From a Wrong Turn to Mr. Right novel Chapter 36

“That’s probably because you don’t smile much around other people.”

It made sense to Olivia—she’d witnessed Ethan’s cool detachment the first time she’d met him. Unless you spent a lot of time with the guy, you’d rarely catch a glimpse of his softer side.

“Probably,” Ethan replied, not sounding too bothered.

They chatted idly as the car rolled up the driveway and stopped in front of the house.

Ethan popped the trunk to grab their luggage. Olivia reached out to help, but he blocked her gently. “I’ve got it.”

He picked up both suitcases as if they weighed nothing, making it look easy.

With nothing to do, Olivia strolled behind him, swinging her arms, enjoying the breeze.

Just as they reached the porch, she suddenly halted, her eyes narrowing. “Wait, I left something in the car,” she called out to Ethan.

He stopped, didn’t even ask what it was, just fished his keys out and tossed them to her.

Olivia hurried back to the garage, opened the car, and grabbed the book she’d left on the passenger seat.

When she returned to the cozy living room, Susan was already waiting, a gentle smile on her face. “Olivia, you’re back! Dinner’s ready—everything’s on the table.”

“Thank you, Susan. You’re a lifesaver,” Olivia said, flashing her a grateful smile. Then she glanced around. “Where’s Ethan?”

“Mr. Carter’s taking the bags upstairs,” Susan replied.

Olivia nodded, then paused, suddenly thinking of something. “Hey, Susan, do we have a paper shredder here?”

“Oh yes, Mr. Carter uses one often, so there’s one in the study,” Susan replied, looking curious. “Do you need to shred something?”

Olivia handed her the book. “Yeah. This old thing isn’t needed anymore. Would you mind taking it to the study and shredding it for me?”

Susan took the book, looking a little sad about it. “It looks perfectly fine. Are you sure you want to get rid of it?”

“Absolutely.” Olivia shook her head, her tone light. “Thanks, Susan.”

Susan didn’t hesitate, passing him the book.

It was in great condition—no torn pages or bent cover. It seemed almost wasteful to destroy it.

He flipped open the cover, and his eyes landed on the neat handwriting inside, right above a poetic little line:

“There’s nothing purer or more honest than young love.”

Just reading it, Ethan could easily picture Olivia, smiling softly, eyes crinkling at the corners as she wrote that line, each letter carefully formed.

But that love, he knew, hadn’t been cherished the way it deserved.

He paused, lips pressed into a thin line, staring at the inscription for a moment before finally closing the book, his expression unreadable.

He handed it back to Susan. “If that’s what she wants, go ahead and shred it.”