Chapter 12

A surge of emotions welled up inside her.  

Wanting to see Freddy up close, wanting to let him know her feelings in a friendly way…  

All the emotions and actions she had stemmed from her own selfishness.  

So, if he felt uncomfortable, she had decided to keep her distance and gradually get closer.  

Olivia lowered her head deeply and trembled with frustration. Simon, at a loss for what to do with the volatile conversation, nervously shifted his weight from foot to foot.  

Freddy’s expression didn’t look pleased. Simon thought it best to send Olivia away and discuss this matter later. But before he could say anything, Olivia suddenly shouted.  

“We’re married!”  

Simon, who had been about to reach out, froze in place. Freddy, who had been looking over some documents from a short distance away, stiffly lifted his head to meet Olivia’s gaze.  

Her pent-up sorrow spilled out like a dam breaking.  

Freddy, who looked startled and frozen, came into Olivia’s view. She bit her lips tightly and glared at him.  

Feeling the strange tension between them, Simon hesitated and remained silent, unable to take any action.  

Freddy, regaining his composure first, gestured toward Simon. Recognizing this as permission to leave, Simon quickly bowed and exited the office.  

With the sound of the door clicking shut, only Freddy and Olivia remained in the room.  

Freddy let out a short sigh and rose from his seat.  

“Please, have a seat.”  

The distance between them, which had seemed so far, suddenly closed. He extended his hand toward her. However, she didn’t take it.  

“Madame.”  

He called out to her again.  

Without avoiding his gaze, Olivia spoke rapidly.  

“Madame, madame, madame. Why do you call me that while acting like this?”  

Her eyes were red.  

Seeing her like this, Freddy instinctively stepped back, trying to put some distance between them. But Olivia was quicker, grabbing his hand firmly.  

Her grip was strong, and she didn’t let go.  

“If I’m your wife, then you’re my husband. Right now, I’m your wife, aren’t I? We’re married. Why do you speak so coldly?”  

Freddy looked down at Olivia without saying a word.  

His deep, dark brown eyes seemed so warm that Olivia felt another surge of emotion rise within her.  

“Eat with me. Take walks with me. Be with me. If I’m making you uncomfortable, I’ll be more careful. I’ll do better, so…”  

Don’t follow ‘Liv.’  

Olivia swallowed the words she couldn’t bring herself to say.  

When she stopped speaking, Freddy finally asked,  

“…Have you calmed down?”  

Even in the face of her outburst, his reaction was indifferent. He seemed utterly unaffected. Despite all the emotions she had poured out, he appeared completely uninterested.  

It was at that moment that Olivia regained her senses.  

The Freddy before her wasn’t the one who had sent the letters. To send those letters, two more years would have to pass. And the one he would love was ‘Liv,’ not her.  

In the end, her feelings were entirely one-sided.  

The sorrow that had surged within her subsided, leaving behind a hollow emptiness.  

Olivia lowered her head deeply.  

Freddy stared at the small figure before him.  

The petite woman, who barely reached his chest, trembled as she shouted, but she posed no threat to him.  

To be honest, he couldn’t understand why she was so angry or why she felt so upset.  

And yet, when Olivia seemed on the verge of tears, his heart pounded uncontrollably.  

“…I apologize for making you uncomfortable. It was my mistake to speak without considering you.”  

Freddy admitted it.  

He realized that he became strange whenever he stood before Olivia. Though he didn’t know why, there was one thing he was certain of.  

“If there’s something you want, I’ll do it from now on. I’ll make time to eat with you and take walks.”  

Seeing the woman before him about to cry didn’t sit well with him.  

“So please, don’t cry.”  

Freddy raised his hand and gently pressed it against Olivia’s tear-streaked eyes.  

Startled by his unexpected touch, Olivia blinked her large eyes but didn’t react further.  

He could feel the warmth rising from the spot where his hand touched, but Freddy didn’t pull away.  

Olivia’s neck began to flush red, the color gradually spreading to her face.  

