Chapter 12


    Everly and Olivia, both having suffered from disastrous rtionships, went to the salon. Everly picked


    out two male hairstylists for them.


    One of the hairstylists lit up with excitement at the sight of Olivia and immediately rmended some


    trending hairstyles. She outright rejected the suggestion. “I want it short—as short as possible.”


    “Darling, I know the cool girl look is trendy, but getting a pixie cut might limit the outfit styles you can


    pull off. Why don’t I give you a shoulder-length cut? You’ll look younger and can rock it at any event.”


    “It’s fine.”


    “Your hair is long and luscious. I can tell that you have kept it for years. It’s really a pity to cut it off.” The


    stylist shook his head regretfully.


    Olivia stared at her reflection in the mirror. Despite herck of rest, her features still looked as exquisite


    as ever. Her tresses, which she hadn’t taken care of, tumbled across her shoulders. It made her look


    demure.


    She hadn’t cut her hair in years because Ethan loved her long hair. Since the stylist was reluctant to cut


    it off, she grabbed the scissors and said, “I’ll do it myself.”


    She cut off her hair without hesitation, sending the long locks fluttering onto the ground. It somehow


    symbolized her parting ways with her lovely youth and innocence.


    She returned the scissors to the guy and allowed him to proceed with styling her. “Alright, I’ll leave the


    rest to you.”


    When Everly emerged with her new pink hair, she was shocked at Olivia’s new hairstyle and marveled


    at it. “Wow. It’s true—you can really rock any style if you’re good-looking. Liv, you look so cool!”


    Everly’s next order of business was to hurry to the supermarket and buy some gender-neutral clothes


    for Olivia to match the new middle-part pixie cut. Their new styles attracted lots of attention when they


    walked down the streetster in the day.


    When night fell, Everly took a selfie with Olivia by a storefront and uploaded it to her Instagram. The


    post was captioned: “Reborn.”


    She also splurged on a fancy steak dinner with Olivia. It was something she had wanted to devour for a


    long time. The nice meal put a smile on her face.


    “Liv, doesn’t this feel like we’re back in high school? Our biggest worry at that time was solving calculus


    problems. Now that you think about it, that isn’t tough at all—just use the right form, and you have


    your answer, unlike men. You give your all to men, and all you get in return is heartbreak.”


    Olivia had not drunk in a long time, but she decided to let it go just for that night. She took a sip and


    joked, “That’s because you sucked at math. I never thought calculus was hard.”


    “Yeah, yeah. No one can beat you, genius. You were only thirteen when you joined us in high school. I


    thought someone from middle school got lost on their way to ss. I wasn’t expecting a gifted kid.”


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Then, Everly poured Olivia a drink and lifted her ss. “Genius or idiot, it doesn’t matter. Let’s raise a


    ss to our singlehood! I can finally buy whatever I want now that I’ve kicked that weasel out of my


    life!”


    However, tears streamed down Everly’s face as she was celebrating her newfound freedom.


    “Liv, did you know that I used to buy the lowest-grade steak on sale at the grocery store? I saved my


    ass off to support his studies, and I gave my all to build our future. I’m only 24 this year, yet I’ve never


    even gotten myself a proper dress! How could he do this to me?”


    They all faced challenges in their lives. Olivia, who was struggling with troubles of her own, had no


    better advice for her friend than to gently advise Everly to look to the future.


    She had wanted to send Everly home, but that tipsy girl forcefully dragged her to the Dark Horse


    Clubhouse. She sighed, knowing that Everly just needed an emotional release.


    After all, she had one full year to process the breakdown of her marriage, but Everly only had very little


    time to wrap up the loose ends with her boyfriend abroad and rush home. She must have needed more


    time to get over it.


    Olivia did not object to the detour because she knew that she couldn’t have fun with Everly for a long


    time after chemo, and that was if she survived it. That night, she went to a clubhouse for the first time.


    The overexcited Everly patted her hand and squealed, “Look at the usher! Isn’t he handsome?”


    However, her attention was on the painting of a dark horse in the center of the lobby. “Yeah,” she


    absent-mindedly agreed with Everly.


    “Just let loose and have fun! If I have to pay for a man, I’d rather it go to a hot one that’s good at sweet


    talk. Don’t you think so?”


    “You’re absolutely right.”


    Everly, who wouldn’t even pay for a cab in the past, transformed into a generous millionaire overnight.


    She led Olivia into a spacious lounge, where she ordered ten bottles of Armand de Brignac in one go


    and ignored Olivia’s attempt at stopping her.


    The clubhouse manager politely introduced ten male models to them, each with a distinct style, ranging


    from sweet to chic. Everly dered boldly, “Pick whoever you like!”


    The men openly flirted with them, and some even showed off their abs. Olivia was too shy to even look


    at them. “It’s alright. I’ll just have a few drinks.”


    Everly picked two men and mmed a wad of cash on the table. She ordered, “Come here! Keep her


    happy tonight.”


    The two men looked like boys next door, which was very different from Ethan’s cool image. They took


    their seats beside Olivia, sandwiching her, and one of them poured her a drink. She felt uneasy and


    wanted to leave, but Everly pped her on the thigh.


    “What’s wrong? Are you really going to save yourself for Ethan? Has he ever thought of you when he


    was sleeping with other women? What are you worried about now that you’re divorced? Just let go and


    have fun! I’ll foot the bill.”


    It was general knowledge that property agents marked up prices for a better profit margin. On top of


    that, Everly sold vis, and she’d frequently receive hundreds of thousands inmission from her


    deals. Since she was young, pretty, and a smooth-talker, she raked in a lot of money from her


    commissions.


    Had she not spent that money on her ex, she would’ve been considered a self-made millionaire.


    Therefore, she could totally afford a night of extravagant spending, and that was what she had decided


    on.


    Meanwhile, at Collington Cove, the baby’s fever finally wore off after the doctor’s close supervision over


    the day. Ethan let out a sigh of relief and tucked the baby in before tiptoeing out of the bedroom. Marina


    went up to him with a warm smile.


    “Ethan, it’ste. Why don’t you stay the night? I’m worried that the baby will wake up at night. You know


    he doesn’t cry much when you’re around.”


    He rubbed his temples, looking worn out. “I still need to attend an engagement. Dr. Garcia will be


    around, so get him if you need anything.”


    Marina looked like she had something to say, but she knew she couldn’t force him to stay. She had


    thought that he’d have gotten divorced when she called him at 10:30 pm, but things didn’t go her way.


    She reminded herself to take it slow and replied thoughtfully, “Sure. Just be careful on your way back.”


    He nodded and got into the car. Brent immediately handed him a key. “Mrs. Miller has returned the key


    to the vi.”


    The look in Ethan’s eyes hardened before he snorted. “She sure moves fast after she’s paid.”


    Brent didn’t want to continue the conversation, but the thought of Everly’s Instagram post bothered him.


    After a moment’s thought, he blurted out, “But Mr. Miller, she seems to have …pletely given up on


    you.”