Olivia offered him a slight smile, affirming, “I trust you on that.”

But they were adults, and Olivia acknowledged that Dylan's actions were basically driven by circumstances beyond his control, his compassionate nature notwithstanding. Still, Gina's youth, beauty, and unwavering affection would make it totally understandable for a man to succumb to her allure.

Speaking softly, she advised, “Dylan, fix your problems first."

Nevertheless, Dylan retained his grip on her hand.

Just then, his phone rang once again, this time from Gina's father.

Dylan answered the call.

When he answered the phone call, despite not leaving to avoid Olivia, he still made his way to the window.

His back was slender, and his body frame was perfect.

Olivia watched him quietly for a while and then got up and left, leaving the space for Dylan. As she walked out and closed the door behind her, she pondered that it wasn't necessarily maturity that had changed her, but rather the realization that she might never love someone as passionately and wholeheartedly as she did in her youth.

She came to understand that perhaps love truly would diminish over time.

Dylan conversed on the phone for roughly five minutes.

Gina's health deteriorated, and her father expressed a wish for Dylan to visit. Indeed, it was imperative for Dylan to pay her a visit.

After hanging up the phone, Dylan turned around.

Olivia, who had been seated on the sofa, was now absent, Leaving only her shawl behind.

Dylan approached and tenderly ran his fingers over the shawl.

The shawl still held the warmth of their affection, yet it appeared lonely in its place.

Dylan located Olivia in the dimly lit parlor of the bedroom, where drawn curtains cast a shadowy ambiance. She was reclining on the sofa, engrossed in a novel, later identified by Dylan as “Lost Paradise."

Seating himself beside her, Dylan tenderly ran his fingers through her long hair.

Maintaining her gaze on the book, Olivia queried softly, "You intend to visit her, don't you?"

Dylan did not refute her assumption.

He felt the need to be transparent with Olivia regarding the situation. After a brief contemplation, he uttered, "Due to her father's plea, I must go. Olivia, Can you understand?”

Olivia's gaze remained fixed on the book's pages, but her mind was elsewhere. She heard Dylan's question, wondering if she could really be okay with it, but how could she?

No woman could be that generous.

As long as she still loved him, such understanding eluded her.