Back to Love: A New Beginning - Chapter 540

Chapter 540:

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I had moved back into Derek’s villa and had let Tina have the apartment I bought. Louise said she wanted to see the kids when we got back. The kids were already asleep.

Quietly, so as not to disturb them, we entered the room. The soft footfall woke the maid, who got up to turn on the light, but Louise stopped her with a wave of her hand. We stood by the bed for a few moments, watching the children sleeping peacefully.

Then, leaving them to the care of their dreams, we went out. We went to my room and slept in the same bed as before. Since Derek had passed away, sleep had eluded me.

I would spend long hours awake, unable to rest in the empty room. Louise’s presence soothed me. Her presence soothed my restlessness and protected me from the cold. She took two silver bracelets out of her purse and gave them to me.

“For the children,” she told me.

“I’m glad you came to see me. I didn’t want you to spend money,” I told her.

Louise pressed the gifts into my hands and lay back, wrapping herself in the quilt.

“I know you don’t have anything you want right now. They’re just little gifts. I want you to have them.” Her sincerity was more than enough, and I couldn’t refuse her after her words.

I wrapped my arms around her. “Lulu, where is your son?”

“I didn’t take him with me. It wouldn’t be ideal for me to take a child with me when I go out,” she said.

“Who takes care of him when you’re gone?”

Louise replied, “Gina is on vacation now. She’s good with children and my son has taken a liking to her, so I leave him in her care when I’m away. I know she would take good care of him.”

She pulled out her phone and showed me the picture of her son. The boy was the spitting image of his mother. His round eyes looked up at me from the picture, adorable in their innocence. He must not have been too far from my own children in age.

At that time, shortly after the news of Louise’s pregnancy, I had discovered that I was in the same boat as her.

Felix came to mind, and I couldn’t help but ask, “Felix. Did he find you? Have you seen him?” Louise nodded without another word.

Her eyes were fixed on the ceiling. A few moments passed before she spoke again.

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“As long as Layne is alive, I’ll wait for him. He’ll get out of jail and someday we’ll all be together.” The two of us talked at length well into the night.

As we ate breakfast the next day, something else was on my mind. I hesitated for words, but in the end, I voiced them.

“Lulu, go visit your father. Leave no regrets.” Louise looked at me.

To my surprise, the next moment she burst out laughing.

“You don’t need to look at me like that,” she said softly. “I’ll come and see you later.”

After breakfast, she left. The next day, he called me saying he was taking the train home. I hadn’t expected him to leave so soon. He had even planned to buy gifts for his son.

Our realities were different now than in the past. We had both grown and changed, especially after having our own families.

In the afternoon Alvaro came over. The Alvaro I knew was oblivious to silence. He constantly filled the space with words, to the point of being loquacious and mischievous. But the man I saw now was someone very different.

After what happened to Ady, it was as if words had fled. I used to be driven crazy by his noise, but his silence was even more unbearable. A heaviness settled in my chest as the minutes dragged on without sound.

I went to the kitchen to cook, refusing Alvaro’s offer to help me. He followed me into the kitchen. After a brief moment of silence, he gave me a slight smile.

“I just lost a finger. It’s not like I’m handicapped.” He placed the vegetables in the sink and turned on the faucet to wash them. I noticed his hands as he worked. He had beautiful hands, but now one of them was ruined.

“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice heavy with guilt.

He turned off the faucet and lifted a wet hand to tuck a lock of my hair behind my ear. He looked at me deeply, as if he wanted to say something. But in the end no words came out of his mouth.

With another smile, she continued washing the vegetables. At dinner, I filled a bowl of soup and sat down across from him. I carried the spoon in my hand, but made no move to eat the soup. Alvaro noticed my uneasiness and smiled softly.

“What’s the matter with you? You know you can tell me anything.” I fixed my eyes on him, consciously avoiding looking at his injured hand.

Guilt washed over me every time I saw it.

“Alvaro, you should go and do whatever you want. You have no obligation to stay with me all the time.” Some of the light in her eyes went out.

“You want to push me away that badly?” I shook my head.

“No, it’s not that. I just don’t want to get in your way. You should be with a woman you could have a life with, someone who could give you a future and children. I…” I looked down, grief weighing on my shoulders. “I’m not going to remarry.”

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