Chapter 9: Nathan's Insistence and Olivia's Heartbreak

The early morning mist hung low over the park, shrouding the world in a dreamlike haze. Olivia sat on a bench, her hands wrapped around a paper cup of coffee that had long since gone cold. She stared unseeingly at the joggers and dog walkers passing by, their mundane routines a stark contrast to the chaos in her mind. It had been three days since she'd stormed out of Nathan's apartment, three days of ignoring his calls and messages. After three days of grappling with her diagnosis in solitude, the weight of it threatened to crush her. A familiar figure emerged from the mist, and Olivia's heart clenched. Nathan. He'd found her. "Olivia," he called, slightly out of breath as he approached. "Please, can we talk?" She considered ignoring him, pretending she hadn't heard. But the need for closure—or perhaps a masochistic desire to twist the knife further—made her nod slightly. Nathan sat beside her, leaving a careful distance between them. For a moment, neither spoke, the silence heavy