A shoulder to cry on

~ A few days before the trip ~

Olivia had been angry beyond compare when she was shown the door by Noah. After getting all dressed up, having the kitchen prepare brownies, she had made her way over to welcome Laila and Noah back. She intended to use that welcome to give herself the chance to spend some time with Noah but he had simply taken the brownies from her hands and turned her away without allowing her to set even one foot through the door. After that, even Laila herself had gotten arrogant and suddenly thought that she too could turn her away. These actions from both Laila and Noah had gotten to Olivia so much that she had ruined her expensive manicure by picking and biting them out of frustration. Now she had been given the chance to get back at Laila, whom she saw as the root of her problems, and she wasn't about to waste it.

While Laila was still taking all of Olivia's words and insults in, Olivia continued by saying "I was wondering why you were being so ungrateful and not thanking me for those delicious brownies or for my visit. But I see that you didn't even know about it. That is probably why you were acting so fussy and not wanting to see me. You should feel lucky that I am so forgiving. You must have thought that I had forgotten about you. Well, I hate to burst your little bubble but we aren't all as selfish as you. But I do wonder why Noah didn't tell you about my visit? He must have been wanting to keep it our little secret or he ate all the brownies I brought and didn't want to get in trouble for not sharing." Olivia let out a chuckle as she said those last words, feeling satisfied for throwing oil on a flame. Meanwhile Laila was stunned into silence as she was reminded once more of the state her marriage was currently in.

Laila hated that she had been put in this position but considering the current situation her relationship was in, she wasn't exactly surprised. When she woke up there had been more important things for them to discuss and after that, trouble came and she and Noah hadn't spoken since. Putting her in a situation where someone like Olivia could surprise her with information about her own life. It annoyed Laila and disappointed her that Olivia knew about something that had taken place in her own house, with her own husband, which she didn't. With all of this going on, she couldn't even ask Maria for advice. She hadn't told Maria out her troubles with Noah to begin with because she didn't want to worry her or make her feel guilty in any way but that also left Laila without an option to ask Maria for advice on what to do with Olivia, who was clearly using this situation to drive a wedge between her and Noah.

With a few more smiles and fake apologies Laila managed to get Olivia out of the house before her own tears started falling down her face. She felt proud of herself for staying strong and she felt glad that she hadn't told Olivia about the troubles she and Noah were having. That would have given her even more to gloat about and would have indeed put her and her marriage in even more danger. If Noah not telling her about Olivia's visit made Olivia feel like their marriage was rocky, knowing the actual trouble they were in would certainly make her feel like a gentle breeze would cause it all to come falling down. And Laila was certain that Olivia would be more than glad to be that gentle breeze.

However despite Laila not letting Olivia in on her problems with Noah, Olivia was a cunning person and she had managed to deduce plenty from Laila's words and behaviour. From those little things, Olivia knew that there was some trouble in paradise. So, when she got home, she started forming her own course of action to make the most of this situation. Fortunately for Laila, Olivia's plans didn't remain a secret for long as her spy told Laila all about it.

It seemed that Olivia planned on asking Laila out for dinner and a fun night away from home in order to take her mind off of things. She even had her reply prepared in case Laila would insist on there being nothing wrong. She would say "Oh come on. Humour me then. I haven't seen you in so long. So, I really want to have a fun night out with my friend to make up for the time you have been away. You can't say no because you have rejected me far too many times these past few days." Olivia would then wait for Laila to leave, before she would make her way over to Laila and Noah's home. She would make herself his shoulder to cry on by telling him that Laila had told her about what was going on and that she wanted to be a friend to them both during this time. Once she got him to lower his guard, she would slip something in his drink to make him cross that final line. By sending Laila a text to cancel their plans, it wouldn't take long for her to make it back home and witness them in the act.