Reversed Roles

Part 21

*Previously*

"I guess you were right," she shrugged. "Carlisle did, after all, have that 'short fuse' that you've mentioned awhile back. A fuse that only you managed to alight."

"Liv, I'm sorry."

"I don't want your apologies, Elliot. You've got what you wanted, now get the hell out of my house!"

...

Elliot stood frozen in the doorway, staring at Olivia with a mixture of anger, guilt, and disbelief. The large bruise on her cheek was a punch to his gut. He hadn't expected to find her like this.

Her words hit him like a ton of bricks. "You've got what you wanted, now get the hell out of my house!"

Elliot's eyes narrowed, his fists clenching at his sides. "You think I wanted this, Liv? You think I wanted to see you like this? This is your husband's doing, not mine!"

Olivia didn't flinch. Instead, she stood up from the bed, the anger in her eyes sharper than any knife. "Don't. You. Dare." She took a step toward him, her voice venomous. "You made your choice, Elliot. You ruined everything."

Her words cut deeper than anything Carlisle had done to her. She was right. It was his fault. He'd pushed her into this, dragged her down into the mess they had made of their lives.

"Liv, I—" He took a step forward, desperate to fix things, but she held up a hand, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"No, you don't get to say anything to me right now. You don't get to fix this." Her voice cracked with emotion, but the rage behind it was undeniable. She took another step toward him, this time getting right into his face, her breath hot on his skin.

"I want you to leave. Now."

Elliot's heart was pounding in his chest. "I can't just leave, Liv. I—I need to help you."

She let out a harsh laugh, but there was no humor in it. "Help me?" She looked him up and down, her eyes full of disgust. "You can't even help yourself, let alone me. You've done enough damage."

The words stung, but he refused to back down. "I'm sorry for what happened last night. I didn't—I didn't think about the consequences, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you."

"You're right. You never thought about the consequences," she snapped. "Because you've been thinking about yourself this entire time. How you feel. What you want. You don't give a damn about me, Elliot."

Elliot stepped closer, but this time, she didn't retreat. He wanted to hold her, comfort her, tell her it would be okay, but there was too much between them now. His hand reached for her, and in an instant, she slapped it away, her eyes filled with fury.

"Don't touch me," she hissed. "You don't get to touch me."

The slap to his hand felt like a slap to his heart, but he wasn't done. He couldn't be done. Not like this.

"Olivia, please. You're—"

Before he could finish, she slammed her fist into his chest. "Don't please me! I'm not some damn damsel in distress for you to save, Elliot! I don't need you. I don't need anyone."

Her anger was palpable, her words sharp and jagged, slicing through the air between them. The intensity of the moment made it feel like the ground was shaking beneath them. But all Elliot could see was the broken woman standing before him—his Olivia, yet not his at all.

"You think you can just walk in here and fix everything? You think you can apologize your way out of this?" she continued, her voice shaking with emotion. "You can't fix this. You can't fix what's been broken for years."

Elliot's breath hitched, and for the first time, he felt the full weight of the destruction he'd caused. But instead of stepping back, he took another step forward, closing the gap between them.

"Liv, I'm not walking away from you," he growled, his voice low and rough.

But Olivia wasn't having any of it. Without warning, she shoved him—hard—pushing him back against the doorframe.

"Get out." She growled, her voice filled with pure hatred now.

Elliot, caught off guard by the force of her shove, stumbled back but quickly regained his balance. His eyes locked onto hers, and for a moment, neither of them spoke. They just stood there, breathing heavily, their bodies inches apart, a storm of emotions swirling between them.

And then, without warning, she swung again—this time, her fist connecting with his jaw. The force of the punch made him stumble sideways, and he could feel the blood begin to rise in his mouth.

He wiped it away with the back of his hand, and for a split second, a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes. "You think you can hit me, Liv? You think you can just hit me and I'll walk away?"

She was breathing heavily now, her chest rising and falling with each quick breath. But she didn't back down. "I can hit you. I can do whatever I want because you don't get to control me anymore."

Her words rang in his ears, and suddenly, the anger in his chest bubbled over. "You think I controlled you?" he spat. "You've been pushing me away for years, Liv! I never wanted any of this!"

He was shouting now, his voice rising with each word. The room seemed to pulse with the tension between them, their anger, their pain, their brokenness.

"Elliot, just get out!" Liv screamed, her hands shaking with fury. "Just leave me alone!"

She pushed him again, harder this time, and this time, he didn't stop himself. He shoved her back.

The force of it sent her crashing into the wall, and for a moment, she seemed stunned.

"Don't you ever put your hands on me again," she hissed through gritted teeth.

But the damage was done. The lines had been crossed, and neither of them could take it back.

"You're right," Elliot said, feeling shame. "I-I've done enough. I'll leave. I-I'm sorry."

For a moment, they just stood there, glaring at each other across the room. And then, without another word, Elliot turned, his steps heavy as he left the room.

Liv stood there, tears streaming down her face, the silence of the room deafening.

And as the door slammed behind him, she collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably, the weight of everything finally crashing down on her.