Luca’s patience snapped. His voice grew cold as he said, "Olivia, what’s your game? You always do this. When you’re upset, I try to calm you, but you stay silent, acting like you’ve lost your voice. Are you pretending to be mute now?"

He stood up abruptly, snatching the cigarette from her fingers with a look of disgust.

"Didn't I tell you to quit smoking? It reeks!"

Olivia was not a heavy smoker; she could not even finish a pack in half a year.

However, Giselle was different. She was far more addicted. Every time Luca saw her smoking, he would gently remind her, "Smoking’s bad for your health. You should take care of yourself, my sister."

Olivia did not react to Luca’s outburst. She simply lit another cigarette, a faint, enigmatic smile curling her lips.

"Luca, what I want is an explanation, an apology and atonement. I don’t want more of your lies."

She stood up, grabbing his chin firmly, forcing him to meet her eyes as she spoke, each word deliberate and piercing. "Luca, do you dare to swear you did not lie to me?"

Luca’s temper flared completely. He pulled away from her grip and raised his voice in frustration.

"I said I didn’t lie! You can believe whatever you want."

Olivia extinguished the cigarette and asked coolly, "What’s the matter? Are you avoiding my gaze because you're afraid to look me in the eye?"

Luca’s expression twisted into one of frustration. "Who’s afraid?"

Olivia raised an eyebrow and smiled softly. "Then leave. I can't stand liars."

Luca stood frozen, his mind momentarily blank. He thought there was something wrong with his ears.

Had she really just told him to leave?

During their worst arguments, no matter how heated things got, Olivia had never pushed him away like this.

A sudden tightness gripped Luca’s chest. "You... you’re really asking me to leave?"

Olivia nodded, her face serious as if there was no room for negotiation.

"This is my home. Why shouldn’t I ask you to leave?"

Without warning, Luca’s anger surged. He stormed forward, grabbed her and lifted her off the ground.

"Ah!"

Olivia did not expect Luca to take action all of a sudden and she was completely shocked.

With fiery anger, Luca carried her toward the bedroom.

He growled, his voice thick with fury, "How dare you ask me to leave?"

Luca threw Olivia onto the bed and pinned her down with a force that felt almost cruel.

Olivia’s stomach churned and she screamed, "Don’t touch me!"

"We’ve been together for more than four years, haven’t I touched you enough?" he snapped, irritation boiling over. He hadn’t expected Olivia to react this way.

Without another word, he lowered his head and kissed her fiercely.

The kiss was harsh, even a little bitter.

His lips were pressed against hers with an intensity that felt like punishment.

For some reason, the memory of Luca and Giselle hidden away on the boat, sharing a kiss on their 23rd birthday, flooded her mind.

Olivia's stomach turned as the nausea intensified. Driven by a surge of frustration, Olivia bit down hard on his lip, his lips parting as he hissed in surprise.

His eyes filled with a crimson rage.

"Olivia, how dare you… you weren’t like this before."

Their sharps gazes met, but before anything more could be said, a rapid ringing of a phone shattered the silence.

Luca glanced at his phone. The caller ID read Giselle.

Her voice crackled through the speaker, thick with panic and tears. "Luca, Buffy has been vomiting. I’m so scared. I don’t know what to do, please come back."

Instantly, Luca’s demeanor shifted, his concern overtaking his anger. "Don’t worry, Giselle, I’ll be there in a minute."

Without sparing another glance at Olivia, he stormed out of the room, his steps echoing as he rushed toward the door.

Buffy was the kitten Giselle raised. Once upon a time, Olivia’s biggest wish was to raise a cat with Luca, but that dream had never come true since Luca was allergic to cat fur.

He had always claimed he did not like small animals, yet he adored Giselle’s kitten.

Just like tonight. If Buffy was truly sick, wouldn’t a vet be the best solution? Why did Giselle need him instead?

This was not the first time they had fought over this. But each time, the argument ended with Olivia swallowing her pride, apologizing and admitting she had been unreasonable.

But tonight, the nausea still had not faded and she did not have the energy to care about these petty matters anymore.

She rushed into the bathroom, rinsing her mouth over and over before she could breathe properly again.

When she finally looked up, she stared blankly at her own reflection in the mirror.

Years in the industry had taken their toll. To maintain her on-screen image, she had lost so much weight that doctors warned it was dangerous.

If not for her love for Luca, she would have pursued her management degree, graduated and returned home to take over her parents' company.

Her phone vibrated. It was a message from her agent, Yeva.

[The new drama starts filming next month. How’s your preparation going? I know you've been working hard for this role. Feeling confident it'll be a hit?]

If her past life was any indication, within the next two days, Luca would ask her to give up this role.

Olivia hesitated for a moment before typing a response.

[Yeva, if I suddenly disappear one day, would it cause a lot of trouble?]

Almost instantly, Yeva sent a string of voice messages.

"What kind of nonsense are you talking about, silly girl? If you disappear, what do you think will happen to me?"

"Have you been under too much stress lately? Don’t let it eat away at you."

