Chapter 178 Never Once Blamed
Olivia felt all mixed up inside. Luca suddenly telling his parents about them caught her completely off guard.
"They... didn't say anything?" Olivia hesitated for a long time, her fingers nervously picking at the rim of her cup, but she still asked.
Luca saw how tightly she was gripping her cup and couldn't help smiling. His voice was still a bit hoarse as he said with a grin, "What could they say? Mom cried with happiness when she heard about her grandson and wanted to fly over right away to see you two. Dad wasn't as excited, but he kept asking about Leo and said that when we got back, he'd make sure the kid got some good nutrition. He even wants to give Leo all the models he collected from when he was little."
Olivia froze. This was nothing like what she'd imagined.
She thought there'd at least be some complaints, but not this kind of reaction.
"They... don't blame me?" she asked softly, her tone full of uncertainty and hard-to-hide worry.
"Blame you for what?" Luca shot back, his eyes dead serious. He reached out and gently placed his hand over the back of hers. "For raising Leo so well-behaved and cute? Or for handling everything on your own without us having to worry? Mom and Dad know it was my fault, that I let you down."
A warmth spread through Olivia's heart, like warm water flowing slowly inside her. Her eyes started to sting.
She quickly turned her face away, pretending to smooth out the wrinkles in the bedsheet nearby, afraid Luca would see her red eyes.
So, they all knew.
So, they didn't blame her.
The guilt and unease she'd carried for years seemed to ease up a little right then.
"Stop overthinking it," Luca said softly, his fingertips gently stroking the back of her hand. "Once my wound heals, we'll head back. We'll take it slow meeting them—no rush. I've got this."
Olivia nodded without saying anything, but her heart felt much lighter, and even her breathing was easier.
In the afternoon, his assistant called suddenly, sounding urgent.
Luca picked up, and the smile on his face faded bit by bit. His expression turned dark.
"What? You sure?"
"Send people after him. Block all exits—find him no matter what!"
"Okay, got it. Keep digging. Tell me the second you hear anything. No slip-ups."
After hanging up, Luca's brows were furrowed tight, his face scary dark, and the air around him felt heavy.
Olivia's heart tightened. She instinctively scooted closer to him. "What happened? Something wrong?"
"Jason bolted," Luca said in a low voice, holding back his anger. "No sign of him now."
Olivia's heart skipped a beat. "Will he... come back to cause trouble for us?"
Luca stood up, took her hand, and gave her some reassurance. "Don't worry. I've already sent people to track him down, and I've doubled the bodyguards. They'll stick to you and Leo like glue. But to be safe, I'm planning to stay here a few more days until we nail down his location. No chance for him to hurt you guys."
Olivia looked at his wound, still wrapped thickly in bandages, and worried a lot. Her brows knotted up. "But your injury isn't fully healed yet. Staying here is too tough—what if it gets infected?"
"It's fine, just a little cut," Luca said with a smile, reaching out to stroke her hair gently. "You take Leo home first. It's safe there. I'll wrap this up and come join you soon. Won't keep you waiting long."
"No way!" Olivia refused right away, firm about it. "I can't leave you here alone. If Jason comes back for revenge, even with bodyguards, something could slip through. Too risky."
Luca's heart warmed. "Silly, I've got all these pros watching my back. Jason shows up, he won't stand a chance. You go home with Leo, take good care of him, and rest up. You've worn yourself out looking after me."
He paused, his eyes hopeful, voice softening. "When I get back... we remarry, okay?"
Olivia's heart skipped a beat, like something hit it.
Remarry?
The word rippled through her heart like a stone dropped in water, and it wouldn't settle.
She looked into Luca's sincere eyes, her heart sweet but messy.
She wanted to say yes, really. These days, she'd seen how good he was to her and how much he cared for Leo.
But she hesitated too. The hurt from back then was real—the grievances and pain weren't easy to forget.
She was scared of going through it again, scared of getting hurt, and even more scared Leo would get caught up in their mess.
Luca saw her biting her lip in conflict and didn't push. He just said gently, "I know you need time to think. That's okay—I'll wait. After I deal with Jason and you figure it out, we'll talk. I won't force you into anything."
He leaned in slowly, his eyes full of affection, like they held all the stars.
Olivia's heart raced faster, her breathing quickened, and her face got hotter.
She watched his face get closer and forgot to pull away.
His lips brushed her forehead softly, the warm touch making her stiffen, then a wave of warmth spread through her whole body.
Then his lips moved down to her mouth.
The soft feeling hit, and Olivia's mind went blank. All her doubts and worries vanished in that moment.
She could clearly smell his faint cedar scent mixed with a bit of medicine smell, and it actually made her feel safe.
She didn't fight it or push him away—just closed her eyes on instinct and let him kiss her.
Luca felt her give in and was thrilled inside. He kissed her deeper, more tenderly.
Right when things got intense, a little cough came from the side.
"Ahem..."
Olivia snapped back to reality like she'd been burned. She shoved Luca away fast, her cheeks burning red, not daring to look at him.
She turned and saw Leo staring at them with big round eyes, full of curiosity, holding half a building block in his hand.
"Mommy, Uncle LO, what are you doing?" Leo asked, tilting his little head, totally innocent.
Luca felt awkward too, rubbed his nose, then smiled at Leo. "Uncle's telling Mommy he likes her. Like how you like Mommy and give her hugs."
Leo nodded like he kind of got it, then walked to Olivia, took her hand, and looked up. "Mommy, you like Uncle LO too, right?"
Olivia's face got even redder—she wanted to crawl into a hole. She didn't know what to say and just softly went, "Mm."
Luca watched her shy look and felt amused and happy inside. The tenderness in his eyes was about to spill over.