But Olivia wasn’t finished. Her voice grew sharper, her words cutting through the tension in the room. “Do not pretend, Brother. I know the truth. You’re in love with Bridget.”
A flash of guilt flickered in his eyes, and he averted his gaze. His brow furrowed, his voice tinged with denial when he spoke, “I have never admitted to such a thing. What nonsense. You’re conjuring up assumptions in your head, Olivia.”
Olivia shook her head and scoffed, her voice rising as she pressed on, “Just tell me, Brother, why didn’t you marry her after the scandal? You had every opportunity!”
Abel’s expression darkened, a shadow crossing his features. He took a deep breath before responding, doing his best to keep calm. “You know not what you speak of, Sister. You shouldn’t pretend to understand what you don’t.”
Olivia’s eyes narrowed, her voice laced with accusation. “So what? You are going to claim you chose to protect her by sacrificing your own happiness? How noble of you, Abel.”
“What are you even?—”
Olivia wasn’t done. “Even if you like to keep up a strong front, marrying her now would have been an excuse to be yourself, wouldn’t it? You could have hid behind the guise of fulfilling an obligation.”
His eyes nearly popped out their sockets. “Olivia, you?—”
“Tell me why you couldn’t just do the right thing, Brother! Why are you so addicted to pain?”
“I did propose to Bridget, Olivia! But she rejected me!! All right?!”
Abel’s temper flared, his voice filled with anger as he snapped, sending angry reverberations across the room.
Olivia’s eyes widened in surprise at this revelation. She had no idea. Her mind began swirling with different thoughts. She wondered why Bridget would reject him.
Abel’s head bent, his voice trembled with vulnerability as he continued, “She doesn’t even want to see me anymore. I was ready to marry her, to give her everything, but she turned me away.”
Suddenly, he looked up, his eyes ablaze with fury. He declared, “I didn’t ask for these feelings, and that is certain, Olivia! This is all Bridget’s fault!”
Olivia arched an eyebrow, taken aback by his second sudden outburst.
He continued, his words pouring out in a torrent of frustration, “She came into my life and changed everything, and then she just rejected me. She’s a callous woman, heartless!”
Olivia let out a weary sigh and shook her head. Her voice tinged with frustration, she said, “These are all just excuses, Brother.”
His glare met her gaze, his mouth poised to speak, but she swiftly interrupted him.
“No, don’t say anything yet. Hear me out,” Olivia urged, her voice firm but compassionate. “You love Bridget, so you should fight for her. You cannot let this rejection be the end. True love is worth fighting for, even in the face of adversity.”
Abel shook his head, a mix of resignation and pain etched on his face. “I cannot, Olivia. It’s not that simple,” he murmured, his voice heavy with defeat.
A sardonic laugh escaped Abel’s lips, his bitter words dripping with self-deprecation. “Perhaps it’s for the best that Bridget rejected me. After all, I had no intention of marrying a woman I love.”
Her gaze remained fixed on him, her eyes filled with determination as she posed a question that weighed heavily on her heart. She had heard this notion of his once before but never got around to asking.
“Brother, why would you ever plan not to marry for love?”
However, his patience wore thin again, his voice laced with frustration as he snapped, “It’s none of your business, Olivia. Just drop it.”
Undeterred by his dismissive response, she persisted, her voice steady and unwavering, “I would like to understand. Why would you deny yourself the chance at true happiness?”
Met with his silence, she inquired again, “Surely you have felt the blissful emotions and wonders love brings to a soul. Why would you choose to consciously reject a lifetime of that?”
Abel’s eyes met hers once more, a flicker of vulnerability momentarily breaking through his defenses. He let out a sigh, and his voice wavered as he admitted, “I’m scared, Olivia. Scared of what love does.”
He hesitated, his fear seeping into his voice as he added, “What if I marry for love, and that marriage ends up like our parents’?”
Olivia’s eyes widened. It all made sense. Her voice softened, assurance evident as she leaned closer. “Abel, our parents’ marriage was a tragedy, but it doesn’t mean our own love storieswill follow the same path. We have the power to create our own destinies.”
His gaze fell to the table, his voice filled with a solemn resignation. “And if I’m not strong enough to endure the pain, Sister? What if indeed I am destined to repeat their mistakes?”
