From Broken to Beloved-Chapter 124- about the future

It really was his fault—egregiously so. Just moments ago, he had treated the very person he wanted to cherish with such coldness and rigidity.

Perhaps it was because his emotional life had been empty for far too long. Bert felt as though he had forgotten how to love.

Fortunately, it took only this once for him to understand where his problem lay. He gently stroked her cheek, his voice low and steady as he gave his promise.

"It won’t happen again."

In response to his apology and assurance, Catherine simply smiled faintly and let it go.

When two people are together, whether in temperament or daily habits, compatibility is something that has to be worked toward. And they had officially been together for barely a day—it was all the more reason they needed time to adjust to one another.

Just as he himself had said, he was an ordinary man, and she was an ordinary woman. What they shared was an ordinary relationship between two people. Arguments were normal. Sulking was normal. Losing one’s temper—whether it was him or her—was normal too. As long as it didn’t cross any fundamental boundaries, Catherine believed there was nothing that couldn’t be resolved.

So reconciliation was inevitable. And Catherine also understood that his outburst earlier had come from caring about her—perhaps the way he expressed it had been flawed. But since he had given his word, she was more than willing to give him the chance to change.

Moved by her tolerance and lack of reproach, Bert wrapped an arm around her and pressed a light kiss to the crown of her head.

"I’ll cook," he said. "You go wait outside."

Catherine laughed.

"It’ll be faster if we do it together, won’t it?"

Her clean, radiant smile fell into Bert’s eyes, and in that instant, he felt his heart melt beyond repair. He reached out, took her hand, and the two of them began preparing dinner together.

Because so much time had been delayed earlier, Bert made something simple yet delicious—pasta for dinner. Western food was something he was quite skilled at. Catherine ate with obvious enjoyment, finishing an entire large plate by herself.

By the end, she felt a little embarrassed and couldn’t help making excuses for herself.

"It’s all your fault. We wasted so much time earlier—I was starving."

Bert responded to her excuse by raising an eyebrow meaningfully.

"Eating more is a good thing."

Catherine immediately remembered what he had said at lunchtime—that she should gain some weight because it would feel better in bed—and she shot him an annoyed glare. She felt that she couldn’t have a proper conversation with him anymore; after just a few sentences, he always turned improper.

Shameless.

Since it was already quite late, Catherine needed to head home not long after dinner.

Bert walked her back. As they were about to leave, he stopped her at the entryway, gently pulling her into his arms. He raised a hand and gestured toward the spacious, empty apartment.

"Look at this place," he said. "Isn’t it lonely for one person to live in a house this big?"

Catherine immediately caught the implication—his roundabout way of asking her to move in. She snorted softly and replied,

"Then why did you buy such a big place in the first place?"

Bert laughed, ignoring her comment, and continued casually,

"When we get married someday, how about letting your mom live with us too?"

Catherine was startled by his words. He had suddenly brought up marriage, and she was completely unprepared for it.

"When we have kids, we’ll definitely need someone to help take care of them," he went on matter-of-factly. "My mom’s in the States—she won’t be able to help at all. And I don’t plan on having her come back. That would be awkward. If you keep working, then we’ll have to rely on your mom."

Catherine hadn’t even finished processing the marriage part when he jumped straight to having children. She was mortified.

"Aren’t you thinking way too far ahead...?"

They had only been dating for one day, and he was already planning life after children.

Faced with Catherine’s evasiveness, Bert turned her body back to face him, his expression serious as he spoke.

"Catherine, when I first confessed my feelings to you, I made it clear that I was pursuing this relationship with marriage as the end goal."

He was tall, and there was a noticeable height difference between them. Standing face to face like this, he naturally carried a slightly imposing presence. Coupled with the weight of his words, Catherine found herself at a loss for what to say, her gaze instinctively shifting away.

"You did say that, but... but—"

But they had only just started dating. Talking about marriage—and even children—felt far too fast.

"But what?" Bert fixed his eyes on her, his lips pressing into an unmistakably displeased line.

"Don’t tell me you only wanted to date me casually—without ever thinking about the future."

Before Catherine could say anything, Bert spoke again.

"I’m thirty-six this year. If you dare to walk away after we’re done—"

He didn’t finish the sentence, but the clenched warning in his tone was unmistakable.

"I wouldn’t," Catherine said softly, shaking her head as she met his gaze.

"I never planned to leave after this. But what if we’re not right for each other?"

Love could be simple—simple enough that all it took was two people loving each other.

But it could also be unbearably complex. Two people were meant to walk through an entire lifetime together, and a lifetime was so long that no one could guarantee they wouldn’t drift apart somewhere along the way. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Bert completely rejected her way of thinking. He wrapped an arm around her waist and asked firmly,

"There won’t be anything that doesn’t fit. What could possibly be wrong?"

His eyes were deep and steady, filled with confidence, resolve, and an almost stubborn persistence.

Catherine bit her lip and stayed silent. His voice softened then, dropping into a low, coaxing murmur.

"If you’ve decided to be together, then you turn every incompatibility into compatibility. Do you understand?"

Under his quiet authority, Catherine nodded instinctively. Only then did Bert seem satisfied. He released her, took her hand, and led her out the door.

On the way home, Catherine called Riley, wanting to let her know that things between her and Bert were fine now and that there was no need to worry. But Riley didn’t answer. At first, the call went unanswered; later, her phone was completely switched off.

Catherine couldn’t help but frown, a faint sense of unease creeping into her chest.

Bert noticed the shift in her expression.

"What’s wrong?"

"I can’t get through to Riley..." Catherine replied, dialing Riley’s number again. It was still switched off.

Standing beside her, Bert said casually,

"What’s there to worry about? She’s probably off somewhere having fun. With her personality, men aren’t exactly lining up for her—there’s no need to worry about her safety."

In Bert’s eyes, Riley was the textbook definition of a tomboy. Her words and behavior lacked any traditionally feminine softness. As a man, he felt no attraction toward Riley whatsoever—sexual or otherwise—and assumed other men likely felt the same.

Catherine protested immediately, clearly unhappy with his comment.

"What are you talking about? Riley is an amazing girl. There are tons of men who are interested in her!"

She laughed loudly when she was happy, cried openly when she was sad, never hid her emotions, and was sincere and straightforward to the core. How could a girl like that not be lovable?

Bert laughed at her reaction. He hadn’t meant to belittle Riley at all—he was simply offering a practical analysis from a man’s perspective.

In Catherine’s eyes, Riley truly was a wonderful girl. After all, as another woman, Catherine focused on Riley’s inner qualities. But for men, paying attention to a woman often meant something different—more about temperament, aura, and the kind of presence she carried.