EPISODE 20%
Catelyn sat gracefully on the living room sofa, chatting with Grandmother Adela, her legs crossed neatly, hands folded on her lap like a model of elegance. The air between them had been warm and light, filled with practiced charm and polite laughter.}
“My dear, you’re glowing,” Grandmother Adela said, patting Catelyn’s hand. “How have you been, child? Your parents, are they still in Milan?”
“Yes, Grandma Adela. They were doing quite well, actually,” Catelyn replied with a soft smile.”
“Papa’s finally retiring next year, and Mama’s busy spoiling her garden. I, on the other hand…” She leaned forward slightly, her voice tinged with excitement. “I’ve just opened my own fashion studio downtown. Some modest fashion. We’re already booked until next season.“N
“Oh? That’s wonderful,” Grandmother said with a nod of approval. “A woman who runs her own business is rare these days. Most just rely on their family’s wealth or their husbands. But not you, hm? Reminds me of myself when I was your age.”}
“You were always my idol,” Catelyn said quickly. “Honestly, if you hadn’t come by earlier today, I’d still be waiting for some greasy mechanic to fix my car. It stalled right in the middle of the road.“}
Grandmother chuckled. “Nonsense. Of course, I’d help. What kind of woman leaves another stranded?“}
Catelyn was about to respond when Grandmother glanced at the tall grandfather clock in the hall. Her smile faded slightly.”
“But speaking of stranded… where is Ulysses? It’s been almost half an hour. I don’t have all day, you know. Is the boy still hiding in his room? Is this how he greets his elders now?”
Just then, footsteps echoed from the hallway.”
Ulysses appeared in casual clothes, sweatpants and a plain shirt that clung to his torso in all the right places. His hair was slightly tousled, lips parted in a half–yawn as he walked barefoot toward the two women.”
“It’s too early,” he muttered. “I was sleeping.“§
Grandmother gave him a disapproving look as she stood.
“You’re already a grown man, Ulysses. And still, you sleep in like a lazy boy. What on earth were you doing last night? Social media? Chasing nonsense online?“}
He let out a quiet sigh. “I sleep when I want. It’s my house. I rest on my own terms.”
Their exchange might have sounded cold to an outsider, but it was all surface tension, part of a long–established rhythm between a sharp–tongued matriarch and a fiercely independent grandson.
Beneath her scolding tone lay concern. Beneath his indifference was affection.}]
Catelyn rose too, brushing imaginary dust off her skirt.
“We didn’t mean to disturb, Ulysses,” she said sweetly. “But your grandmother insisted on coming in to wait.”
Ulysses didn’t answer her. Instead, he looked past both women, back toward the hallway.
I had just stepped into view, alerted by the sound of voices downstairs.
The moment he saw me, Ulysses’s entire expression shifted. The slight frown melted into something soft and alive. He walked toward me with purpose and wrapped his arms around me without a word. He kissed my forehead, his lips lingering for a beat too long. The embrace wasn’t vulgar or showy.”
It was domestic, affection overflowing from a simple gesture.
The room fell silent.”
Grandmother’s brows rose.”
Before anyone could speak, Ulysses turned and addressed the room, his voice clear and unshaken.}
“Grandma, I’d like you to meet someone. This is Selene.”
I stepped forward and bowed my head slightly. “Good morning, Grandmother.“M
“She’s my fiancée,” he added.”
I blinked.”
Fiancée?
My head snapped toward Ulysses, and I stared at him, wide–eyed. My mouth opened, but no words came out. Just last night, we had only… only just decided to give our relationship a name. A beginning. And now…
Fiancée?!
My gaze asked him a thousand questions in a split second: What are you doing? Why would you say that? Are you insane?}]
But Ulysses didn’t even look at me. He faced his grandmother with the unwavering steadiness of a man who had made a decision and saw no need to explain himself.”
“I’m announcing it soon,” he continued. “We’ll be making preparations for the ceremony. It’s final.“}
Catelyn’s smile faltered. She blinked and tilted her head slightly, as if she hadn’t heard him right. But I caught it, the stiffness in her jaw, the flare of her nostrils, the slight tremble of her fingers clutching her phone tighter.”
MERISODE 20
212
711
My gaze asked him a thousand questions in a split second: What are you doing? Why would you say that? Are you insane?! But Ulysses didn’t even look at me. He faced his grandmother with the unwavering steadiness of a man who had made a decision and saw no need to explain himself.
“I’m announcing it soon,” he continued. “We’ll be making preparations for the ceremony. It’s final.“%
Catelyn’s smile faltered. She blinked and tilted her head slightly, as if she hadn’t heard him right. But I caught it, the stiffness in her jaw, the flare of her nostrils, the slight tremble of her fingers clutching her phone tighter.”
She had planned this morning differently. She had come to see him again, perhaps to apologize for the disaster at the gala, to repair the image she had so carefully built. Maybe even to reignite something she assumed still existed between them.” She hadn’t expected me.
She especially hadn’t expected Ulysses to announce a bond. A permanent one.”
Her lips moved in a silent curse before she quickly recovered, folding her hands neatly in front of her once more.” Then there was Grandmother. Her stare was impossible to miss.
She regarded me silently for a long, uncomfortable moment, her eyes scanning every inch of me, not just how I looked, but how I stood, how I breathed. As if she could determine whether I deserved to be there simply by observing the way I carried myself.” Then she tilted her head and asked, “Aren’t you the divorcée? The one who was married to Lucas?“}
I swallowed hard.
There it was.N
The question I had feared. The one that stung, even though I had prepared myself to hear it someday.”
I nodded slowly. “Yes, Grandmother. I was.”
A shadow passed over my heart, and I couldn’t stop the flicker of pain in my expression. Five years of lies. Five years of hoping that love would follow loyalty. And it had ended with betrayal too sharp to forget.
Ulysses must have noticed the shift in me, because his face hardened instantly. “That’s not something you should be bringing up, Grandma. It’s inappropriate.”
“Inappropriate?” she repeated, lifting her chin. “Why is it inappropriate? I learned it from the news. It’s not a secret. She was married for five years. Then her husband left her–for her sister, no less.”
I stiffened again, wishing I could disappear. My past wrapped around me like chains, dragging me back into places I never wanted to revisit.
“But I’m not interested in scandals,” Grandmother said, waving a hand dismissively. “What matters to me isn’t who she was married to. What matters is this: why didn’t she have a child during all those years?”W
My breath caught in my throat.”
Ulysses stepped forward, his tone low and threatening now. “That’s enough.“”
But Adela raised her hand, unbothered by his warning. “I’m thinking of the family’s future, Ulysses. If she cannot give you an heir, what then? I have to consider what comes after. A bond is sacred, yes, but it must also be fruitful. If she cannot-”
“Grandma.” His voice cracked like a whip.
She blinked at him.”
“I’m not marrying for lineage. I’m not marrying to appease you. I’m marrying because I love her.”
Silence.
Even Catelyn dared not breathe.”
I turned my gaze down, blinking away the sting in my eyes.
Ulysses reached for my hand. His fingers closed around mine tightly.
“She’s my choice,” he said. “And that’s final.”
当
