Family Portrait (Fam Series #1)

155 - Olivia Grace Armfield

I apologise that this chapter was accidentally posted and unpublished last week, I thought I had completed it but I hadn't. Anyway, it's up now! Enjoy and thanks for all your support - Jordanah

WEST MELBOURNE SUPREME COURT, AND CORONERS COUNCIL VICTORIA

Olivia Silvagni -

'Thanks for your help' Adeline says, as she joins me outside and pulls her phone out of her blazer pocket.

'You aren't staying in the towers tonight?' I ask, knowing Charlie's also here and he was hanging around the Crown Towers earlier.

'No. I didn't drink anything, obviously' Adeline says, and she slyly puts her hand against her stomach.

'Adeline, you know that-'

'Shut up, Olivia. Let me pretend' she says, glaring at me.

I uncomfortably swallow as we continue walking down the insane street.

'Where's Dunkley?' I nervously ask, knowing Adeline has some kind of agenda with him tonight.

My mind keeps flying back to Jack. He should be here tonight. I was invited as Caleb Marchbank's plus one. But I'd give anything to be here with my husband. It's not fair.

'I don't know. Jamie came along and started her shit and Josh took off' Adeline says, as she suddenly takes her hair out of its incredibly tight ponytail. It messily falls, yet stays standing up stiff due to the amount of hairspray and gel she's wearing. I give her a small smile.

'I hate her. She made my skin crawl the second I saw her' I say, thinking back to the woman with the lizard eyes. 

'Yeah, well. She has some kind of nerve coming up to my face and attacking me like that, right after dropping her two kids off early yesterday and asking me to babysit for her while Josh was out' Adeline says angrily.

'Ew, it has kids? Those poor children' I say. I begin to wonder about the idiot Josh Dunkley truly must be to breed with the likes of her. How desperate as well.

'Not biologically hers. They're Josh's. She adopted them when she married Josh' Adeline explains. Well, I guess that makes a little more sense but I still have one more important question.

'Interesting. And why was he stupid enough to marry her?' I ask. Adeline laughs, not expecting the question. I love that, the way she throws her head back and looks at the sky when she giggles. I noticed that straight away when I met her. Jack made a joke about Sydney. Off she went.

I look over as I see Julietta Kennedy walking through the car park barefoot like she's a zombie. Adeline grabs my arm.

'Julietta!' She yells. Julietta keeps walking, almost in a trance.

'Woah. What's her problem?' I ask, still unsure. It isn't exactly unheard of, Bulldog wives taking drugs.

'I don't know' Adeline says, as she lets go of my arm and runs over to the woman, who's stumbling across the road.

'Hey! Zaine's looking for you' Adeline says. Julietta approaches her, shivering. She looks anorexic, like she hasn't seen food in her entire life. She sways as Adeline puts her hands on her shoulders.

It's then I notice, as does Adeline, the huge gash on the side of her face and the blood running down her arm. The side of her dress from her abdomen is soaked in blood. She is a frightful mess.

'Julietta, what happened? You need a hospital' Adeline says, as she yells out my name and waves me over.

'I, I, I....I don't know' Julietta stutters. Her eyes roll around in the back of her head, as she struggles to stand upright.