Chapter 13: Admitting She's the Girlfriend

"What's wrong? What’s with the attitude?" Angelo whispered close to her ear, nuzzling her, the air charged with innuendo.

Livia turned her head, forcibly prying his hands off and distancing herself from him.

The flicker of displeasure in his eyes reminded her of the day she watched that woman get into the car, the pain stabbing her heart.

Angelo stepped back, leaning against the wall with a subdued expression.

"What’s the meaning of this?" he asked.

Livia fixed her gaze on him, realizing at that moment how inconsequential she was to him.

'Would a normal person ask such a question? He didn't think to offer an explanation.'

She didn't want to come off like a shrew, interrogating about who that woman was, nor did she want to probe into who he'd been with last night.

She simply pointed to a bag by the door. "Did my dad give that to you?"

Angelo glanced over casually. "Yeah."

"Then why bring it here?"

"I'm here. Where else should it go?" he retorted.

"You know that's my dad paying you back a favor. Even if you look down on it and don't want it, you shouldn't flaunt it in front of me!" Livia couldn't contain her anger.

Angelo frowned. "So where should I have taken it?"

"Do you despise these things so much? You think they’re beneath you, so you dump them on me?" Livia's tone was harsh. She wanted to be calm but couldn't.

"I don't get what you're getting at." Angelo reached for her hand.

Livia jerked her hand away. "I don't know what this place means to you. I may like you, but I have limits. Like these things, if you hate them, then toss them out, don't bring them to me, don't flaunt them. It only makes me feel ridiculous!"

"What do you mean?" Angelo's face darkened, too.

Livia took a deep breath. "I won't be the other woman."

Angelo's brow furrowed deeply. "The other woman?"

Livia didn't want to say much more, stepping further away, widening the gap between them. "I thought, without marriage, we live for the moment and take each day as it comes. Even if not a lifetime, but moments together would do."

"Now, even moments aren't possible, so what's there to cling to?" Livia looked at Angelo. "Since you're just playing with me anyway, now, I'm done playing."

She didn't want to be labeled as a mistress and a floozy.

Angelo’s voice was cold as he asked, “Got someone you can marry now?”

Livia was restless. "No."

"But you’re done playing?"

"Yes."

"Are you kicking me out?"

"Yes."

Angelo stared at her for a long time, then turned and walked into the bedroom, not bothering to close the door. He stripped naked, changed into his clothes, and headed out.

His face was a mask of disgust.

The door slammed shut.

Livia took a harsh breath, filled with nothing but hurt and disappointment.

He knew what mattered to her, what she yearned to hear from him, but he wouldn't offer a word of explanation. In the end, he felt no need to justify anything, as they weren't even officially a couple. No need to hold on, no need for explanations.

‘When it’s over, it‘s over.'

Livia had her limits, and now that they had been crossed, she would let go, regardless of the pain or reluctance.

Otherwise, she was bound to make a mistake.

She went to the bedroom, yanked his clothes out of the wardrobe, and threw them into his suitcase, feeling the heat of tears beginning to form in her eyes.

Before she finished packing, there was a knock at the door. It couldn't be Angelo, not with that rhythm.

She steadied herself before answering it. It was Reid, her neighbor from downstairs.

"Livia, did you have a fight with your boyfriend? I saw him just standing outside on his own, looking pretty pitiful."

Livia was taken aback.

'He didn't leave?'

She had packed up his things, and now she just sat on the bed, watching the minutes tick by. It had been two hours since he walked out.

Reid's words echoed in her head, and despite her resolve, she couldn't just sit idly by.

After another hour, she could no longer contain herself and hurried downstairs, only to find no sign of him anywhere.

She let out a snort of laughter.

'What am I doing? He's got someone else. He wouldn't be without a place to go. And why would he linger downstairs? He couldn't care less.'

Mocking her own foolishness, Livia turned to leave.

"Looking for me?" Angelo flicked his cigarette into the nearby trash can, his eyes narrowing with a mischievous smile.

The moment Livia saw him, she tensed up.

She averted her gaze and walked past him, brushing shoulder to shoulder without acknowledging his presence.

Angelo caught up with her and grabbed her hand just before she stepped into the elevator, pulling her into the adjacent stairwell and pinning her in a tight corner.

"What are you doing? Let go!" Livia said indignantly, her voice trembling slightly.

Angelo leaned in, trapping her completely within his space. "If you didn't want me to leave, why didn't you stop me?" A low growl escaped his throat.

Livia turned her head away, her voice resolute. "You're mistaken."

"You didn't come looking for me?"

"No!"

Angelo chuckled softly. "How can you tell such lies?"

Livia was furious. His smug certainty that he had her all figured out was infuriating.

‘He doesn't lack an understanding of love. He knows it all too well. He's confident because he knows I love him.’

"You're still here this late, aren't you afraid your girlfriend will be unhappy?" Livia couldn't hide her jealousy.

Angelo frowned. "My girlfriend? Isn't that you?"

The tension and frustration that had been brewing inside Livia dispersed with his words.

'He actually acknowledged that I’m his girlfriend!'

It was the first time he'd said it in years.

"Then who was the woman you met with in the middle of the night?" As his girlfriend, she felt it was her right to ask.

Angelo hesitated slightly. "Just a friend."

Livia was smart enough to know that a 'just friend' wouldn't cause such urgency in him.

She didn't dare to press further, fearing that the more she knew, the quicker her illusion would shatter.

"Why did you give me the thing my dad gave you?" She changed the subject, not wanting to reveal her hidden emotions.

"I'm staying at your place, who else would I give it to?" Angelo took her hand. "Let's go, time to sleep."

Her annoyance subsided, and she let him lead her into the elevator willingly.

As the numbers climbed, Livia bit her lip and asked a question that was hard for her to voice.

"If we bump into someone when we’re out, can I introduce you as my boyfriend?"

Women can always ask for a little more.

Angelo looked at her, reading her desire in her eyes. His Adam's apple moved slightly. "What's the point of making it public?"

The flicker of joy in Livia's heart vanished instantly.

She no longer wished to be led on by him.

"So, we’re still the couple that nobody can know about, right?" she said, the tone of her voice carrying a hint of anger.