia before he sped off.

Looking at the certificate, the old man and Zach’s parents were all smiles.

Olivia held the paper in her hands, her heart feeling completely empty.

To survive, to pay back her debt of gratitude, she had just buried her future. She was married to a man ten years older than her a man who clearly didn’t have a single ounce of family values.

The way Zach treated the registration like a chore and his immediate departure made one thing clear: to him, this was nothing more than a meaningless formality.

She had lunch alone with Grandpa and her parents. Grandpa gave her a pair of incredibly expensive Heirloom Bracelets, and her parents followed up with a set of fine jewelry.

She took it all home and tucked it into a drawer in Zach’s room. It was her way of giving it back to him.

After all, this was just a marriage of convenience–a contract. Nothing belonging to the Blackwoods was truly hers.

Six days later.

Zach finally came home. He was covered in stubble, his steps heavy as he dragged himself into the living room. He collapsed onto the sofa, head lolling back against the cushions and limbs sprawled out wide. He looked completely drained.

Hearing the noise, Olivia stepped out of the kitchen, looking surprised. “Zach? You’re back?”

Zach snapped his head toward her, his eyes wide with a flicker of shock. It was like he’d completely forgotten he had a wife living there now. He seemed a little rattled for a second before reality caught up. “Yeah,” he managed, his voice rough. “I’m back.”

Olivia was wearing a light gray apron with her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, showing off her pale, slim forearms. She wiped her hands on the apron and hurried to the entryway to grab a pair of men’s slippers.

She walked over to Zach, set the slippers down, and knelt on the floor to help him take off his shoes.

“What are you doing?” Zach snapped his feet back, suddenly alert. He sat bolt upright, staring down at her.

Olivia looked up. Her thick, dark hair was tied in a loose, messy bun, with stray strands framing her soft, youthful face. Her eyes were wide and clear, shimmering with a simple, innocent light. “I was just getting your slippers,” she said. “It’ll feel better to get those shoes off.”

Zach glanced at the floor. It was spotless, practically glowing.

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