However, he could only hold on to the truth in silence.

He couldn't bring himself to tell Olivia the reality.

It was easier to let her believe that Kiley's death was a mere accident.

Olivia remained unaware of Raphael's inner turmoil.

Even though she had communicated openly with him, she sensed his grief. She stayed with him for a while before leaving with Leyla.

As soon as she stepped out of the hospital, Olivia found herself surrounded by reporters wielding cameras aimed at Leyla and her.

They gathered to capture pictures of her and young Leyla, bombarding her with questions about the rumored relationship between her and Raphael.

"Ms. Evans, you appeared immediately after Mr. Jones' mother passed away. Does this indicate that you two are indeed planning to get married soon?"

“Ms. Evans, regarding your daughter, is she really Mr. Jones’ child?"

Brushing aside the microphones, Olivia extended a hand to cover Leyla's face.

To capture a photo of Leyla, a female reporter tried to swat away Olivia's hand.

Olivia snapped and flipped off her camera.

The female journalist retorted sharply, “See how rude she is! Even though you're wealthy, I'm not intimidated by you."

If Edwin were there, he'd surely give the reporter a piece of his mind.

Olivia shot a cold glare at the journalist, on the brink of losing her composure. Just then, Raphael appeared. He shielded Olivia behind him, yet the female reporter remained obstinate.

In response, Raphael crushed her equipment into pieces.

Witnessing this, the other reporters were taken aback.

Addressing the reporters, Raphael spoke in a firm voice. "Olivia and I attended the same college and indeed had a history together, but that was all in the past. She came to the hospital to offer condolences upon hearing of my mother's passing. That's all the information you need."

He did desire to marry Olivia and build a happy life with her and Leyla.

But he didn't want others to gossip about Olivia, even though he would never be able to claim that Leyla was his child.

Olivia was actually a bit touched, yet she remained silent.

If she and Raphael could have remained composed upon reuniting, perhaps they wouldn't have reached this juncture. But life had no room for "ifs."

At that moment, Olivia felt gratitude toward Raphael for his efforts to protect her and Leyla.

Thus, Raphael escorted the mother and daughter to Olivia's car.