"You're still so young. You’ve already done such amazing films, won so many awards. You have a brilliant future ahead. Why would you even think about disappearing?"

Olivia knew the weight of her choices. If she disappeared, a lot of people would be affected. But it was the only way she could think of to free herself from Luca.

She sent a few reassuring messages to Yeva before collapsing onto her bed.

For the first time in a long while, she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

It was not until the smart home system chimed to alert her of food delivery that she finally stirred awake.

She blinked awake, groggy from sleep and shuffled toward the door. The moment she opened it, a delicate little cake greeted her.

Beside it lay a handwritten note.

Luca’s familiar script filled the page. The message was predictable. It must be an apology for leaving in a rush last night and a promise to visit that afternoon to "discuss something important."

Luca knew she had a weakness for sweets. Every time he needed to smooth things over, he sent her a cake.

But this was not just an apology. It was a preemptive strike.

Olivia let out a quiet, bitter laugh. Without hesitation, she picked up the cake and tossed it straight into the trash. The note was torn into irreparable pieces.

She already knew why Luca had come to persuade her to give up the lead role in the new drama.

That afternoon, he arrived right on time, just as she expected. In his hands was a bouquet of deep red roses. Her favorite.

Olivia lay on the sofa, idly flipping through a book. Without looking up, she asked, "What is it?"

Luca set the flowers on the coffee table, flashing a gentle smile.

"What's wrong? Still upset?"

Her voice was steady, indifferent. "No."

Unbothered, he crouched beside her, closing the distance between them. With an easy familiarity, he plucked the book from her hands.

"Olivia, I want to discuss something with you."

Olivia gave a small nod.

Luca continued, "Well, Giselle wants the lead role in your upcoming drama. Can you let her have it?"

As if sensing resistance, he quickly added the real bargaining chip before she could respond.

"Olivia, if you step aside and let Giselle take the role, I’ll seriously consider marrying you."

To Luca’s surprise, Olivia agreed almost instantly. "All right."

His heart skipped a beat.

He had been prepared for a drawn-out argument, but he had not expected her to yield so easily.

"You…" Luca hesitated, his brows furrowing. "Isn’t this drama really important to you? Haven’t you been preparing for it for a long time?"

Olivia scoffed inwardly.

So he knew. He knew she had poured years of effort into this drama. And yet, he still had the audacity to ask her to give it up for Giselle.

Love? Hate? What was the difference?

Even though he had gotten the answer he wanted, a sense of unease crept into Luca’s heart.

Olivia had been acting strange lately and so unlike herself. It was as if she had become an entirely different person.

Seeing the doubt flickering in his eyes, she smiled and lied effortlessly. "No matter how important this drama is, isn’t our wedding more important?"

Luca’s tense expression softened.

Yes, that made sense. Olivia had always dreamed of marrying him since they got together, hadn’t she?

"I knew you were the best."

Luca raised her hand and touched Olivia's cheek, but Olivia instinctively flinched away.

Luca did not seem to mind. Instead, changed the subject. "Did you like the cake?"

If he had been just a bit more observant, he would have noticed it sitting in the trash.

Olivia smiled again, her lips as smooth as silk. "I ate it. It was delicious."

Luca nodded approvingly, his voice gentle. "Good. Then you should start setting aside time to pick out a wedding dress."

Olivia narrowed her eyes and abruptly changed the subject. "When do you plan to make our relationship public?"

After four years together, this question remained the biggest landmine between them. One question that always led to an argument.

Luca averted his gaze, but his response was the same well-rehearsed excuse. "My career is on the rise right now. If we go public, it could affect me."

He had no idea that soon, Olivia would leave the entertainment industry entirely and was never to be a burden to him again.

She said nothing more, simply pushing Luca aside and murmuring, "I understand. I'm a little tired. You should go."

But Luca did not move. He reached for the hem of her sleeve, his voice soft. "Are you upset? I didn’t mean to leave like that last night. It was an emergency. Giselle loves her cat. I couldn’t just ignore it."

Olivia pulled her sleeve free, indifference flickering in her gaze.

That was when she noticed the red rash on Luca’s neck.

A telltale sign of a cat hair allergy.

Luca was meticulous about his appearance, so he would never allow something like this to happen unless it was unavoidable.

However, Giselle was always an exception.

Olivia let out a cold chuckle. "Angry? Why would I be angry? I wanted you to leave, but you insisted on staying."

Upon hearing these words, Luca’s irritation flared instantly.

"Olivia, how old are you? Stop acting like a little girl throwing a tantrum."

He had known Olivia for years, long enough to believe he understood her. She had always been quick to anger, but as long as he gave her an out, she would eventually back down.

Yet this time, she had been distant for days. If it were not for Giselle, Luca would not have been so careful with her feelings.

But instead of arguing back, Olivia simply sighed, resting her head in her hand as if she were too exhausted to care.

"If that’s what you think, then so be it."

Luca’s frustration only deepened. He stood up abruptly, heading for the door, but not before throwing one last warning over his shoulder. "Olivia, have you thought about what happens if you say things you can’t take back?"