Chapter 46: Secret Affections

Livia shifted to the side, putting some distance between herself and Angelo. "I'm still on vacation, we can talk about this later."

Angelo had already taken a seat beside her, capturing the still retreating Livia with his gaze.

"Alright, do you need Porter's nephew's number?" Matilde was very concerned about the matter.

"No."

Angelo had moved closer to Livia, his breath on her ear, when he suddenly bit her earlobe.

Livia gasped.

"What's wrong?" Matilde asked.

Livia wanted to escape, but Angelo had already embraced her, his hand on her face, gently nibbling her ear, turning her breath into disarray.

"It's nothing. Mom, a colleague is calling me out to hang out. I'll talk to you later, bye." Livia quickly hung up the phone and tried to push Angelo away.

But Angelo was not about to let her go. He pinned her down on the couch, "What was that you said? Thinking of getting married again?"

Livia felt emboldened. "My family and friends don't know you, so they're thinking of setting me up with someone. How could I refuse?"

Being with him these past few days felt blissful. She even wished time could stand still.

She was well aware that the happiness she felt was limited. Most importantly, this happiness was something she had to enjoy in private.

"You're a teacher. Can't you come up with a good reason?" Angelo knew she was doing it on purpose.

"What reason would be good enough to stop them from setting me up?" Livia looked at him. "Why don't you come up with one?"

Angelo's hand gently stroked her face, his fingertips grazing her lips. "You could say you have a boyfriend."

"They would want to meet him."

"You could say it's not the right time for introductions."

"I won't say that."

Livia's refusal caused Angelo's fingers to pause on her lips.

As long as Angelo refused to make their relationship public, this issue would always remain.

It felt like an illicit affair, though both were unattached. Livia almost felt like a mistress, unable to be open.

She understood Angelo's concerns. He probably feared being tied down for life.

However, Livia had her reservations too.

"Forget it. I'll clear things up with them," said Livia, not wanting to strain the delicate peace they had just found.

No matter how long she tried, she never succeeded.

He was just as stubborn as she was. Pushing him was pointless.

Angelo locked eyes with her. "Does this make you unhappy?"

Livia was indifferent. "I've got it all figured out."

Her reaction today was a bit out of the ordinary - at least in Angelo's view, she shouldn't be so calm.

Now intrigued, Angelo leaned to one side. "How will you explain it?"

"I’ll just find someone who has no feelings for me and pretend to date. Break up after a while. It's no big deal to break up if things don't work out. The important thing is to show my parents that I'm serious about handling this."

Livia indeed was looking for someone who shared the same pressure of being rushed into marriage to deal with this together.

Angelo narrowed his eyes. "So you’re just going to find someone to pretend to be in a relationship with?"

"Yes." Livia asked, "Is that not okay?"

"Who will it be?"

"Definitely not you, that's for sure."

Angelo pressed down on her once again, warning her, "You’d better handle this cleanly."

Livia pouted, pointing at Angelo's face with some confusion. "There's one thing I've never figured out, and I need you to explain it to me. Whose fault is this, anyway?"

Angelo's mouth twitched slightly.

"If you don't want deeper entanglement with me, you have to be mentally prepared. After all, I still have to explain things to my parents." Livia coaxed him like soothing a child, "As long as I settle things with my parents, we can keep our secret relationship going longer. Your happiness will last a bit, too."

'The term "secret relationship" doesn't sound nice, but it does have a slightly thrilling feel to it.'

"Do whatever you want, just don't sleep with anyone else." Angelo had no other demands. He just wanted her.

He wanted his woman to be clean, at least until he was ready to end the relationship.

Livia shrugged. "I can't guarantee that. If I meet someone with a better build, more handsome, and kinder to me than you, it's going to be tough to maintain this relationship with you."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she could see Angelo's expression turn dark and menacing.

Unfazed, Livia seized the rare opportunity to press his buttons, as he was usually the one causing her trouble.

Angelo leaned over her, his entire presence bearing down. "Say that again."

"What if I said you're the only one I'd ever marry, the only one for me? Would you believe that?" Livia said, pushing against his shoulders. "Get up, you're heavy."

"Livia, behave yourself," Angelo pinched her chin, warning her sternly.

Livia looked him straight in the eye, no longer joking. "It's not out of the question since I still have to get married. If you can't offer me marriage and a family, you can't stop me from wanting them. I'm telling you this so you won't think I'm fickle when I suddenly end our relationship one day."

Her sincerity was palpable this time.

Angelo's throat tightened slightly. Her not pressing him about marriage now was her greatest compromise, a sign of respect for his decisions and choices.

But the thought of her becoming intimate with another man, marrying someone else, left him feeling particularly sour.

"You're so sure someone will marry you?" he challenged.

"I'm just in a relationship with you. It's just a romance doomed from the start," Livia said with a playful smile. "Maybe you should cut ties with me sooner to give me time to prepare for a new love?"

Angelo traced her lips with his finger, his thin lips parting as his deep, magnetic voice resonated, "Fine, let me know when you've found someone."

Livia wasn't sure how serious he was, but she knew he wouldn't let their lives become entangled forever.

The connection between them was undeniable. She was deeply in love. Yet even as they were together, she didn't dare to dream of a future.

Perhaps this stolen happiness was destined to be short-lived.

For now, she resolved to savor each joyful day as it came.

Livia wrapped her arms around his neck and offered her lips, meeting his kiss.

She didn't know when their paths had diverged.

That's why she cherished everything so much more.

"Could you ever find someone as in sync with you as I am?" Livia panted in his embrace, her hand caressing the Adam's apple in his throat, questioning him.

Angelo, with a cigarette held between his fingers, responded through puffs of smoke, "Go live your life. You needn't be so curious about mine anymore."

Livia pinched Angelo's arm fiercely.

In retaliation, Angelo squeezed her waist. "Do you want me dead?"

Not caring if he was in pain, Livia's hand remained steady. "Are you going to be with Valentia?"

Angelo answered her mercilessly. "Once you're married, who I'm with is none of your concern."