Chapter 155 Fatherly Love
Leo had a blast, sticking to Luca the whole time and chatting and laughing with him.
Olivia watched her son get so close to Luca, and waves of bitterness hit her heart. She knew kids need a dad's love, and she just couldn't give Leo a full one.
But could Luca really be a good dad?
They played until the afternoon when Leo got tired and fell asleep in Luca's arms. Luca held him carefully, moving super gently so he wouldn't wake up. He looked at Olivia and whispered, "Leo's tired. Let's head back. I'll carry him—you don't tire yourself out."
Olivia nodded without a word and followed Luca toward the park exit. Luca walked slowly with Leo, trying to keep him comfy.
In the car, Luca put Leo in the back seat and kindly covered him with a little jacket to avoid him catching a chill. Olivia sat next to them, watching how careful he was, feeling even more touched but still staying quiet.
The drive was quiet, just Leo's soft breathing.
Back in the neighborhood, Luca carried Leo out of the car. Olivia reached for him, but Luca shook his head. "I'll take him up. He's sleeping deep—don't wake him."
Olivia hesitated but nodded.
At the door, Olivia opened it. Luca gently laid Leo on the bed, tucked him in, all without making a sound.
He went to the living room, looked at Olivia, pulled the final art studio design from his bag, and handed it to her seriously. "Olivia, this is the updated final version. Check it out. I really want to build Leo his own art studio. As a little genius painter, he needs a quiet spot with no interruptions."
Olivia's eyes flickered. She'd seen Luca patiently play the fun dad role all day.
This wasn't the selfish, cold guy from before. Leo seemed to have made him more real and warm.
But...
Seeing her soften, Luca pushed his luck and slipped the blueprint into her hands.
"Anyway, you and Leo will love it. If not, I'll change it."
Luca looked dead serious, and Olivia couldn't think of a way to say no.
After a bit, she sighed. "Okay, I'll look it over later."
Luca's eyes lit up, his disappointment gone, voice way brighter. "Great, take your time. Tell me anything you don't like—I'll fix it right away, until you and Leo are happy."
He didn't stick around, not wanting to bug her or seem too pushy and turn her off. He softly closed the door, his steps much lighter as he went out.
After Luca left, Olivia was alone in the living room, clutching the design. She hesitated a few seconds, then slowly unfolded it.
It was thick drawing paper, edges neatly cut—clearly done on purpose—with notes scribbled all over.
Olivia's fingers brushed the paper lightly, and something tugged at her heart.
These years, she'd been swamped with work. She loved Leo, but it never crossed her mind to make him a special space like this.
The wall of ice in her heart started to melt, just a little.
She got up, went to the study, grabbed a light blue sticky note, picked up a pen, paused for a few seconds, and wrote: "A gift for Leo—hope you like it."
She stuck it on the front of the design, folded it gently, and put it by Leo's pillow.
Looking at her son's sleeping face, Olivia sighed softly. She'd made up her mind.
The next morning, sunlight woke Leo. He rubbed his eyes, rolled over, and bumped into the paper by his pillow.
"Huh?" He grabbed it curiously, unfolded it, and his eyes went wide. "Wow! The art studio!"
He spotted the familiar colors, cartoons, and notes right away. Super excited, he jumped off the bed and ran to the living room with it.
"Mom! Mom! Look!" Leo shoved the paper in Olivia's face, holding it high, grinning ear to ear. "Is this the art studio Uncle LO designed? It's so cool!"
Olivia was fixing breakfast and smiled softly at his excitement. "Yeah, Uncle LO made it just for you."
"I love it!" Leo hugged the paper and plopped by the table, eyes sparkling—he was thrilled for real.
Olivia pulled out her phone, found Luca's number, hesitated a few seconds, and called.
"Luca, I'm okay with you building Leo's art studio." She paused. "But I have three conditions. Agree, and we start."
Luca was surprised but thrilled inside—his hard work paid off. "Sure, what are they?"
"First," Olivia said firmly, "We split all costs 50-50. I don't want to owe you."
"This..." Luca started to argue, but she cut him off.
"That's my line in the sand. No deal if you don't."
"Okay, I agree," Luca said quick, planning to slip the money back to her later.
"Second, during building, you only come when I say. No free access to my place, no alone time with Leo—I have to be there." Olivia went on. She still couldn't drop her guard.
"No issue. Your rules. You pick the time, I'm there—no popping in." Luca agreed fast.
"Third," Olivia took a deep breath for the big one, "This is just for Leo. Doesn't mean I forgive you or that there's any us. Don't push your luck, and don't say stuff to Leo you shouldn't."
Luca went quiet for a moment, a bit down but steady. "I promise. If I can do this for Leo and see you guys now and then, that's enough. I won't push or say wrong things to him. All on your timeline."
Olivia eased up at his words and said yes.
Meanwhile, Windy saw that Luca had blocked her, so she camped out under his office building for days.
Finally spotting his car, she rushed the window, crying. "Luca, just hear me out."
Luca rolled down the window, swallowing his annoyance. He knew she'd never stop otherwise. "Get in and talk."
Windy slid into the passenger seat, tears flowing. "I know I messed up—shouldn't have schemed against you or gone after Olivia. But I love you too much. I can't take you being nice to others." She sobbed into tissues. "I've waited years, turned down everyone for you. But Olivia shows up, and poof—I'm invisible."
Windy looked up, scheming in her eyes. "Just for saving my life back then, hear me finish so I can move on for good."