By the time her entire face was bright red, Olivia shook her head and let go of Freddy’s hand.  

“Why… why are you doing this?”  

Her eyes turned even redder than before.  

Freddy had intended to comfort her and stop her tears, but seeing her on the verge of crying again, he clenched his fist tightly.  

“I didn’t mean to startle you.”  

“No, I wasn’t startled. It’s just that you seemed uncomfortable touching me, and now suddenly you’re being so close… I mean, what I’m trying to say is…”  

Her flustered rambling prompted Freddy to respond calmly.  

“When speaking, taking a deep breath can help you convey your thoughts more clearly.”  

“I know that! But I don’t have the presence of mind to do that right now.”  

“Even when you’re not in the right state of mind, it’s the same. Pausing for a moment before speaking isn’t a bad idea. You might avoid saying something unnecessary and making a mistake.”  

As Freddy continued to speak, Olivia’s expression changed by the second.  

Her lips opened and closed as if she wanted to refute his words.  

He extended his hand toward her again and asked,  

“Can we sit down and have a calm conversation now?”  

Though she seemed to have calmed down, her eyes were sharper than before.  

Her reddened eyes hadn’t returned to normal either.  

Freddy tilted his head, wondering if she might cry again. Fortunately, her tears didn’t fall.  

Or perhaps it wasn’t so fortunate.  

“I’m leaving.”  

Why did it feel like she was even more upset?  

“Didn’t you come to talk?”  

“It’s fine. As you said, I don’t think I can express myself clearly right now, so I’ll leave for today.”  

“In that case, doesn’t that make your visit here meaningless? Didn’t you have something you wanted to say to me?”  

“…I’ll tell you another time.”  

Her glare was sharp enough to seem almost murderous.  

Freddy, unable to keep up with Olivia’s shifting emotions, let out a short sigh.  

Then he added,  

“Stopping mid-conversation isn’t a good habit. The other person might not understand your intentions.”  

“Stop criticizing me! I’m not a child.”  

“It’s not criticism.”  

Though they were having a conversation, it felt like they were constantly at odds.  

If this continued, Freddy thought, they might naturally grow distant, just as he had hoped.  

But as soon as he thought that, he closed his mouth, stopping himself from explaining further.  

When Freddy stopped speaking, Olivia turned her back on him and walked toward the door.  

He simply watched her retreating figure without stopping her.  

Just before she opened the door to leave, Olivia turned around.  

Then, she walked back toward Freddy with determined steps.  

Startled by her actions, Freddy hesitated.  

Olivia, with her fists tightly clenched, abruptly thrust something toward him.  

“It’s a gift.”  

Her pouting voice accompanied the flowers she held out.  

When Freddy didn’t take them, Olivia grabbed his hand and placed the flowers in it.  

Caught off guard, Freddy looked at the flowers in his hand.  

“And sleep in your room. If it’s uncomfortable, I’ll change rooms.”  

“…Madame.”  

“But I’d prefer if we slept together.”  

Before Freddy could respond, Olivia left the office.  

Even long after she had gone, Freddy remained rooted in place, unable to move.  

The flowers in his hand reminded him of Olivia.  

Though small and delicate, they somehow felt strong.  

***

Outside the office, Olivia leaned her back against the door.  

The reason she had turned back to give him the flowers was simple.  

She didn’t want to take back the gift she had prepared for Freddy.  

When she finally handed over the flowers without any special significance, Freddy’s expression had been so foolish that all her bitterness disappeared.  

Olivia let out intermittent chuckles.  

“When you say things like that, of course ‘Liv’ wouldn’t understand.”  

Knowing what Freddy might have been thinking when he said such things made Olivia’s emotions surge again.  

She couldn’t even begin to imagine how hurt ‘Liv’ must have been, knowing nothing at all.  

The laughter that had filled her face slowly began to fade.  

“…Ah.”  

If she was in the place where ‘Liv’ should have been, then where had ‘Liv’ disappeared to?  

Olivia had never once assumed that she and Liv were the same person.  

It was an obvious thought.