After settling Leyla in her car seat, Olivia cast a glance at Raphael.

Raphael stood beside her, wrestling with mixed emotions, leaving Olivia unable to discern his thoughts.

“Thank you for your intervention just now," Olivia said softly.

Raphael didn't elaborate but instead fixed his gaze on Leyla. After a long pause, he murmured, “Well, I won't invite you to the funeral. Such events aren't appropriate for a child."

Besides, Olivia was Dylan's wife, and others might become suspicious if she attended the funeral with her daughter.

They might deem Leyla an illegitimate child of Raphael's.

"Okay," Olivia replied tersely.

Upon opening the driver's door, she turned to Raphael and said sincerely, “My condolences for your loss! Take care of yourself in the future."

Under the brilliant sun, Raphael silently gazed at her.

He understood that Olivia was not only offering condolences but also bidding farewell to him and their shared past.

Suddenly, he found the entire situation absurd, yet his mother had sacrificed her life for it. Whom could he hold accountable?

He now appeared to understand why Olivia chose Dylan.

It was because Dylan respected her and empathized with her emotions.

He never forced Olivia into anything.

As for himself, despite knowing he couldn't bring Olivia happiness, he couldn't bear to let her go.

He treated Olivia poorly, leveraging his relationship with Sharon to antagonize her. He even forced Olivia to take the contraceptives after having sex with her. He did all that merely because he wanted to witness her downfall, seeing it as proof that she still had feelings for him.

How twisted and pitiful he was!

This kind of affection was not what Olivia wanted. What she longed for was someone like Dylan, who was straightforward and treated her with dignity.

Raphael realized this too late.

Abruptly, he swung open the door, retrieved Leyla from her seat, and cradled her in his arms.

Leyla was too young to understand his emotions, so he murmured softly, "Little one, Daddy will protect you and ensure you're not troubled again."

But perhaps he could only admire Leyla from afar, and she would never know he was her father.

Leyla appeared to take a liking to his buttons, grasping them with her tiny hands. Observing quietly, Olivia was touched, her eyes moistening with tears.

But she didn't know that far away from where they were, someone observed her silently.