Chapter 22: He Couldn't Let Go

Bronte had invited Livia over to her house for dinner.

Ever since her first divorce, Bronte had lived in a small house she bought on her own. Recently, after marrying Rhodes, she sold it quickly to take out a mortgage on their new, larger home. Her aunt had even called Livia's mom to complain when the small house was sold - at least it was Bronte's own property. Now, it has turned into marital property. All they could hope for was for the couple to live happily together. Otherwise, a divorce could complicate things. Decisions had been made, and what was done was done. All anyone could do was hope for the best.

At six in the evening, Bronte finished preparing the meal and called Rhodes, who only spoke briefly before hanging up. She then carried the dishes to the dining room, urging Livia to eat.

"Isn't Rhodes coming back?" Livia asked.

"He's gone fishing with some colleagues," Bronte replied while setting the table. "Let's not worry about him. We'll eat."

Livia always felt there was something off about Bronte and Rhodes' relationship, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it, and it didn't seem right to pry. After all, they were newlyweds, and it wasn't nice to speculate without reason.

By the time they had finished eating, it was already seven in the evening.

Bronte urged Livia to stay, and Livia, recalling what Angelo had said to her earlier, felt a sudden defiance and chose to stay against his advice.

The two women curled up on the couch that evening, watching TV and chatting, mostly about Rhodes' son and the other in-laws in the family. These were just the typical issues any family faces, and step-families with children always had their own set of challenges. For instance, the ex-wife would visit the son, and the grandparents doted on their grandson. Bronte could end up feeling like an outsider in their own home, struggling to fit in.

"Are things still not settled?" Livia asked curiously.

"Settled? That's the kid's mother, you can't just cut her out," Bronte sighed. "The woman is now jobless and she knows that Rhodes has been promoted. The only consolation is Rhodes has little to do with her. He won't even answer her calls. He says it's to reassure me, and that's why he's letting the kid stay with his parents."

Livia wrapped her arms around Bronte. "Just being the best you can be is enough."

"In a blended family like ours, having our own child would really cement the home," Bronte said, patting her hand. "Marriage isn't a minefield, but you've got to think it through before taking that step. After all, it's both an elevation of a couple's love, and the start of a whole new set of responsibilities."

"Aren't a lot of divorces the result of not being able to handle those responsibilities?"

Seeing Livia's dazed expression, Bronte quickly added, "I'm not trying to scare you. There are happy marriages, too. Look at your parents – aren't they still crazy about each other after all these years?"

Livia lifted the corners of her lips slightly. "I know. I'll think about the consequences before making any decisions."

"Your boyfriend probably went through something that makes him wary of marriage," Bronte speculated.

"He's never been married." Livia was certain of that fact.

Bronte chuckled. "It's not always marriage that opens someone's eyes to its reality. It could be his family background or personal experiences. What matters is if you really want to be with him, you have to make the effort to get inside his heart. Only when he opens up to you will you find the root of the issue."

Livia's expression became somber. Ultimately, she just hadn't penetrated Angelo's heart.

'How could I know so little about him?'

Her phone rang.

Bronte glanced at it. "Angelo?"

"Yeah." Livia answered the call. "Hello?"

"Where are you?" Angelo asked, his tone indifferent.

"At Bronte's house."

A pressing silence followed her response.

Livia bit her lip gently, waiting for him to continue.

"Send me your location." He hung up after his request.

Livia was taken aback.

Bronte looked at her curiously. "What's up?"

"He wants me to send him my location." Livia was puzzled. "He's not coming to pick me up, is he?"

"It's already eight o'clock and he’s over a hundred miles away. That's more than a two-hour drive," Bronte stared at Livia and suddenly burst into laughter. "He must be in love with you."

Livia felt the word 'love' was alien to her. Other than in bed, she didn't feel loved by Angelo.

Her phone vibrated again.

Angelo was pressing her to send her location.

Not wanting to upset him, she did so.

"Wait for me."

There was a commanding tone in those three words.

Holding her phone, Livia was lost in thought when Bronte nudged her, smiling. "He really doesn't want to let you go."

Livia's smile was fraught with helplessness.

When Angelo said he was coming, Bronte refused to go to bed, eager to see this man who seemed to have a firm grip on Livia.

Less than two hours passed, and Livia's phone rang again.

It was Angelo.

"Hello."

"I'm here. Should I come in, or will you come out?" asked Angelo.

Livia was astonished. 'He got here in less than two hours. How fast had he been driving?'

"What's wrong?" Bronte inquired.

"He's here," Livia said.

Bronte's face registered shock before she quickly suggested, "Let him come in."

Livia thought about how Angelo was quite averse to letting others know about their relationship. His invitation might just have been in jest.

To test him, she said, "Come on in." Without waiting for his response, she hung up, not really sure if he would actually enter.

Now, her heart was racing with nervous anticipation as she stared at the door.

Bronte, on the other hand, was positively buzzing with excitement, eagerly waiting at the entrance.

Soon enough, the doorbell rang.

"He's here!" Bronte exclaimed joyfully.

Livia's hands were tight fists as she gazed at the opening door.

Angelo merely gave Bronte a slight nod when he saw her. "I've come to pick up Livia."

"You've come all this way for Livia. At least come in for a drink," Bronte suggested, sizing up Angelo with a discreet glance – he indeed had the air of a noble gentleman who was more into dating than settling down.

Standing at the door, Angelo could see Livia sitting on the couch motionless. With a restrained gaze, he politely responded to Bronte. "Please don’t trouble yourself. It's late, and we should be going."

"It's quite late. Why not stay over? We have space," Bronte offered.

"I've got business to attend to early tomorrow."

"Alright then," Bronte could tell Angelo was a hard person to get through to. Polite, yet distant. She worried for Livia, wondering if her time invested in this man was going to waste.

With everyone at the door and the atmosphere set, Livia had no choice but to follow him.

"Drive safe, and text me when you get home," Bronte said softly as she saw them out.

Livia nodded. "Go get some rest."

Bronte waited until their car had moved off before she went back inside.

Livia rode in silence, feeling like a truant student caught by the dean and being forcibly returned to school.

Angelo drove quietly as well.

The road was long, and he had been driving continuously, making Livia feel somewhat remorseful.

"Let's stop at the next rest area, and I'll drive for a while." At this time of night, the highway was less crowded, and she wasn't as afraid.